Baby Jogger City Select a winner

Between the judging for the JPMA Innovation Awards and the main part of the show, we spent a lot of time with the new Baby Jogger City Select. The stroller did win the coveted prize, and it was the talk of the show. I know many of you are curious to see and hear more about it, so here’s my rundown on what we loved (and didn’t love) about this new stroller.

The good:
It is far and away the most simple, elegant way to adapt a single stroller into a double. The seats are both full-size seats, and can be arranged forward- or rear-facing. Inserting and removing the seats is intuitive, and the fold is excellent (though a tiny bit more complicated than the standard one-step Baby Jogger fold). The seats fold completely flat, so the fold is very compact, even with the seat(s) attached.

But weight… what about weight? The weight limit for each seat is 45 lbs, and the stroller itself weighs under 30 lbs. Nice.

The price point, at $499, would already be excellent for a single hybrid stroller that offers a reversible seat and can take a bassinet or car seat adapter. That it can be adapted to take two children (with all the aforementioned options) is the icing on the cake.

For parents expecting twins, the Baby Jogger City Select is an amazing option, accommodating two bassinets AND two infant car seats in the smallest footprint possible.

The bad:
Fully loaded, I don’t think it will handle easily. With no weight and two seats, it felt long and unwieldy. With a single seat, it pushed well enough.  I’m a steering girl myself, and if a stroller doesn’t turn smoothly, I don’t want anything to do with it. But when it comes to a double stroller, beggars can’t be choosers. Sometimes it’s necessary to make sacrifices, and if I ever met a stroller that could merit forgiveness for sluggish steering, this is it.

For sure there are measurements I didn’t get, and details I’m sure to have missed. This stroller has a lot going on. But Baby Jogger has a winner on their hands with the City Select. The target launch date is January 2010, and the stroller will be available in three colors – Ruby, Onyx and Diamond.

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