Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo review: the new baby and toddler bike seat for mountain biking

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the brand new Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo here at Cycle Sprog ever since we heard it was in development. For families who love mountain biking, the options for carrying babies or toddlers on their mountain bike are often limited, awkward, and not suited for off-road adventures. That’s why we’re so excited to see Kids Ride Shotgun stepping in to fill this gap with the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo, designed to be an all-in-one solution for MTBing with babies from 9 months old, through to children aged 5 years.

We’ve had a great relationship with Kids Ride Shotgun over the years, reviewing their very first child bike seat when it launched in the UK (in 2019), followed by their Pro seat and Dirt Hero balance bike. They’ve firmly established themselves as a go-to brand in the world of off-road family cycling, consistently delivering well-designed, high-quality products to get young children out on the trails. 

So whether you're brand new to cycling with babies, or are looking for a seat that fits your mountain bike for off-road adventures, this first impressions review of the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo will give you the lowdown on the new baby and toddler mountain bike seat, its features, specifications, how it works, and most importantly, what we think about it.

After our initial testing, the seat will be heading off to a keen baby (and his parents!), ready to ride the trails. We’ll be back soon with a full rider review, so watch this space!

A limited run of the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo is available for pre-order now, with shipping expected to commence in September 2025 - perfect timing for summer and autumn rides with your little ones.

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Why we need the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo

In 2024 alone, Kids Ride Shotgun helped over 50,000 mini mountain bikers hit the trails, bringing families closer together through shared cycling adventures.

But for many parents, they want to ride with their child before they are 2, and up until now, the options for carrying a baby or infant on a mountain bike have been frustrating, limited, or unsuitable.

Here’s what has held MTB families back:

1. Poor MTB compatibility - Most child bike seats aren’t designed for MTBs, forcing parents onto city bikes and paved roads.
   
2. Bulky, unattractive design - Many baby bike seats are large, brightly coloured plastic constructions that don’t fit the aesthetic of a sleek mountain bike.
   
3. Compromised handling and comfort - Fixed-position seats can interfere with bike handling and cause discomfort for the rider.
   
4. Instability - Stem-mounted seats often flex and bounce over rough terrain, making rides uncomfortable for the child.
   
5. Poor rider experience for kids - Incorrect seat angles and awkward positioning leave kids bored and disengaged.
   

The new Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo aims to change all that, offering an MTB-specific bike seat that’s safe, stylish, stable and designed for off-road riding. It’s important to state here that it's internded for mellow off-road riding, think fire tracks, canal paths, maybe a mellow blue trail. It's not designed for shredding red, black and technical mountain bike trails - save that for later!

Specifications of the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo

•  Meets EN 14344 and ASTM F3641 safety standards for front-mounted child bike seats
• Specifically designed for mountain bikes, using the proven Pro rail system for maximum compatibility, including e-bikes.
• Sleek aesthetic: low-profile design with an almost invisible adaptor to complement high-end mountain bikes.
• Stable rail mounting system that anchors securely at the stem and seatpost for a solid, bounce-free ride.
• Child-friendly riding experience with a 5-point harness, shoulder straps that stay put, and the seat angle is tailored to MTB frame geometry and is fully adjustable.
• Fidlock magnetic child proof buckle
• ICR adaptor Kit available separately for bikes with internal cable routing.

The Shotgun Pro EVO retails for RRP £299.00 and includes the 2-in-1 seat, plus Pro Handlebars.

One seat, two configurations, four years of adventure:

• Suitable from 9 months to 5 years.
• The Pro Evo replaces the need for a separate front-mounted baby seat and a Pro combo.
• Value: Cheaper than buying a Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Mini + Shotgun Pro.
• Simplicity: One system that adapts as your child grows.
• Familiarity: One mounting system makes it intuitive and consistent for both parent and child.

First Impressions of the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo

I’ll be honest, I’ve been eagerly awaiting this delivery for months! Given how well we know the Kids Ride Shotgun range, my expectations were high.

And the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo didn’t disappoint.

The packaging was smart and simple, the assembly intuitive, and the product itself felt just as high-quality and well-made as we expected.

The seat design is very clever. Using the same rail and mounting system as the existing Pro seat, the Pro Evo converts seamlessly from an enclosed infant bike seat to a regular child bike seat as your child grows.

The closed-cell foam seat is firm and supportive, with a sleek all-black design that complements modern mountain bikes, no ugly high-vis here!

The shoulder straps are secure and easy to adjust, and the magnetic Fidlock buckle is a brilliant addition, allowing parents to buckle in a wiggling baby one-handed while holding the bike upright.

Setting up the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo

Initial setup to carry a baby from 9 months and up takes just a few minutes with an Allen and Torx key.

The bucket seat attaches to the mounting rail with 5 torx bolts. For first-time installation, you’ll need to replace one of your headset spacers with the supplied mounting spacer, which the seat clips into and out of. Two spacers are included, great if you want to use the seat across multiple bikes, and extra spacers can be purchased separately.

Once this spacer is fitted, mounting and removing the seat takes as little as 15 seconds. The front of the seat clamps onto the spacer and tightens with an Allen key, while a quick-release clamp secures it around the seatpost.

The angle of the seat and handlebars is easy to adjust, so your child sits upright and comfortably.

Adapting the seat as your child grows

Here’s where the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo really shines. As your child grows and reaches around 2 years of age, and once you’re happy for them to ride without a harness, you simply convert the seat.

To do so, you remove the bucket seat from the saddle, flip the integrated handlebars to transform them into footrests, and fit the included footrests into place (as long as you haven't lost them in the garage!). You can then add Pro handlebars to your bike handlebars, creating a perfect front-mounted child bike seat for the next few years of riding.

The conversion process is simple and intuitive, but best done when you have some quiet time, rather than five minutes before your next ride!

Updates to the Pro Seat

Several small updates have been made to the Pro seat to accommodate the new Evo system:

• The saddle profile is now flatter and more scooped, potentially increasing comfort for little bottoms.
• The seat sits lower on the mounting bar, giving your child more room to grow before they’re in your face!
• The seat angle is now even easier to adjust without tools.

New to Kids Ride Shotgun and want to know more about their range? Read our Kids Ride Shotgun Original and Pro seat review.

Will the Pro Evo baby seat fit my current Pro Seat?

Unfortunately not.

The Pro seat has been redesigned to accommodate the baby seat attaching to it. The strap system is built into the new pro seat, and the baby seat sits really cleanly onto the new lower profile seat.

Unfortunately, it does mean that if you already own a Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Seat and have a younger child eager to get riding, you'll need to purchase a new Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo.

Internal Cable Routing solution from Kids Ride Shoutgun

Another exciting, new product just launched from Kids Ride Shotgun is an eagerly awaited ICR adapter for people who have internally routed cables in their stem.

ICR stems are becoming more and more common in mountain bikes and e-bikes, and until now, it's been a major barrier for fitting the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro seat. The team has been working behind the scenes to keep up with the latest MTB designs and create an adapter to allow parents with these bikes to have the joy of riding with their child.

The ICR adapter kit will be available in July 2025.

Is the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo seat worth the extra money?

Yes, we really think so!

With one purchase of £299, you get 4 years of riding with your child.

For £299 you get the Baby seat, for around 2 years of cycling adventures, then at around age two, you remove the baby seat, the handlebars become foot rests, and you attach the Pro Handlebars.

The current Pro Seat bundle costs £250, so for £49 more you get 2 more years of cycling!

What's the alternative?

Well, for many mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes, there really isn't an alternative for carrying a child between 9 months and 2 years, unless you buy a commuter-style bike or manage to fit a front seat to your MTB.

A Thule Yepp 2 mini, Urban Iki front seat or Weeride will cost around £100, and they won't even be an option for many mountain biking families, and will only last you for 2 years.

Then, when your child reaches the age of two and is ready to not be strapped in, you have more options. The full Kids Ride Shotgun Range is available to you then, costing between £85 and £250.

Kids Ride Shotgun brand overview

Kids Ride Shotgun was founded in New Zealand with the aim of helping families get out on the trails together. The brand made waves in the mountain biking community with its original shotgun child bike seat, designed to allow young children aged 2 to 5 to ride up front between their parents' arms, creating a fun and connected riding experience.

Their product range now includes:

• The original Shotgun seat- thats frame mounted, on and off in 2 mins.
  
• The 2.0 Shotgun Seat- this has a little more adjustability.
• The Shotgun Pro seat- with zero frame contact, on and off in 15 seconds and e-bike compatable.
  
• Pro handlebars- quick release handlebars to attach to yours.
  
• Dirt Hero balance bike- an off road, disk brake equipped balance bike.
  
• A range of accessories and apparel for young mountain bikers, including pogies, jerseys and a brilliant A-Z book! .

The new Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo sits at the very start of this family cycling journey, designed specifically for babies from 9 months old, through to children aged 5 years, offering the flexibility and compatibility that MTB parents have long been asking for.

What’s next for the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo?

The seat is now heading out to an eager mountain biking family to review with their 9-month-old Cycle Sprog.

We’ll be back soon with a full rider review to share how it performs out on the trails.

In the meantime, the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Evo is available for pre-order now, with shipping expected in August, just in time for some brilliant summer and autumn rides with your little ones.

Other articles you might be interested in:

• The best front bike seats for toddlers and young children
• Kids Ride Shotgun seat review
• How to start cycling with a small child in a bike seat, cargo bike or trailer
• The best front bike seats for older children
• Carrying kids on bikes
• Kids Ride Shotgun Dirt Hero Review
• Keeping warm on a bike seat – great ideas to keep the cold at bay