The Mac-Ride is our favorite off-road child seat currently in the market today. It allows you to mount it to both carbon and metal frames and it's dropper post compatible. As mountain bikers we would struggle to give up these luxuries.
The mounting of the Mac-Ride is very simple and you can take it on and off in seconds. You need to install a small 10mm spacer under your stem and the Mac-Ride will clamp to it and then clamp at the under the collar of your dropper post. We have run a stem as short as 31mm with the Mac-Ride but you do have to be careful that the Mac-Ride headset clamp does not come in contact with underside of short stems. We have found it fits all our bikes with the provided spacer and another 10mm spacer on top. If you run a longer stem (70mm+) you will not need to worry about this mounting issue.
Your child will hold onto your handlebars and their feet will be strapped in to the sturdy rubber stir-ups. The horse saddle like seat is awesome for kids and is more comfortable and stable than a regular kids bike seat. The stirrups are adjustable for your frame design and can grow with your child with the push of a button. When you first install the Mac-Ride it is a good idea to let all the air out of your fork and make sure the feet straps do not come in contact with your front tire.
On the trail you can ride within your ability but always be aware you are carrying precious cargo and do everything in your power to ride safe (when in doubt leave it out). We always ride cautiously and within our limits when we are carrying kids. Our limits may be different than yours. If you are not a confident biker we would steer you more towards a trailer. You need to be confident rider to use an off-road seat like the Mac-Ride or its alternatives.
The Mac-Ride, as you will see in the YouTube review, has allowed my daughter and I to experience awesome adventures on a variety of terrain and whenever I lend it to friends my daughter always missed it. When she outgrows it I know that the time spent on the Mac-Ride will not only increase her single track awareness and bike handling skills but has strengthened our “Daddy- Daughter” relationship.
You can purchase the seat for $229 USD directly from Mac-Ride here.
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My daughter is ready to move on from her Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini, and I’m curious for your take on which to get between the Macride and Shotgun pro. I know they’re both great, but which would you pick or recommend between the two?
more info with differences highlighted here. https://thebikedads.com/off-road-child-seats/
Thank you this is very helpful! I’m close to buying the shotgun pro but concerned about it sitting so much higher than the macride, leaving less room in the cockpit to maneuver. My 2 yo daughter is tiny (~2nd percentile) so I’m likely overthinking this but I’m only 5’9” and she definitely is in the way in our current Thule Nexxt Yepp Mini we use and love.
Is there a promo code or something to get it for the $199? The link in your article brings you to the Mac ride site where it’s still $229. Thanks.
they must have raised the price…thx.
Can you offer some comparisons between this and the shotgun? I currently have the shotgun and me and my kid have a ton of fun on it. LBS destroyed the fork on my old bike that is dedicated to kid riding. Might have to use my big boy bike to ride with my son, the mac ride looks like a better solution since it is so quick to take on and off. Not pysched about having to clamp the shotgun to my carbon frame everytime my son wants to go for a ride. I like how the shotgun has a padded seat, and it since it sits on the bike frame it seems a little lower. Worried with the mac ride I’m gonna get more top of kid helmet to my chin.
Hey Seth, You pretty much summed it up. The Mac Ride is much easier on/off so much so it makes a difference motivational wise to get out. Yes the seat is not as padded, some have put on a gel cover over seat for their kiddo. We never really had complaints. The good people at Shotgun have let us know of know frame failures over the last number of years and they have sold a lot of units…that said, yeah, a carbon frame probably was not layed yup for this purpose. Kiddo will sit higher and it is dependent on torso lenght, we never had this issue as it was on to their own bike before they outgrew the mac ride. Check out or latest youtube video on all the seats. https://youtu.be/hduUctIR2qU