It was only shortly after my wife told me she was pregnant and I was already excitedly sending her pictures of Shotgun MTB seats. Finding out that my son would need to be 2 years old to use one put a slight halt to my excitement, I’d have to wait patiently. Then I saw 2 young twins enjoying a ride with their parents, who spoke highly of the seats and they said that their twins had started on them at only 18 months… The wait was over. The time had come. We were going riding!
Unboxing and fitting the Shotgun seat for the first time was a pleasure. Clear instructions are included, along with all the tools you need. They haven’t scrimped on the tools either; both spanners are good quality and worth hanging on to. I took the time to fit some extra protection tape on my frame where the seat clamps on to avoid any unwanted scratches and marks to my precious anodising. As long as you follow the instructions fitting is easy and shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes.
The Shotgun handlebars allow plenty of adjustment – I angled them back slightly just to make them easier for Mikey to reach and avoid him sitting too stretched out. I also angled the front of the seat down a little more than horizontal as I didn’t want him sliding off the back of it whilst we rode along.
Now that the seat was fitted, it was time to put Mikey on it. With the bike propped up by the back wheel I picked him up and plonked him on, to see how he liked it. Instant big smile! Great, this is going to be fun! Then tears to follow as I had to take him off, to pack both him and the bike into the car…
We’d already done plenty of miles on a bike around town with a Yepp Maxi handlebar mounted seat. Mikey enjoys being on a bike and seeing where we are going. However, with the lack of a seatbelt and the seat itself being much smaller, I was a little nervous before embarking on our first MTB ride, would Mikey enjoy himself? Would he be able to hang on?!!
I decided that starting with a short ride was most sensible as I didn’t want to end up at the wrong end of Leigh Woods with a tearful toddler, mid tantrum, refusing to get back on the bike. Therefore, I decided to park my car by the North Road entrance to Leigh Woods, ride to the other car-park along National Cycle Network Route 41 (which is flat and easy) and then back along the final section of the Yer Tiz trail which includes some features, slopes and lots of corners presenting more of a challenge for both of us.
My initial trepidation faded quickly. Mikey was having a great time and quickly started shouting “more, more, more” which with his limited vocabulary surely meant faster, faster, faster? Pretty quickly we were back where we started. Time to dismount and have a run around and eat some snacks. Leigh Woods is great to explore with a toddler; there are plenty of options if we needed to make an unplanned stop, dens to make, fallen leaves to kick, stumps to climb, puddles to jump in and hours to waste. We returned the following week and quickly did a whole lap of the Yer Tiz trail after stopping midway for 30 minutes of exploring and playing.
As the first few rides have been such a success, I’m now looking at other places we can ride together. Ashton Court is definitely next on the list, followed by Forest of Dean as the gradient isn’t too steep and there is a lot to explore there. I’m looking forward to a winter of muddy rides together.
If you’re tempted by a Shotgun seat and want some advice, just ask. You can also hire here before you buy with Pedal Progression as well. We stock Shotgun seats and various accessories including the in demand Shotgun Tow Rope.
