bostonwendy
Cathlete
So here is the comprehensive review I promised. If there is something you want to know that i didnt cover, just let me know!
Some background to put this review in perspective:
I am a 30-something mother of a 6mo and a teenager living in an urban area. This stroller (2008 model in ruby) is being used for long walks and light jogs over bumpy/cracked sidewalks with roots coming through, lots of hills, streets with serious potholes and off-road dirt paths around the river, as well as in and out of stores , the library, etc. I do not own a car and walk A LOT, not only for exercise but errands. I walk in and out of our garage so will have no need to fold the indie 90% of the time. had it 5 days so far and have used it 4x so far, all for 2+ mile walks, for short walks we use a carrier. Helpful for comparison, with this baby, this is our 4th stroller (lol) – mostly I will compare here to my first all-terrain, the baby trend expedition, the travel system version from BRU.
What I haven’t done with the indie yet:
public transit, folding and putting in a car with no help/still holding baby, attaching a carseat
COMFORT FOR BABE: not a single complaint from the little guy! The seat is nicely padded and well insulated and with the footmuff included I think this cuts the wind better than BT did so I haven’t put the bundle me in. comes with matching headrest and shoulder strap pads in the cute mod/geo black and white print that’s also inside the canopy. That pattern really has my little guy mesmerized and I actually think it helps with the strapping in process! The seat reclines all the way flat and all the way upright, with two more options in between. So far I have used the almost-upright position most of the time and put it flat once he dozes off. Great shocks on the back wheels. Really large canopy provides great coverage and has the cool print inside for baby to look at. I haven’t needed to try the zip-off feature yet but it’s there. Toys can be attached to the bumper bar and also to the bottom of the canopy bar on each side. Literally I have had not a peep from the babe in this stroller even after being in for over an hour, wide awake…
COMFORT FOR MAMA: rounded handlebar is a great shape for me and fully height adjustable. I am super short so this helpful and I also sometimes like to change the position of the handlebars for different terrain, like when I’m pushing up hills and such. Even with the wheel in unlocked swivel position I am able to keep good control over the stroller on a brisk walk with no wheel shaking at all – not the case with BT. The basket under is a great size, the other day I fit my diaper bag, a six pack and a package of diapers pretty easily. and the opening is large enough to get stuff easily in and out even when the seat is reclined, unlike BT. Possibly too large an opening, though? I worried that something might fall out so have been really careful. I thought I would miss the cool parent tray on BT with the 2 cupholders and small latching storage compartment but I don’t miss it at all. The bumbleride cupholder is perfect for my travel coffee mug or a slim water bottle. It will probably not hold a nalgene or any of the more popular but wider water bottles and I would imagine it will not hold a large dunks coffee but I haven’t tried. There is a cute little pocket on the back of the canopy I’ve been keeping my wallet, cell, garage opener, and sometimes my ipod in depending on what I’m wearing. I do not feel like I need an accessory parent organizer at all.
RIDE/PUSH: very smooth! I can push this with one hand and drink my coffee with the other, yay! even over the horrible sidewalks around here! Turns on a dime, inside and outside. Once my husband had fixed the front wheel on BT to a non-shaky point, it did NOT turn well inside so in the library and stores I was struggling. As mentioned before, good shocks on the back wheels.
CONSTRUCTION: ok, this is not something I really know a lot about but it feels very sturdy to me. I felt tears coming when I opened the box and saw how many pieces it was in, instantly missing my husband and feeling bad for myself… but I put together this stroller by myself, with JJ wide awake watching me from his exersaucer, in about 40 minutes. I promise someone more mechanically inclined (and confident in their ability) would do this in 15, it was really simple. The only thing I struggled with was how to get the cupholder on lol! No comparison between BT and indie as far as construction: bumbleride hands down. So many plastic things on BT, things getting stuck, probs with that front wheel, difficult to fold… Indie feels SOLID and all the various mechanisms like the seat recline, fold, footrest, bumper bar, etc. are easy and intuitive.
FOLD/TRAVEL: this is not a compact or light stroller, but there are no all terrains that are! it is said to be the lightest all terrain on the market if that matters to you. I would not recommend it for constant in and out of the car. To fold, you pull up on a handle on each side and then grab the carry strap underneath, simple as that. With a little maneuvering, I fit it in the trunk of my mom’s toyota camry yesterday but it will prob not fit in a some smaller car trunks without removing the wheels.
STYLE: This stroller is not “cute” in a baby sort of way at all. there are lots of 3 wheel strollers out there now but the design and the fabric colors/pattern make this a really cool and different-looking stroller. You definitely stand out, if you don’t mind that… maybe in so cal where bumbleride is based there are more of these on the streets but not around here.
ACCESSORIES INCLUDED: keep in mind I just bought the 08 model… came with footmuff, cupholder, bumper bar, tire pump, carseat adaptor bar and safety strap, headrest and strap pads, and jogging wrist strap. I will need to purchase the raincover separately (also for purchase, a soft-sided snack tray and a carseat cover to match your stroller). Keep in mind the 09 is somewhat different as far as accessories. From what I learned in my research, the 09 indie:
- has no bumper bar and cannot be outfitted with one
- comes standard with cupholder, tire pump, carseat adaptor and strap, wrist strap, and raincover, you do not get the footmuff
- has a new carrycot optional accessory… had I been looking at a stroller in this price range when I had a newborn, I would have loved this! carrycot comes with the newly-designed footmuff/seat liner so at least the $$ are stretched there and it can be attached right to the stroller once your babe is not using the bassinette attachment
- still has matching carseat cover and snack pack avl for purchase
OVERALL: all of the things that started to annoy me with the BT are fixed with my indie. I took a long time to make this decision (and convince my husband lol) before purchasing. FYI, my runner-up was the valco tri-mode. chose the indie because, (1) for the $$ you got so much more included that you had to purchase separately for the valco and others in this price range/class, (2) reviews were overwhelmingly positive, (3) it’s an American company, product made in the US, and customer service was said to be excellent, and (4) it was just so darned cute and different!
HTH and happy to answer any specific questions anyone has….
Wendy
Some background to put this review in perspective:
I am a 30-something mother of a 6mo and a teenager living in an urban area. This stroller (2008 model in ruby) is being used for long walks and light jogs over bumpy/cracked sidewalks with roots coming through, lots of hills, streets with serious potholes and off-road dirt paths around the river, as well as in and out of stores , the library, etc. I do not own a car and walk A LOT, not only for exercise but errands. I walk in and out of our garage so will have no need to fold the indie 90% of the time. had it 5 days so far and have used it 4x so far, all for 2+ mile walks, for short walks we use a carrier. Helpful for comparison, with this baby, this is our 4th stroller (lol) – mostly I will compare here to my first all-terrain, the baby trend expedition, the travel system version from BRU.
What I haven’t done with the indie yet:
public transit, folding and putting in a car with no help/still holding baby, attaching a carseat
COMFORT FOR BABE: not a single complaint from the little guy! The seat is nicely padded and well insulated and with the footmuff included I think this cuts the wind better than BT did so I haven’t put the bundle me in. comes with matching headrest and shoulder strap pads in the cute mod/geo black and white print that’s also inside the canopy. That pattern really has my little guy mesmerized and I actually think it helps with the strapping in process! The seat reclines all the way flat and all the way upright, with two more options in between. So far I have used the almost-upright position most of the time and put it flat once he dozes off. Great shocks on the back wheels. Really large canopy provides great coverage and has the cool print inside for baby to look at. I haven’t needed to try the zip-off feature yet but it’s there. Toys can be attached to the bumper bar and also to the bottom of the canopy bar on each side. Literally I have had not a peep from the babe in this stroller even after being in for over an hour, wide awake…
COMFORT FOR MAMA: rounded handlebar is a great shape for me and fully height adjustable. I am super short so this helpful and I also sometimes like to change the position of the handlebars for different terrain, like when I’m pushing up hills and such. Even with the wheel in unlocked swivel position I am able to keep good control over the stroller on a brisk walk with no wheel shaking at all – not the case with BT. The basket under is a great size, the other day I fit my diaper bag, a six pack and a package of diapers pretty easily. and the opening is large enough to get stuff easily in and out even when the seat is reclined, unlike BT. Possibly too large an opening, though? I worried that something might fall out so have been really careful. I thought I would miss the cool parent tray on BT with the 2 cupholders and small latching storage compartment but I don’t miss it at all. The bumbleride cupholder is perfect for my travel coffee mug or a slim water bottle. It will probably not hold a nalgene or any of the more popular but wider water bottles and I would imagine it will not hold a large dunks coffee but I haven’t tried. There is a cute little pocket on the back of the canopy I’ve been keeping my wallet, cell, garage opener, and sometimes my ipod in depending on what I’m wearing. I do not feel like I need an accessory parent organizer at all.
RIDE/PUSH: very smooth! I can push this with one hand and drink my coffee with the other, yay! even over the horrible sidewalks around here! Turns on a dime, inside and outside. Once my husband had fixed the front wheel on BT to a non-shaky point, it did NOT turn well inside so in the library and stores I was struggling. As mentioned before, good shocks on the back wheels.
CONSTRUCTION: ok, this is not something I really know a lot about but it feels very sturdy to me. I felt tears coming when I opened the box and saw how many pieces it was in, instantly missing my husband and feeling bad for myself… but I put together this stroller by myself, with JJ wide awake watching me from his exersaucer, in about 40 minutes. I promise someone more mechanically inclined (and confident in their ability) would do this in 15, it was really simple. The only thing I struggled with was how to get the cupholder on lol! No comparison between BT and indie as far as construction: bumbleride hands down. So many plastic things on BT, things getting stuck, probs with that front wheel, difficult to fold… Indie feels SOLID and all the various mechanisms like the seat recline, fold, footrest, bumper bar, etc. are easy and intuitive.
FOLD/TRAVEL: this is not a compact or light stroller, but there are no all terrains that are! it is said to be the lightest all terrain on the market if that matters to you. I would not recommend it for constant in and out of the car. To fold, you pull up on a handle on each side and then grab the carry strap underneath, simple as that. With a little maneuvering, I fit it in the trunk of my mom’s toyota camry yesterday but it will prob not fit in a some smaller car trunks without removing the wheels.
STYLE: This stroller is not “cute” in a baby sort of way at all. there are lots of 3 wheel strollers out there now but the design and the fabric colors/pattern make this a really cool and different-looking stroller. You definitely stand out, if you don’t mind that… maybe in so cal where bumbleride is based there are more of these on the streets but not around here.
ACCESSORIES INCLUDED: keep in mind I just bought the 08 model… came with footmuff, cupholder, bumper bar, tire pump, carseat adaptor bar and safety strap, headrest and strap pads, and jogging wrist strap. I will need to purchase the raincover separately (also for purchase, a soft-sided snack tray and a carseat cover to match your stroller). Keep in mind the 09 is somewhat different as far as accessories. From what I learned in my research, the 09 indie:
- has no bumper bar and cannot be outfitted with one
- comes standard with cupholder, tire pump, carseat adaptor and strap, wrist strap, and raincover, you do not get the footmuff
- has a new carrycot optional accessory… had I been looking at a stroller in this price range when I had a newborn, I would have loved this! carrycot comes with the newly-designed footmuff/seat liner so at least the $$ are stretched there and it can be attached right to the stroller once your babe is not using the bassinette attachment
- still has matching carseat cover and snack pack avl for purchase
OVERALL: all of the things that started to annoy me with the BT are fixed with my indie. I took a long time to make this decision (and convince my husband lol) before purchasing. FYI, my runner-up was the valco tri-mode. chose the indie because, (1) for the $$ you got so much more included that you had to purchase separately for the valco and others in this price range/class, (2) reviews were overwhelmingly positive, (3) it’s an American company, product made in the US, and customer service was said to be excellent, and (4) it was just so darned cute and different!
HTH and happy to answer any specific questions anyone has….
Wendy
