City Mini vs. Graco Metrolite

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rnidich

Wed, May 04 2011, 11:45 am

Our beloved Metrolite lasted almost exactly 5 years before giving up the ghost. I loved it- it was light, compact, big basket, it fit the car seat, etc. It was truly an all-purpose stroller- never needed a snap and go or an umbrella, since this filled all our needs. Now I'm doing more research for the next stroller (I have a 15 month old right now) and I'm wondering if it makes sense to pay a little more for the city mini (any more than that is not really in our budget), or to just get another metrolite. Is the quality of the city mini better? Will it last longer over time? I do a fair amount of walking around the neighborhood and in parks for exercise.

jackiejoel3

Wed, May 04 2011, 11:51 am

You should check out the new metrolite. I also had one from about 5 years ago and when it died last year just got another one. The basket is much smaller and the seat does not sit up all the way making it annoying for my baby who is constantly having to pull himself up on the tray to see what is going on around him. Still light and generally a good stroller but it is not what the old version was so you need to check out the new one versus the citimini not based on what you had.

rnidich

Wed, May 04 2011, 12:06 pm

Thanks- that's a really good point. I didn't think about any of the updates they might have made on the Metrolite, for better or for worse. I'll check it out!

Mommy3.5

Wed, May 04 2011, 6:47 pm

To add to that, the citi mini also does not sit up all the way, its 100 bucks more then the metrolite, and you need to pay extra if you want a parent tray, child tray, or carseat adapter, by the time you paid for all of those the carriage is 350 bucks, about 200 more then the metrolite, and to add insult to injury the citi mini basket sucks, and the handlebar isn’t adjustable...

rnidich

Wed, May 04 2011, 7:50 pm

Those cons all make a lot of sense. I wonder if the overall quality is better to the point that it is worth it to spend the extra money. My 2 complaints with the Metrolite were that it felt flimsy, and it died after only one kid (albeit under very heavy use).

rnidich

Wed, May 04 2011, 7:54 pm

Does anyone have any info about the Peg Perego Vela? It's in the same price range as the City Mini. Anyone love it? Hate it?

spring13

Wed, May 04 2011, 8:53 pm

rnidich wrote:

Does anyone have any info about the Peg Perego Vela? It's in the same price range as the City Mini. Anyone love it? Hate it?

Go play around with it in a store. DH and I seriously considered it. It's very lightweight, easy to fold, pushes beautifully. A really nice stroller. The one thing we didn't love was that b/c its so light, it's a little tippy - you would want to hang anything on the handlebar. But I'd say it's at least as good as a Metrolite.

Depending when you need it, Britax is coming out with a sort of answer to the City Mini (called the B-Agile) that looks very nice - but it's not available til summer. You can also check out the Valco Latitude, which is what I have - similar type to the City Mini, but with an adjustable handlebar, a bar for the baby, a better basket, and slightly wider wheels. Plus, it comes with a rain cover and footmuff, which is nice. I got a floor model for cheap, but if you keep an eye out, you can find coupons and deals on just about anything. Albeebaby.com usually has a 15% off code floating around.

I know lots of people are obsessed with the City Mini (and it is a great stroller in a lot of ways), I knew it wouldn't work for me - and there are others with similar features that don't get much attention.

rnidich

Wed, May 04 2011, 8:57 pm

You've piqued my interest- which strollers would you recommend that might have been overlooked?

amother

Wed, May 04 2011, 11:09 pm

I bought the city mini, without trying it out first. Had it sent to me overseas after hearing so much good about it. But, I really don't care for it. If I could buy something different I would.

sky

Thu, May 05 2011, 6:37 am

One thing that is really nice about the graco carriages is that it is both a carriage and a snap and go without any accessories.
One day you have an infant, so you just snap in a carseat.
the next day you have your toddler with you and you just buckle him in.
I love how it just works so easily in every situation.

I have the cheapest Graco carriage that also takes a carseat (was $60). It lasted me 3 kids over 4 years. It is now my car stroller as I mainly use a double when walking from my house but it really suits its purpose. Its pretty much dead at this point but when I need my next single I am very seriousy considering getting a Graco again.
I didn't see anything the Citi-mini had that the Graco did not.

spring13

Thu, May 05 2011, 5:21 pm

rnidich wrote:

You've piqued my interest- which strollers would you recommend that might have been overlooked?

Valco Latitude, Ion
Britax B-Agile
Joovy Kooper, Scooter
Peg Perego Si
Bumbleride Flite

Mommy3.5

Fri, May 06 2011, 1:30 pm

rnidich wrote:

5 years of heavy use is a lot to get from a 100 dollar stroller. I don't think the citi mini quality is much better, and to me, it feels unstable, at least the single one. The double seems to be better balanced.

Ema of 5

Fri, May 06 2011, 1:42 pm

I researched and tried out a bunch of strollers before finally buying the valco baby latitude.

I had a graco but I didnt want another one. I wanted something which (I felt) was better quality.

the hood on the valco baby is HUGE (I feel like its bigger than the city mini, but I might be wrong) the seat goes all the way up and just about flat, it has a nice size basket, and the handle bar is adjustable. it is a VERY easy push, but it does not feel flimsy at all. it also has a foot rest which is adjustable.

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