Riding Shotgun

Father, mountain biker, and content creator Chris Stauffer proves the best rides are the ones you take together.

In Bentonville, where mountain bikes are as common as laptops, it takes something special to stand out. But when Chris Stauffer hits the trail, it’s not his speed or skill that turns heads—it’s his three-year-old co-pilot, Ryland, perched in front of him and grinning ear to ear as they tackle the trails together.

A tech professional by day and lifelong mountain biker by passion, Chris has found a way to merge both worlds, capturing his father-son rides on camera for their growing ozbikedad community (pronounced “Oz Bike Dad”) on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Each video shows the pair weaving through NWA trails, Ryland’s voice chiming in with observations about birds, bumps, and “gnarly” turns that make viewers smile right along with him and his dad.

“I started mountain biking when I was pretty young, so I always knew it was something I wanted to share with my kids,” Chris says. “Most kiddos don’t take to balance bikes until they’re between one and two years old, and they don’t start pedaling or riding outside until much later, so a bike seat is really the earliest possible way to get them outside on two wheels. A shotgun seat and mini handlebars are the natural progression of a ‘bucket seat’ with a harness, which is what a baby requires. Eventually Ryland graduated to the shotgun seat, and the rest is history.”

The idea of taking Ryland along, which Chris calls “shotgunning,” as in “riding shotgun,” came about when the tot was about eleven months old. When asked how much convincing it took to get his wife,

Rachael, on board with strapping their firstborn to a mountain bike, he laughs.

“I get questions like that a lot,” he says. “What you see in the videos I’m creating now with Ryland is definitely not where we started. He began in a bucket seat, strapped in so he didn’t have to hold on if he didn’t want to. We went very slowly, only on pavement at first. Then, when he finally got his own seat, the first ride was me standing next to him, just pushing the bike in the driveway. From there, it was slower speeds, no trails whatsoever.”

He chuckles again when asked if that first ride went perfectly. “Haha, yes. Ryland’s very first bike seat had a ‘windshield,’ which was a giant piece of clear plastic that mounted to the front of my bike to keep the wind out of his face,” Chris says. “It looked absolutely ridiculous, and, in retrospect, he should have just worn tiny sunglasses, like his 11-month-old brother is doing now.”

The rides are made possible by new aftermarket seats that replace the old bucket-style versions which were mounted behind riders. Ryland’s perch sits in front of his dad, complete with a small set of faux handlebars to grip. Facing a Insta360 action camera mounted to the front of the bike, every moment of their ride together is recorded.

As for the logistics, Chris says setting up the seat and camera came pretty naturally. “I’ve always been pretty good with outdoor gear and action cameras,” he explains. “We just followed the instructions that came with the seat, mounted our camera to the bike, and off we went!”

Chris, who’s been mountain biking for fifteen years, the last two in Bentonville, says the setup allows him to capture moments on the bike with Ryland while indulging a long-held interest in video. “It’s a combination of factors,” Chris says. “I’ve always been interested in video, not full-on production, but more like action camera editing. I was always documenting things with my wife before the kids — our vacations, ski trips, bike rides, stuff like that. When we had kids, it was really about sharing that passion with them while figuring out how I could still be on my bike. I just stumbled into it, but it’s been a win-win.

“Another thing I like to point out is that those action cameras take a wide field of view and cram it into a smaller frame, which makes it look like we’re going much faster than we actually are. We’ve been doing this for almost two years now. I wouldn’t say we’re going slow, but we’re probably not going as fast as the videos make it look.”

For Ryland’s part, he’s a natural, keeping up a steady chatter throughout the short videos, clad in his helmet, racing shades, and cycling gloves. One second, he’s talking about enjoying the bumps; the next, he’s spotted a bird or another critter and shares his thoughts on what it’s doing and where it’s headed. The sound of the tires on the ground is as soothing as the joy on the youngster’s face, and each video ends with Ryland’s voice saying, “Yay, ozbikedad!”

“The videos of us shotgunning are definitely the most popular,” Chris says of his social media presence. “I’ve seen a lot of growth on my channels from those videos. I think my audience is primarily non-cyclists or casual cyclists, parents, too. A lot of the comments I get are, ‘This looks fun, how do I get started with this?’ or, ‘What seat is that? What helmet is that?’ Those kinds of questions.”

 

He admits that documenting their rides is as fun as the rides themselves. “Action cameras have come a long way in terms of battery life and storage space since I bought my first one,” Chris says. “I start recording as soon as Ryland and I set out and don’t stop until we’re done. It makes for a lengthy editing process, but I enjoy reliving our adventures and the creativity that editing brings.”

The payoff has been impressive. “Yeah! I have several videos that have received over a million views, with one reaching over eleven million,” he adds.

Recently, the videos have shown Ryland starting to graduate to his own bike, a bittersweet transition that shows the youngster inheriting his dad’s passion for riding but also signaling the impending end of the shotgunning phase, as he’ll soon be too big to ride with his pops. And even though Chris has started the cycle all over again with one-year-old Henrik, Ryland’s baby brother, this chapter has passed in the blink of an eye.

Still, there have been a few lessons learned along the way. “Yeah, we’ve had a few close calls, and we’ve talked through them together and learned from them,” he says. “I always make sure Ryland and I are wearing the proper gear—full-face helmet, eye protection, knee pads, and elbow pads. We always ride in control and never take unnecessary risks. Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport, which is what makes it fun, but it also provides kids with a controlled, exciting way to assess risk and understand consequences early in life.”

Perhaps that’s why, when asked what these moments mean to him, Chris says he hasn’t let himself reflect on them too much, preferring instead to stay present and enjoy them in the moment.

“The honest answer is, I’m still figuring that out,” he says. “Parents with grown kids will message me and say, ‘You have no idea what this is going to mean to you or to Ryland someday.’ And maybe they’re right. I think I’ll understand it more when he’s older.”

When asked if there’s a dream ride or trip he hopes to share with Ryland and Henrik someday, Chris doesn’t hesitate. “Oh yeah! I’d love to take them to see a downhill or freeride competition in person, something like Crankworx in Canada or Rampage in Utah,” he says.

As for what he hopes his sons remember most, he gets reflective. “I hope it encourages them to have their own kids, go on their own adventures, and create similar memories,” Chris says. “My dad took me for bike rides when I was Ryland’s age, which has been a major inspiration for all of this. I hope Ryland and Henrik do the same. Being their dad is simply the best.”

For now, he’s not overthinking it. “I’m just taking it at face value,” he adds. “It’s fun. It’s bonding time. We’ve built such a strong relationship through biking, and I’m just trying to be present for every second of it — every laugh, every ride, every ‘Yay, ozbikedad!’”

Follow their adventures on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok @ozbikedad.