If you’re a mountain biking family, you’re probably familiar with the Kids Ride Shotgun seats, which allow toddlers and preschoolers to ride up front with you on trail rides. These attachments have truly become a game changer for families that want to bring the kids along and still ride single track.
The original Shotgun and Shotgun 2.0 is a frame mounted seat that attaches to the front of your mountain bike. They later developed the Shotgun Pro, which allows a no frame contact attachment style so as not to damage higher end bikes. Check out our Shotgun Seat Comparison post!
These seats both allow kids approximately 2-5 years old to ride on your mountain bike, but not much younger, which is why we were excited to test the newest product from the Shotgun series, the new Kids Ride Shotgun Pro EVO, which can accommodate kids as young as 9 months!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, if you purchase something through one of these links and use the discount codes provided, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you.
All products and brands recommended are hand selected by our team, so thank you for supporting us by clicking through!
What Did We Think?
In the short time we’ve had to test it, we’ve been impressed! I only wish I’d had it when all my babies were small, because it’s so fun to have them along! The little giggles and whoops are the best!
The Pro EVO is a convertible two-in-one seat that can accommodate kids as young as 9 months, and up to 60 lbs, depending on height. It opens the door for even the smallest little rippers to begin their singletrack journey!
It consists of a five point harness seat with a back that converts to the usual bike saddle & mini handlebars, all attached securely with a quick release, no frame contact mounting, making it easy to put on and take off in a jiffy.
Who Is This Best For?
This product is ideal for families who are very proficient at mountain biking. Mountain biking can be a dangerous sport, so before adding a child to your bike, make sure you can confidently ride a variety of trails and terrain and stay in control. Practice riding on grass or flat pavement with your child first before venturing onto trails.
It’s a spendy little toy, so this seat is really best suited for families who mountain bike often and will put it to use. You can also use it for cruising any terrain, but it is designed to be capable on single track or other rough trails. It is a lot of fun riding anywhere with this seat, but it fits mountain bike frames best.
If you’re interested in rear seats or trailers, see our other articles on our favorite biking accessories. You can read all about different trailer types here and bike seats here.
Key Features
This new product comes with several changes from the previous models, while some things stay the same. Kids Ride Shotgun’s new product grows with your kiddo, featuring:
- 9 months to 5 years
- 15 second quick release mounting
- Zero frame contact
- Designed specifically to fit mountain bike frames
- E-bike compatible
- 5 point safety harness with sternum strap
- Fidlock magnetic childproof buckle
- Fully adjustable seat position & angle, footrests and harness
- Meets industry safety standards for a front mounted child seat
- Adapter available for bikes with internal routing
- Retails for $439 for the 2-in-1 seat
Most front mounted child seats with restraints are not designed for mountain bikes, but this one is! You can adjust the seat position and angle for more cockpit space and better turning.
What We Love
Two Seats in One!
Most of what we love about this seat is the convenience of being able to bring our smaller babes along for a ride. Instead of having to switch back and forth on who gets to ride, both parents can go! I can’t think of any other products that would allow me to mountain bike with kids under 1-2 years old, and for adventurous parents, it’s a big deal.
Secure Attachements
After being installed correctly and securely, this seat feels solid. Cranking up hills and coasting down, it doesn’t have play or bouncing or wobbles. It stays put and doesn’t shift. It’s mounted by the stem and the seat post, so it doesn’t touch your frame but still feels solid. Even though our (empty) bike tipped over a few times with the seat attached, it didn’t budge.
We also like the handlebar for the baby seat, so the kiddo has something to hold onto while we ride. Our little gal seemed to really like having that. This handlebar converts into the attachments for the foot pegs of the regular seat, which is cool.
Quality Components
The Pro EVO seat feels well made. The harnessed seat is dense foam and pretty comfortable (similar to the Thule Yepp seats), so it cradles your little one well. It is actually similar to the Yepp Mini seat, except I like the positioning better. With the Yepp Mini, I was too short to even ride with it on my bike, and turning was awkward.
The buckles are solid and not cheap or flimsy. The Fidlock buckles are super easy to use. The saddle and updated foot pegs feel like high quality pieces, and in short, it feels legit and will last through lots of kids and rides.
Adjustable Everything
We’ve used the original Shotgun seat extensively, and we were pretty happy with the way they upgraded the foot pegs, making them more secure, adjustable, and easier to keep those feet in a safe and comfortable position.
The seat is also really adjustable, so you can change the angle if you want it more upright or more relaxed, as well as slide it forward or backward. You can adjust the foot rests and the straps to fit a variety of kids as well. They’ve put quick release on almost everything, so you have mostly tool free adjustments.
E-bike Compatible
We don’t currently use e-bikes, but it’s nice to know they are compatible with them, making it an even more versatile seat that can serve a bigger demographic of people.
More Bang for Your Buck
At $439, this seat is not cheap. It’s definitely an investment for families, but in my opinion it’s worth it. You essentially get two products, and can use it for a solid 5 years before passing it on or re selling it. It also comes with two stem adapters, so once installed, you can switch in from mom’s bike to dad’s bike easily. You can purchase additional stem adapters from the Shotgun website for $11.
What We Don’t Love
To be honest, there’s not a ton we don’t love, but there are a few down sides. It’s difficult to get a product that can fit so many people and bikes and not have some issues.
Initial Install
Getting it installed initially takes some time and you have to put on their specific stem spacer to attach it to your headset. You have to remove your handlebars and replace your spacer with theirs, so that the seat can attach to it. Luckily, you only have to do that on the first installation. Every bike you use it on must have the spacer installed, which can be annoying.
Also to convert the baby seat into the regular saddle for bigger kids, you need to take some time to unscrew the seats and change foot pegs for the conversion. This is not something you can use for two different sized kids and just change it quickly from one to the other.
Some Bikes Not Compatible
It also doesn’t work with EVERY mountain bike. They have to have 1 1/8 inch steerers, so older bikes with different head sets/geometry won’t work. Otherwise you need specially ordered adapters for some bikes (including mine- the Scott Syncros headset). So that was inconvenient. We just installed it on my husband’s bike for now instead.
Height Challenges for Shorter Riders
Using the seat is tricky for shorter parents like me (5’3 for reference), since the attachment style makes it so the kids sit a bit higher. Add in the helmet and I cannot see over my kid. Using a dropper post is helpful because I can raise myself up a bit, but compared to the original Shotgun seat, they are raised a few inches due to how the seat attaches to the bike. If you already use the Pro version, it’s about the same height though.
I have a pretty hard time riding with a kid in the baby seat, even with it adjusted all the way forward but with the regular saddle I can manage. So I guess dad will have to tote the babies around.
Cockpit Space
This is a similar issue as the height thing- for smaller people, having the kid up front in the harnessed seat can be a bit crowded in the cockpit, as well as taller parents having to bow out their knees a bit when pedaling (especially with the baby seat). This is something you can get used to however, and a dropper post is helpful for it as well.
Rider Experience
Above all, the Kids Ride Shotgun seat is so much fun. From the moment we mounted the kid up front, and started pedaling, we were wishing we’d had it ten years ago with our oldest! It feels so secure riding with the little ones up front, where they can really feel and see the action. They can chat and really share the sport and it really changed biking for us. Of all the child seats and trailers we’ve used, the Shotgun is the most fun and simplest to be honest.
A Word About Safety
At first people wonder if it’s safe, since the child isn’t secured by buckles in the event of a crash. But we’ve found that they feel quite secure right in your arms. You are literally cradling them as you ride, so if you get into trouble, you can scoop them out of harm’s way or shield them quite quickly.
That being said, always ride within your abilities, and maybe even under your abilities until you are comfortable with your balance and control when adding a child to the mix. Only ride what you feel safe riding with your kids.
Helmets are a Must
I hope it goes without saying, make sure you and your child wear helmets while using the Shotgun Pro EVO. If you need help finding helmets small enough for your little one, refer to our other article, Best Bike Helmets for Kids, where we break down our favorites for every age.
Bottom Line
This new product from the Kids Ride Shotgun is a great upgrade and option for families with younger kids. We love that we can use one product for two different ages and stages, simplifying what we have to buy and store. It’s well made, easy to use, and above all, FUN! We’d recommend this to all mountain biking families with small kids!
Where to buy
You can buy it directly from their website, Kids Ride Shotgun
Related Articles
- Shotgun 2.0 Child Bike Seat Review
- Kids Ride Shotgun Seat Comparison- Original VS Pro
- Best Bike Helmets for Kids
Kids Ride Shotgun- Pro EVO Review
© 2025, Tales of a Mountain Mama. All rights reserved. Republication, in part or entirety, requires a link back to this original post and permission from the author.