I can recall how a balance bike seemed to just make so much more sense than stabilisers. I recall how I wished I’d come across the idea sooner and my first child had had the benefit that his younger siblings had. Safety features are limited but include a two-point belt that fastens around the waist and non-adjustable foot straps. The biggest difference between the Shotgun Original and Shotgun 2.0 is the method for getting the seat on and off your bike. The Original is more complicated and takes longer.

The most important thing is that the bike seat is attached securely with no sign of budging. Common sense also comes into play here and, as parents, we’ll need to make judgement calls about what’s safe for our children. For example, how comfortable is your little one wearing a helmet? (No helmet, no bike ride.) So ensure your child is snug in their harness and that the bike seat itself is installed correctly and not wobbly. What safety standards should I be aware of? Have you considered an e-bike with a rear bike seat for carrying your baby, toddler or small child? We’ll help you find the right set up so you can easily carry your child, up to 5 or 6 years old, on your electric bike. The footrests themselves cannot be angled to better accommodate the flat bottom of your child’s foot. We’d love to see that changed for the next iteration of this seat.Loosen the dial at the end of the foot peg for the right foot – 5 to 10 turns (see left arrow below) When first testing the Shotgun Pro with its saddle set to its factory setting, the saddle was actually too high and it made the descents less fun as our little tester was now taking up more space directly beneath Lauren’s chin – sometimes even interfering with her vision as she assumed a lower position on her bike. (It should be noted that Lauren is a shorter rider around 5’4″ and this will be discussed more below). Before selecting a seat, it’s essential that you determine what type of riding you plan on doing most of the time. Also keep in mind that seats designed specifically for mountain biking (Shotgun, Mac Ride) can work great for casual riding, but seats designed for casual use (Tyke Toter and UrRider) are not recommended for mountain biking. The Shotgun seat fits all modern mountain bikes – including bikes with steep, sloping or tapered top tubes.

Now take a look at how much higher Lauren’s son sits in relation to her body when the seat is shifted forward to match the seat positioning of the Mac Ride. This position was very uncomfortable for Lauren because her son’s helmet kept hitting her chin while riding. Without the Shotgun seat attached, there’s hardly any sign of it on your bike. Only the special spacer remains. When riding these open front mounted child seats, kids typically hold on to the adult’s handlebars while riding. With your hands gripped to the end of the bar, there is usually plenty of space for the child to place their hands between yours.To the uninitiated, it can be quite alarming when first looking at the Mac Ride and Shotgun kids seats. Where are the straps and seat belts? It’s true, aside from the footstraps there are no straps to hold your kid in. But have no fear, just like when they ride their own bikes, once on, straddling the top tube and in the footstraps, your kid feels really secure. After a couple of minutes of car park testing, our team felt 100% confident on mellow trails, with toddlers from 2 years old. As soon as your kid jumps on it all makes sense and feels very safe. Will a front-mounted MTB kids seat fit my bike? With placement on a sloping top tube, the height of the Shotgun’s saddle will be lower the closer you position it to your own saddle, and higher the closer you place it to your head tube. The centre-mounted seats come attached to a bar that you fit between the seat post and the head-tube of your bike. This type of seat is usually a full seat with harness and footrests. More info thule.com The Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini is the best way to start your toddlers trail riding adventures from as young as 12 months. Off-road or mountain bike kids seats are also designed for slightly older kids (ages 2 to 5 years old) and also do not have a harness system. They were born and bred in the mountain biking world, and are suitable for much more aggressive riding.

If, like us, you were planning your child’s first bike while they were still in the womb, you will also be keen to find a way for them to join you on bike rides as soon as possible. Specific baby carriers allow you to transport children from as young as three months, and we have a full review of the best bike trailers online, however, if you want to enjoy the freedom of a front-mounted child seat, you will have to wait a little longer until your child has the strength to sit dynamically. Most child seat brands recommend a minimum age of 12 months, with the more capable Mac Ride and Shotgun seats recommending 2-5 years. Most seats have an upper limit of 15 kg, with the Mac Ride and Shotgun suggesting 25 and 22 kg respectively. Building memories with every turn, your first ride with a front mounted childs seat will be a revelation Are front-mounted child’s mountain bike seats safe? This is a lightweight bike seat that’s easy to install and, for added convenience, it comes with adjustable fittings to fit onto a variety of bicycles. The Polisport feels very sturdy and with a three-point harness, the seat feels secure and comfortable. The legs (with attached footrests) of the Shotgun Pro are height-adjustable so accommodate the length of your child’s legs. Our 42.5″ rider had the legs set to their maximum length, while our 33″ rider had them set to their shortest length. Its shoulder straps are soft, padded, secure, and don’t slip down. To top it off, the RideAlong Mini is the onlyseat on this list to have two shoulder strap height positions to adjust as your child grows. Put a helmet on your kid – with a kid on the front you are 100% responsible and you don’t crash. You just don’t. But a helmet will help them get used to riding with a helmet on and encourage good practice.

ABOUT THE SHOTGUN PRO KIDS MOUNTAIN BIKE SEAT:

Front bike seats are a lovely way to cycle with your baby or toddler because they are in a brilliant position as you ride - directly in front of you! This allows you to chat as you cycle along, pointing out everything you see during your bike ride.

If you extend the length of the legs for older riders, the leg extensions are not surrounded in rubber. The Shotgun seat is definitely a great option, especially if you are using a dropper post that is fully inserted into the seatpost. IMPORTANT INSTALLATION NOTE FOR THE ORIGINAL SHOTGUN: If your down tube is wider than your top tube, the metal legs will bow out and bend as you screw on the foot pegs at the bottom of the legs. This is normal. We initially thought we had ruined our seat by bending those legs, but we verified with Kids Ride Shotgun that this should be expected. We did not experience this on the 2.0.We vigorously examine the seats’ safety features, the ease of mounting, the potential impact on balance while riding, and the comfort of the child during use. We also note whether the seats could potentially impact visibility or overall riding safety. Finally, we confirm the weight and measurements of the product. Don’t just assume that the factory setting is the best setting. Depending on your child’s size and your size, you’ll need to play around with the best fit for you. MOUNTING LIMITATIONS: Best for use on a bike with a front suspension fork (bikes without suspension fork often don’t have enough clearance between the front wheel and down tube). Fits bikes with top tubes 35 – 68mm wide and down tubes from 35 – 100mm wide.