68 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
Video of the folding/unfolding with optional child tray
Customer Video Review
Length:: 0:44 Mins
We bought the City Mini after considering the Uppababy strollers. Uppababy was nice and easier to fold than others, but was still a little heavier than we wanted. We wanted something that folded easily and was lightweight so that my wife could take it in/out of the trunk without straining. A sales representative suggested we try out the City...
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
Love the concept, not as practical as I thought
So I loved this stroller and everything about it from it's look to the shade to the ease of folding and lightweight stature. Unfortunately I wanted this stroller to be my only stroller and thought it could be with the infant carrier bar added on. Then I wanted the parent console for the extra storage and the baby tray for when my little guy grew. When you add it all up...
We bought the City Mini after considering the Uppababy strollers. Uppababy was nice and easier to fold than others, but was still a little heavier than we wanted. We wanted something that folded easily and was lightweight so that my wife could take it in/out of the trunk without straining. A sales representative suggested we try out the City Mini since we didn't need the bassinet because our child was already 8 months old.
We were shocked at how light, durable, maneuverable, and "fold-able" this stroller was, and at a third of the cost of the Uppababy stroller we were looking at! The sun shade has 3-4 different positions and gets quite low if needed. Another neat feature is that the sun shade has two peek-a-boo windows. The major selling point for us was the ease of folding it up, so much that we were driven to make our first video review on Amazon.
We wished it came with a belly bar, but saw that we could purchase it separately. In the end, we bought the child tray instead so we could put things in front of our baby to keep her busy (note that you can keep the tray attached when you fold/unfold the stroller). Although the 2010 model comes with a larger basket underneath the stroller than the 2009 model, it is difficult to insert a larger diaper bag because of a metal bar located by the opening. There is no cup holder, but we didn't really care about that.
Overall, we would recommend this product. We are very happy with our purchase.
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So I loved this stroller and everything about it from it's look to the shade to the ease of folding and lightweight stature. Unfortunately I wanted this stroller to be my only stroller and thought it could be with the infant carrier bar added on. Then I wanted the parent console for the extra storage and the baby tray for when my little guy grew. When you add it all up the stroller ends up costing close to 350 and with the items added on, the ease of folding decrease. In addition, the infant carrier never felt sturdy to me and one day the front wheel randomly fell off. Also with the infant carrier on it you could tip the stroller over with very little effort and so I could never leave the baby in it without having one hand on the stroller. These were safety concerns to me and I wasn't willing to sacrifice safety for style and ease of use. One other practical thing is that the basket underneath was too small for my diaper bag and hanging the bag on the handle was enough to tip the stroller with my 10 lb baby in it.
All that being said, I think this would be a great stroller for an older baby that you don't mind having facing away from you and if you are willing to spend a lot of money. I just wouldn't reccommend using it with an infant carrier. I did return it and get a middle-high end travel system and another light weight stroller for the same total price.
One last thing worth mentioning is that this stroller is NOT a jogging stroller even though it is made by baby jogger.
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Let me start by saying i've had a bugaboo frog, quinny buzz, bob rev, mac, and peg p3 and this one is THE best! So light, easy to fold, HUGE shade , cool colors (we had the vibrant orange-love it!), padded flat reclining seat, mesh recline for air/you can see the baby when reclined, BEST push (better than the bug for sure!), two windows in canopy, ability to take belly bar/car seat adaptor, wheels easy to bump up/down curbs, and flat flat fold. This is NOT a jogging stroller, rather more like a peg p3 set up with 3 wheels. some outdoor use is ok but it is more of an errand/mall stroller. If you walk more outside, look at the baby jogger city classic or elite, big air tires but same great fold/canopy. The sunshine kids caddy fits PERFECT on the mini for drinks/keys etc and is sold on amazon too :) Love my mini, makes quick trips with my toddler/ 5 month old great (we are using the car seat adaptor). hth!
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I've owned this stroller for two years now...
Pros: lightweight, amazingly easy fold, good steering, best canopy on the market
Cons: We live in the city with lots of cobblestones and uneven pavement and the tires and suspension are just not very smooth as your child gets heavier. Wish I had purchased the City Elite or Bob Revolution with larger inflatable tires and better suspension. If you plan on doing walking other than indoors or perfectly paved surfaces, seriously consider better tires. Also, the seat is only made of fabric and never goes fully upright so baby sits slouchy...some of this was improved by cutting a piece of thick cardboard the shape of the seatback and inserting in between the fabric (there is an opening so just slide in like an envelope). Now seatback has a bit more support---although still not fully upright. Lastly, when our child was much lighter, the stroller would tip over with any amount of weight on the handle bar. Now that she's heavier, less of an issue but if bag is hanging off the handles and you remove your child, it always falls over---annoying especially when in public.
Overall, this stroller is great but it is best suited for those who will use it only indoors or on very smooth surfaces. As a sidenote, BJ customer service has been awesome. When I got the stroller, the seat fabric had a run in it. BJ sent me a brand new one within days.
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We are in the Air Force and stationed overseas in Italy. We ordered this stroller to go with our Peg Perego car seat and it has been phenomenal. We have had the stroller for two years and now call it "The Gladiator". We have used it to travel up the steep hills of Siena and Montalcino. In the wet downpours in England, through rocky sandy beaches in Cannes and it has never failed us. It has been checked and beaten up on dozens of flights. Even when it takes a beating (by baggage handlers) it glides and maneuvers as beautifully as the first day we used it. It is so easy to pull out and put away too, just one step. On a side note, my husband and I were jogging one day, he was running very fast with the stroller and our baby was belted in with the safety harness inside. He lost his footing and flipped over the stroller. It fell straight over on the front with the canopy down. My 200 lb husband landed on top of the stroller. He quickly turned it over to get the baby out and saw that our baby was perfectly fine. There is a metal rod in the sun canopy of this stroller. It was so strong that it completely absorbed the full fall protecting the baby. The rod was slightly bent, we straightened it out and it looks as good as new. I can't say enough about this stroller. We're now expecting our second child and have purchased the classic city mini double stroller.
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I still love this stroller, but as my son got bigger it became impractical for me to carry it and him up the stairs to our apartment on the 3rd floor. It's still in fantastic condition after a year of daily use, so we're taking it to my in-law's to use when we visit. We've replaced it with the Kolcraft Contours which has a similar style but is much lighter-weight.
****
Not a day goes by that someone doesn't stop me and ask me if I love this stroller as much as they do, and I have to concur. This stroller is incredibly useful when you live in a crowded city. I've used it with my son since we got home from the hospital and now he's 7 months old and it barely shows signs of wear.
Pros
The one-handed collapse feature is a must when you live in a 3rd floor walk-up.
So easy to stash in a closet when it's folded, and easy to open when you're ready.
Turning radius is tight, so you can get in and out of small stores easily.
There are a lot of options for accessories, and you aren't limited to the Baby Jogger brand (except with the rain cover, the generic just doesn't fit).
Cons
It's not the lightest stroller on the market.
Overall we are VERY pleased and recommend it all the time.
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The City Mini is a dream to push around Manhattan. This is our fourth stroller and we wish we'd found it 19 months ago. It's very manueverable, and the suspension makes for a calm ride even on the bumpy sidewalks in our neighborhood. We love that you can truly push it with one hand. Also, the folding mechanism is very easy to use, and once folded, the City Mini is easy to fit under a restaurant table, or under a shopping cart, for example. Our daughter is 19 months old, and we find it easy to carry her in one arm and the stroller in the other. I also like that our daughter rides a little higher in the City Mini compared to umbrella strollers like the Maclarens. (In those strollers, it always seemed that her face was right at the level of other people's shopping bags. On a crowded NYC street, I was always worried she was going to get hit in the face by someone in a hurry.)
The huge canopy is also a big plus. Unlike the canopies on most other strollers it actually comes down far enough to shield our daughter from the sun when it's low in the sky.
Our only gripe is at its most upright position, the seat still leans a little further back than we like. Our daughter is tall and likes slouching, so it doesn't seem to bother her, but I can see how it could be a problem for smaller babies.
Oh and FYI New York City parents: the grocery check-out aisles at our neighborhood grocery store are too narrow for the City Mini to fit through! This may just be a NYC problem, as everything is super tiny and cramped here. As for taking the stroller on the subway, it's definitely heavier than the umbrella strollers we've owned. But we consider lugging it up and down the subway steps a small price to pay for all the other features that make this a great stroller.
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Yes, so basically, this stroller is indestructible. I have had it for over a year and used it daily. It still looks like new. It hides dirt well (I have the orange gray) and the material stays cool in the summer. The shade is great - it nearly covers completely and has two windows for peaking in on the little one. The ride is very smooth and it turns on a dime. This stroller will NOT tip over on you. The storage basket on the bottom is quite large and easy to access. It dips down almost to flat and my son sleeps comfortably in it.
I took it into the city (NYC) for a walk with the kiddie, to see the sites. It held up beautifully.
My only caveat is that it is neither light nor compact, although my dad disagrees (he feels it's just fine, I guess for my wimpy girly arms it felt a little heavy). It folds up pretty tight, but holding it for all those blocks of walking was a little uncomfortable after a while. However, there is an option to attach a shoulder strap to it. I will try that next time to see if there is a difference with navigation.
All in all, especially if you live in the city, this is the only stroller you should buy.
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I really liked this stroller for the first 14 months or so. That is until the front wheel assembly fell apart and the wheels fell off (yes, with my kid in it). I ordered a replacement assembly May 17, and here it is the 4th of July and still no delivery. Needless to say I have had to replace the stroller. Should have lasted longer - disappointing.
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I bought the City Mini for my 16-month-old, as a lightweight replacement for our travel system stroller. In the store I was impressed with the folding mechanism and easy maneuverability. However, I purchased it before placing my child in the seat, which would have been a dealbreaker.
The seat back is not supportive-- there is nothing firm in it except for a wire frame around the edges. The baby has no choice but to slump, and he can't sit up straight in the seat. It is a challenge to figure out what height the shoulder straps should be adjusted to, because once you are finished putting them at "shoulder height", your child will have already slid down the seat into a lower position.
***Update*** I received the board from Baby Jogger to insert in the seat back for more support. Now my son is happy to sit in the seat, and it is a lot easier to fit the shoulder straps correctly. The board is made of a corrugated plastic material, and does not noticeably affect the weight of the stroller.
The customer service at Baby Jogger is prompt and courteous, and my order arrived when they said it would. While I am glad that the company has a fix for the soft seat back, it bothers me that this simple $8 part is not included in the initial purchase. I hope the company will consider including it as a standard part on their strollers, or at least sell them in stores as an optional accessory.
Now for some good things about this stroller. The City Mini probably has the best and easiest folding mechanism of any stroller on the market. The seat cover is removable and machine-washable, and made of good-quality fabric with nice padding (although the padding isn't really necessary unless you reinforce the seat). The sun shade provides great coverage, and the seat reclines to a flat position. It turns on a dime and is easy to steer with one hand. The harness straps are padded. It has a nice footrest area for the baby, and the rear brake is easy to access. The underseat storage compartment is fine for my needs, although I don't store my diaper bag there.
A few things could be better. On our maiden voyage the rear wheels kept getting caught up on doorways and aisles, which I admit goes with the territory when you have a 3-wheeled stroller. The rubber handle grip is not as comfortable as foam on a hot day or when your hands are sweating. In terms of the physical footprint of the stroller, it isn't especially 'mini': it's about the same as my travel system, minus a front wheel. Also, cupholders or a parent console would have been nice.
Overall, I would recommend the City Mini after making it clear that it takes some fiddling around to get your child comfortable in its seat, and you should buy the seat back board to achieve this goal. As another reviewer stated, it's a good idea to factor in the cost of the extra features such as cupholders, snack trays, and the seat back insert(!) as part of the real cost for this stroller. If you go in with 5-star expectations, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. This is a good stroller, but it has its hassles, too.
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