Mac Ride :: A child’s bike seat for riding off-road
A short while ago, we got an email from an engineer, mountain biker and all-round super dad, Glen Dobson. He’s developed a unique seat for children that goes on your bike between you and your handlebars and is designed to let your “mini me” play a real part in your off-road adventures.
And I can dig it and can remember being plonked behind the chosen peddle-pushing adult on some rickety, plastic seat at the rear of the bike, while taking in the amazing view of an adult back, yes that’s right, a sweaty adult back. How amazing! pffft. Not!
This is so much cooler and it’s called Mac Ride. Admittedly, there have already been vast numbers of commuter seats for children pushed onto the market but Glen’s goal was to create a seat that was also suitable for the trails.
His solution: “to build a saddle that enables a child to benefit from the suspension already built into modern mountain bikes.” He threw away the notion of the clunky moulded seat with shoulder straps and allowed “the child to sit as the rider sits, upright and independent, sharing the handlebars, so the rider and child can truly adventure as a team”.
Not surprisingly, Glen went to Kickstarter to source funds and spread the love to all the Ps keen to tack their little tackers into the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, his project didn’t hit the hefty mark of 52K, but it seems he’s hit a nerve with the community and this innovation looks like it’s going to be launched anyway. You can check it out here and get involved.
Here’s a little bit of what Glen had to say:
“As a mountain biker, I wanted to share my love of off-road adventure with my kids. But kids’ bike seats are usually mounted on the rear of the adult bike and meant only for street use. So I developed Mac Ride.”
“Mac Ride is a bike seat that is mounted between the rider and handlebar. It’s suitable for riding on trails and is fully adjustable for any size bike and child. Mac Ride is incredibly strong, lightweight and easy to install. Best of all it’s super fun and it encourages the child to develop their own biking strength.”