Product Review:
Shotgun MTB Tow Rope
More Miles, More Smiles

Author Scott Alexander

Mar 2021

The Shotgun bike seat has been a staple in my house since it became available in the US a couple years ago. Yet somehow I’m late to this tow rope party. I’d heard of adults towing their less svelte adult friends up climbs on Rapha rides but never thought to apply this to my own kids… Don’t be like me. If you have a little grom that you ride with—go get a tow rope right now. This thing is a game changer.

I’ve been testing it with my nine year old. She’s 65 lbs and rides a 24” hardtail. Like most kids, she hates to go up and loves to go down. She’s usually pretty good about climbing singletrack but the logging road climbs are soul crushing. Something about that neverending climb with no distractions.

Now when we hit the logging roads she pops the rope out of her hip pack and we’re off.

The Secret Is in the Crinkle

I’m super impressed with how little I can feel the extra resistance. The elasticity of the rope absorbs any jerkiness as you transition between grades and effort levels. There’s virtually no learning curve. It just works.

Using the tow rope feels very collaborative. She pedals and gauges her effort by watching for how crinkly the rope is, almost like a game. It’s really just there to take the edge off on the steeper sections. We’re able to cover twice as much ground on our rides by using the rope on a couple key climbs.

Side Note

My wife is pretty sure that the tow rope is going to ruin my daughter. She’s more of a “learn to ski in blue jeans like I did” type. We’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime we’ll be shredding twice as many vertical feet, with twice as many smiles 🤘.

Where to Buy

We’d like to thank Kids Ride Shotgun for sending the tow rope for review.

Gallery

The carabiner and stem loop attachment make it easy to attach to any stem.

The hip pack includes a separate pocket, perfect for storing critical supplies like Gummi Bears.