City Minis arent magical spaceships that make julienne fries

spring13

Wed, Jun 06 2012, 10:45 pm

For the record, I have nothing against the City Mini itself. It's a FANTASTIC stroller with lots of excellent features and is useful in many scenarios.

But this comment in another thread is kind of putting me over the edge.

Quote:

City mini double also works with 3 as you can put the oldest inbetween the hoods by the handle bars.

It's not that I think that all City Mini lovers do things like that (I've seen it done on all kinds of strollers, they all make me cringe the same way). But its insane the way people automatically pipe up with "City Mini!!!!!!" every time anyone asks for stroller advice, no matter what the actual question is asking. I get that it's awesome and really useful, I do. But it does not solve all of everyone's stroller-related dilemmas.

So, for the record:

City Minis have an awesome fold, push well, excellent hoods, and give you a lot of features and functionality relative to the weight of the stroller.

But:

They are not all-terrain strollers. If someone is concerned about pushing something over heavy snow (ie: more than you usually get in Brooklyn), gravel, or otherwise rough ground, they can do better.

They are not lightweight strollers. They're not heavy, but they're not something easy to schlep on, say, a bus. And while the fold is easy to do and fairly small, it still doesn't compare to a true umbrella stroller in terms of size. Even if you have a young baby who needs to recline all or most of the way, if you need something that's truly small and light and ok to take on public transport, you can do better.

They are not the only stroller on the market with similar features. If for some reason a person dislikes or does not want a City Mini, they can find something else with most or all of the same positive qualities. I for one needed a stroller with an adjustable handlebar; pushing a City Mini was just too awkward for me because of my height. And I found exactly what I needed without sacrificing much if anything - and it had other positives going for it as well.

The double is not a triple in disguise. Putting a kid on top of the handlebars is stupid and unsafe, especially since you're most likely doing that with your oldest and therefore heaviest child. If you have a bunch of kids who are close in age and need the option of having all 3 be wheeled at once, there are several excellent models that properly and safely allow for that via properly designed extra seats. A buggy board for the back is also a good option. Ie: in that scenario, you can do better.

They do not slice bread, help your kids with math homework, or find missing socks either.

/endrant

ewa-jo

Wed, Jun 06 2012, 11:37 pm

Baby Jogger did make a clip on 'jump seat' that attached to the City Elite double (not the City mini) but then they were recalled and now AFAIK, you can't find them anymore.

http://www.babyjogger.com/pdfs.....o.pdf

There are strollers by Valco and Adventure Buggy (and someone else too... it's a lot like the Valco) which have separate seats that attach to the stroller frame... proper seats with straps and harnesses.

Also, if you are planning to repopulate the world, you can buy a triple stroller (or a quad or even bigger...lol) and give each child their own comfortable and secure place. This is an article I wrote for my friend's website after my #3 baby was born and I had 3 kids under age 3. It's an article about how to transport 3 little kids. (in the end I bought a Valco trimode with the jump seat...if you're wondering)

http://www.babythingsiwant.com......html

ewa-jo

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 1:57 am

City Mini is an awful stroller for Israel, IMO. The wheels aren't so big, plus you can't fit it un-folded onto the older Jerusalem buses. I have a Perego Duette (it's a tandem stroller) and even though it's quite big and heavy, I have taken it on the bus unfolded with 2 kids inside.. whether it's an old bus or a new bus.

A few weeks ago, I was taking the 7 bus to Sorotzkin.. in an old bus. The bus pulled up to the bus stop where a mom was waiting with a baby and a toddler in her city mini. The driver ased if se was going to fold the stroller and she said no and he replied that it wouldn't fit through the back doors and then the bus drove away. I felt sooooo bad for her. She wasn't with her husband, who could hold the baby while she folded the stroller.

zigi

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 6:52 am

they can bounce down stairs. I can't do that with an umbrella stroller. only one of the maclarens.

I had a combi double, great fold, but doesn't hold up to hard use. my older child is too big for it . I had to get the kids out and fold it to get up and down the stairs. it was a great car stroller.

the citit double is very big even when folded. but it holds 100 pounds with a big kid who needs to sit this is great.

there is no perfect double out there, I had a sit and stand no way to get I down stairs by myself, I was stuck if the elevator broke. but it can fit 3 kids and folds. I used it for the car

valco with 3 seats really hard to fold or lift but great for walking with 3 kids

spring13

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 7:15 am

IN NJ (and, AFAIK, NYC) you can't bring an unfolded stroller onto a bus. And while I once took my stroller (which is almost exactly the same dimensions and weight as the City Mini) onto a bus folded, it was unwieldy and took up enough room that it was inconsiderate to other riders at that time of day. I always take a proper umbrella stroller now, for bus or train.

If the City Mini GT had existed when I was first stroller shopping, I bet I'd have ended up with it. Alas, it did not - and now I'm in the market for something all-terrain that converts to a double! I suspect a Phil and Teds is in my future.

As most of you seem to get, my point was that it's popular because it's a good balance between features of a lightweight stroller and features of a more full-size stroller. It's just that sometimes people do need one or the other and when I see people ignore what's really being asked to suggest what worked for them in their own (different) circumstances....it makes the librarian in me tear hair. When someone asks whether orange or green looks better, the answer is not "purple, because it smells better than the other 3."

The truth is that happens with other strollers as well. But City Mini always seems to be the worst culprit.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 7:37 am

Thank you for this thread.
There is a lot more on the market -- especially the single stroller market -- than City Minis, and the City Mini is not the best for everyone.
It bothers me as well that it's the "only" answer given without taking into consideration everything that goes into play when making such a decision.

Honestly, I think the City Mini is not the best single out there, and although it's better as a double than others in that price point, it is not necessarily the best option for someone with a small car, depending on usage of the stroller. This needs to be part of the decision.

I also find the height of the City Mini awkward, and while I don't have adjustable handlebars, other strollers are better suited to my height.

ewa-jo

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 7:48 am

spring13 wrote:

Here in Jerusalem, you pay a child us fare and you can keep your stroller unfolded. The only thing is that the older style buses (still very much in use) have a narrow back door and all the side-to-side double strollers don't fit. My Perego Duette, which is large and heavy, is narrow enough to fit on any Jerusalem bus.

I hear what you're saying about the 'one-stroller-fits-all" mentality. I also see a *LOT* of moms buying bugaboo strollers because they're trendy. I don't think they're so great, if I had big bucks for a stroller, I would buy a classic Silver Cross pram (the Balmoral).... it's the stroller the British royal family uses.

mommyhood

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 12:48 pm

spring13 wrote:

Quote:

City mini double also works with 3 as you can put the oldest inbetween the hoods by the handle bars.

Which stroller did you get

ewa-jo

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 1:32 pm

amother wrote:

RE people getting the Bugaboo because it's trendy. I sell strollers and while I can rattle off the widths, weights, lengths, and other random facts of most strollers out there, I've never bothered to commit these details of any of the Bugaboos to memory because I have never been asked in my years about these things. The Bugaboos are the easiest to sell, the only thing people hem and haw over are the color, but the other features just aren't asked about..it's great!

I actually don't like Bugaboos except for the Bugaboo Donkey. I loooooove it! But that's more because it's so functional and has so many options about what to do with it. It's actually quite a smartly-designed stroller and if I had the cash, I would jump at one.

It's a shame that Bugaboo doesn't make a triple stroller.... for those of us with three stroller-aged kids.

Fabulous

Thu, Jun 07 2012, 1:34 pm

ewa-jo wrote:

amother wrote:

not enough market for it. For the few frum people that would buy it?