Customer Reviews

Baby Jogger City Mini Double Stroller

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have looked long and hard for the "perfect" double stroller (since I found out I was pregnant with #2). I now realize that there is no such thing. However, depending on your priorities, some come close. This is one. I know this review is long, but I have a lot of information to share and would have liked this when I was shopping for a double stroller.

For reference, I have a newborn (1 month) and a 2.5 year old (24.5 lbs, so on the small side), and purchased this stroller in February, 2008.

PROS:
1. Lightweight (very easy to lift when folded and steer, one of the lighter weight stroller at 26 lbs)
2. Easy to maneuver (one handed, even one fingered, steering)
3. Well made (sturdy, solid, doesn't feel flimsy at all, very well balanced even with 2 kids of different weights)
4. Excellent Canopies!!
5. Very easy to fold and put in car
6. Seats comfortable and well padded. Padded 5-pt harness.
7. Front wheel suspension (all wheel suspension would have been better though)
8. Great size. At 29" wide, it fits through my front door no problem.

CONS:
1. Not car seat compatible (but BJ tells me they are working on this double stroller accessory for mid-2008)
2. Difficult to lock when folded (it took me a long time and a call to BJ support to figure out how to lock it to keep it folded. Most people think it doesn't lock - it does - just hard to find/do)
3. When the seat is reclined, you can either have the back vented or you can put a weather cover over it. However, the weather cover blows off if you face into the wind. And even if you aren't in the wind, it won't stay on at all if the seat is semi-reclined (seat has to be fully reclined for it to stay on).
4. Maximum weight per seat is 33 lbs (even though total capacity is 100 lbs). In my case, this is no problem since my older child is on the small side. But if you have a larger child, then this might be a problem. Other strollers have a higher per-seat weight limit.

I have looked at/test drove: the Graco DuoRide (inexpensive, excellent huge basket, but no 5-pt harness or suspension), the PP Aria Twin (super easy to fold, light weight, but canopies are not so good, seems kind of flimsy, basket falls apart), the MBUD (great suspension and well made, but canopy is not good, expensive), the BOB Rev Dualie (great suspension, well made, great canopies, but really huge, expensive), the Combi Twin Savvy (folds excellently, but seems really rickety/flimsy, no suspension, baskets not really useable), the 2008 Zooper Tango (great suspension, car seat compatible, light weight, canopies good but not great), and this one. I was also interested in the Baby Planet Unity Sport, but never saw one in person. I have the BOB Revolution Single for my older kid and LOVE it. I assumed I would buy the dualie. But it was just so huge, I couldn't bear it. I was sad. So it really came down to the Zooper Tango and this one as both are well made/sturdy, good size, and under $450.

The advantages of the Baby Jogger over the Zooper are the great canopies and how easy the BJ is to fold (much fewer steps than the Zooper). The advantages of the Zooper over the BJ is that the ride is much smoother (due to full suspension on the Zooper over just front wheel suspension on the BJ), the Zooper is car seat compatible with a variety of car seats, and once you fold the Zooper it locks and you can stand it up. However, the ease of folding and the excellent canopies on the BJ made this one the choice for me.

Details:

This stroller matches the BOB in terms of how great the canopies are. Easy to open/close, very sturdy and well made, very large with multiple positions (covers my baby's face even in the reclined position), and two excellent see through windows per canopy. You can't beat it. The windows are really a plus. When I push the stroller on walks or in the store or wherever, I want to be able to look down and see my kids and see what they're up to. The PP Aria Twin and the Zooper (although very large canopies also) didn't have these windows - they were mesh like and I couldn't see through it to the seats below. I don't know why you would call these peek-a-boo windows when you can't see through them. Or why would you make a stroller now-a-days where you can't look down and see the kids through these plastic windows. Anyway, another plus about the BJ canopies - unlike a lot of the side-by-side strollers, you don't have these flimsy plastic clips on either side of each canopy that you have to push on to open/close the canopy. It just opens/closes like a normal canopy.

The weather cover issue is pretty annoying though. This is the cover that covers up the mesh ventilation at the top of the seat when it is reclined. You can fold up the weather covers easily and store them at the top of the back of the seat. This is great, especially if the seat is all the way up (gets them out of the way) or when the seat is reclined and it is a warm day (ventilation). But when it's a cold day and your child likes to be reclined or semi-reclined, this is a problem. If the child is fully reclined, the weather covers fits over the back of the seat, covering the ventilation mesh. This is good. But it pops off with any breeze. If the child is semi-reclined (which mine is because he just doesn't like to be flat), then the weather cover doesn't stay on at all. It is made to only really fit the fully reclined position. I don't like this. You really need to be able to either cinch the weather cover to make it tight over the seat back (to prevent blowing off and fit all recline positions), or be able to attach it directly to the seat back.

Regarding the folding - with the BJ you just pull these straps in the seats and voila. It is folded. It is so lightweight that you can then easily just pull up on the straps to lift it up and put it in your car. With other strollers (the Zooper for example), you have to close the canopies and put both seats in the upright position to fold it, and then jostle about with pushing a button and pulling a handle. And then even after it is folded, you have to bend over to pick it up off the ground. I actually didn't mind all that until I saw how easy the BJ is. Then all those extra steps seemed quite cumbersome. The only one that comes close to BJ's ease of folding is the PP Aria Twin.

However, with the BJ, once it is folded it is difficult to lock. I thought it didn't lock and that was annoying (so do many other reviewers). However I called BJ support and it DOES lock, it is just hard to find and there are not any instructions (or mention of it) in the manual. But it isn't that easy to do really - you fold it and then you have to grab this strap, wrap it around the frame, through a D-ring, and then velcro it to itself. It works well, just not that easy to do with one hand when the other is holding the stroller up. Not that quick either. A quick veclro strap or simple lock (like other strollers) would be more convenient. But it works fine once you get it velcroed.

The underneath basket in the BJ is fine. I don't really like the soft bottom, but that is pretty minor. My huge Catini diaper bag is too big and won't fit through the opening, but my medium sized diaper bag fits no problem. I put that bag along with a blanket and a couple jackets with room to spare. NOTE: the best way to get in/out of the basket is through the sides, not the back. If you try to get in/out of the basket through the back, you won't be very successful. The sides allow very easy access. The mesh pockets on the back of the seats are great and provide additional storage, and I bought the parent console accessory. It works fine for me with 2 kids and all their stuff.

The front suspension on the BJ is very nice. It is much smoother than my Graco single. However, once you test drive the Zooper, you will see how much the all-wheel suspension makes a difference. The Zooper is MUCH smoother. You don't need shocks (like the BOB), but I would have gladly paid a little extra for all-wheel suspension on the BJ.

It handles great. I took it to the park, Target, the stroller store (to compare side-by-side with other ones), and the grocery store. No problems on the way to the park or at the park. It handled the cracks in the sidewalks fine (but again, all-wheel suspension would be so nice!). Target was a breeze. I was holding a big plastic bin in one hand and pushing/steering the 2 kids in the stroller with the other. No problems. It fit down the aisles and around the clothing racks with plenty of room to spare. Also, going down the aisle, I could pass a person with their cart on one side and still fit! This made it easy since you know you'll run into other people in the aisles. At the stroller store I easily was able to open the single door with one hand and push the BJ stroller (with both kids in it) into the store with the other hand. No problems. It fit through the door fine, and it was your normal sized single door. Again, no problem at the grocery store. The aisles were plenty large. Someone left their cart in the middle of an aisle and I was still able to maneuver around it (one handed - the other hand held the basket). I went through the check out aisle no problem also. The only pain-in-the-butt part was taking my newborn out of the car seat and into the stroller, then out of the stroller and back into his car seat. I understand they plan on making a car seat adapter for the double stroller later in 2008. That would make a huge difference.

Actually, if BJ just adds a few more things, this really would be the "perfect" stroller in my book. My suggestions are below (and there really aren't that many!).

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE:
-Full all-wheel suspension
-Make it so that you can attach the weather cover to the back of the seat
-More double stroller accessories (ie. car seat adapter and maybe snack tray)
-Easier locking mechanism to keep it folded
-Possibly increase per-seat weight limit

Great job Baby Jogger!

UPDATE:
now that my baby is 8 months old - I sometimes wish it were a little smaller. It bangs by shins when I close it too quickly and just seems like a pain to put in/out of the car - it isn't, but it seems like it (a phsycological problem i know!). In an ideal world, I'd have both the BOB Rev Dualie and a compact one (like the Maclaren or Jeep). But since I only wanted one double stroller, this is a good compromise - right in the middle of the spectrum - but doesn't quite reach the smoothness of the BOB or the convenience of the more compact models.

I bought this stroller since my daughter is 37" tall and I have a newborn. Most strollers do not fit my daughter's height or it's a tight fit. There is room to grow in this stroller. Plus she loves lying down in it. The shades are great since they go down really far. I like the pockets in the back to stuff a blanket in, for example. Also it's a good height for my husband who is 6' 4" and me at 5'6". It's only 26 pounds so I can fold it easily and put it in the car without too much trouble. I'm not a weight lifter so this is good for me!
Some things that I wish were different are:
A better basket underneath. I had to put my things in to the side and out through the side, which can be a struggle. Seems like most strollers have problems with baskets though. I would also have given this stroller nicer wheels. So far we have not had a problem with them, but if they had rubber tires I think the ride would be much smoother. I wish it came with the belly bars and cup holders, but they are sold separately. I will not be buying the belly bar though since another reviewer wrote that she could not fit through doors with it on. It's not a big deal since my daughter has always held her snack in a baggie and her cup too. If you have a wide child he or she will probably not be comfortable. My daughter is tall and on the thin side. I want to say she's "regular" size since she's not too thin, just "kid" thin. She has very little side room.
Compared to the previous model it doesn't appear huge. It's definitely NOT for jogging, but for brisk walks instead.
I like the jogger for the tall factor, it turns on a dime, and is lightweight. I even got a compliment on it this past weekend, which is always nice. Plus the price is nice. :)
I hope this helps someone out there looking for a double stroller!

I have a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn. They were both born on April 4th. I researched double strollers for what seemed like hundreds of hours before I settled on the Baby Jogger City Series Mini Double and I'm very very satisfied with my decision. My two year old doesn't like his single stroller anymore and would always want out of it, so I wanted to try a side by side because I thought he would enjoy sitting next to his new brother and I was right. He happily gets in this stroller with no fight. Even before his brother arrived. I also needed something that would easily navigate a trail to my oldest daughter's elementary school. Occasionally, I need to go through grass, gravel, snow, and ice. I debated whether I should get the City Series Double or the Mini and I ultimately chose the mini because of the lighter weight. I don't enjoy strollers that are too heavy. I was worried about the plastic wheels on the mini but they're actually great. They are super big for being plastic, bigger than any regular stroller so they go over rough terrain fairly easy. This stroller is soooo easy to push and its very strudy and excellent quality. The seats are comfortable and the fold is super easy.

I also purchased the snuzzler, the belly bar, parent console and belly bar console and love all the accessories.

I have no complaints whatsoever. And this stroller is awesome looking. It fits through standard doorways too. and Each seat hold up to 50 pounds.

I did a lot of research before I bought this stroller, and I'm very happy with it. I had used the Peg Perego Aria (terrible) for my twins since they were born, but now that they were two, they were too heavy for such a flimsy stroller. I tried out some of the jogging strollers (Classic Baby Jogger, Mountain Buggy Urban), but they were huge! I felt like I was pushing an SUV around the store. Then I heard about the Mini---there was some confusion over the weight limit in the seats: the box says 33 lbs per seat, but it is actually 50 per seat (33 is the European standard, but it's been tested for 50 lbs in the States.)

What I love about this stroller:
*Small and lightweight, yet sturdy enough to transport two 30-lb children around in it
*Folds like a dream
*Turns so easily---I can turn this stroller with one hand
*Great all-terrain as well as indoor shopping stroller
*The canopies are huge! I don't have to tie my big black shade across it like I had to with the Peg Perego

My only problems with this stroller are:
*no way to lock it once it's folded (but I had read about this issue and will either call Baby Jogger or rig up some kind of latch myself)
*the left wheel stays locked after you unlock the wheels, and you have to push the stroller back and forth, relock and unlock it and push the stroller back and forth again until it unlocks
*the straps and clasps could be sturdier and better made
*I thought all the color choices were awful

All in all, I would recommend this stroller. I don't think there's anything else like it on the market.

The city mini double is amazing. It is super sturdy yet super light weight. I'm very impressed. We did a test drive first but then ordered it from Amazon. It comes in a skinny box. You dump it out, pull it apart, click the wheels on, make sure all the snaps are snapped and it's ready. I've never had some arrive that was so simple straight out of the box. It's a smooth ride. I'm using it for a newborn and toddler. One con is that it doesn't have cupholders but you can add those on or get the parent console. I'm very impressed with this company.

This stroller handles beautifully and the size is great. However, I have a two year old who is quite tall and he has to crouch in order to sit in the stroller. I do not see it lasting him much longer. In addition, the seat backs are made of a soft material. My son likes to sit up straight in the stroller and cannot do so because the back of the seats are just too soft and do not support him. In addition, the buckles are not very long, so once he is buckled in he has no freedom to move or sit up straight. not a great option for sturdier kids.

This is the perfect double stroller. We looked for a long time and tried out all of our friends double strollers. It is GREAT! Very lightweight, fits through almost all doors, manuevers easily, and is comfortable for our three year old and four month old. We have used it in both city stores and in the country, works great everywhere. Also, good storage below and great sunshades for the kids (also good viewing for the parent to see the kids from above through the window)It was very easy to put together, we didn't even find the directions (in the back pocket) until after we had it assembled and had used it. I highly recommend it!

I have bought about 8 previous strollers (some double and some single) and nothing even holds a candle to this stroller! It has all of the right combinations you look for:
Pros:
1. Great handling
2. Extremely light weight.
3. well balanced.
4. The best sun shade I have used to date.
5. nice shock absoption for using lighter, plastic type wheels.
6. The easiest set-up of a stoller to date.
7. The fastest and best folding mechanism I have seen.
8. Great spaces for holding things, especially if you buy the extra cup holder with insulated compartments. The cooler accessory works well too once you figure out how to get it on correctly (it took me 5 minutes).
9. While not a true jogger, it works great for rougher terrain and overall fast street walking.

Cons:
1. Not a visible enough brand...I wish I knew about this before I spent the money on the folllowing: B.O.B.,MaClaren, Jeep,Peg Pergo,Graco,Baby Trends, Snap and Go,Joovy Caboose! All of these have some, if not all weaknesses in the above catagories.

awesome stroller! Not for rough road or trail walking. This is a high quality stroller with excellent storage space and feels solid and smooth. Get the one with all 12" wheels for trail walking.

I LOVE our City Mini Double Stroller! I have a 1.5 month old and a 2.5 year old and like many of the other reviewers I searched everywhere for that perfect stroller. I live in the city and walk everywhere! We do our grocery shopping on a daily basis and so any stroller I purchased needed to be sturdy (for use every single day) and light enough for me to carry up our stairs to our townhome. I **thought** I was going to get the Phil & Teds Vibe..I really, really wanted it. Such a cool stroller and such an ingenious design with the baby underneath. Nope. wasn't going to work for our very tall, fast growing kids...the weight limit for the seat underneath was only 30 lbs...essentially making it a single stroller for me by the time my 2nd child hit 1.5 years old. so this double stroller fit my bill...still looked cool (oh so important - ha), sturdy, easy to push (with a finger!), car seat adapter for my peg perego car seat - which, by the way, I never use...the seat in the stroller reclines completely and I feel very safe with my baby laying in it...I will say, however that the harness does not work for a baby since the hooks to attach the harness to the seat hit right at the baby's head - we "rig" it across the front. So this would not be the approach if I were actually jogging with the baby in the stroller.

I was concerned about the way the seat swung arouknd a bit when fully reclined...particularly for hte baby...as it turns out the swinging motion of the fully reclined seat lulls my baby to sleep!

Also, this stroller reclines with a strap - which seemed flimsy and could esily slide loose - I was use to my peg perego stroller which locked into place when reclined. However, I was wrong again - it's very sturdy and provides the benefit of reclining at any angle instead of fixed positions.

Finally, my very tall 2.5 year old is VERY comfortable in the seat and his feet are far, far away from the ground (in his peg perego he was constantly dragging his feet on the concrete).

So far I've only found one issue - the storage space underneath is a bit small for me and difficult to get things in/out of. I've solved this issue by purchasing hiker's hooks to use for my groceries.

We've had the stroller a month now and have used it every single day...I absolutely love it and don't regret for one minute not getting the P&T Vibe!

**I'll post pictures of the harness for the front and the strap for reclining.