If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
As a mom living in Germany, I have a lot of experience with rough, cobblestone streets. I know several expecting moms who have asked what to look for in a stroller that you’ll be using on bumpy streets, and here’s some points:
- Pneumatic tires - at least two of the tires should have rubberized tires with an air-filled inner tube. These help cushion the bumps. My Quinny had a flat (a problem that comes with pneumatic tires, unfortunately), so I was out with my Maclaren with it’s solid plastic tires for a day, and by afternoon, my back was a mess. The bumpiness of the road gets transferred right up your arms into your back.
- Front tires that swivel - It doesn’t matter if you go for a three wheel or four wheel stroller, the front tire or tires should swivel. You’ll also want to be able to lock the tires in place for when you’re in shops or someplace with smooth floors, as the swiveling can be a nuisance on those types of surfaces.
- A sturdy stroller - While you don’t have to go out and buy the most expensive stroller out there, it is usually a good idea, when your stroller is going to be under a lot of stress, to not buy the least expensive stroller you can find. Invest in a good, sturdy, quality stroller, especially if you’re hoping to use it with future children or want to sell it after you’re done with it. Cobblestones are hard on a stroller and can cause a cheap stroller to quickly fall apart.
- A lightweight stroller - With cobblestones usually comes other obstacles. Many places won’t have elevators and you’ll have to face stairs, steep slopes, and other difficult to maneuver situations. A stroller that’s lighter will help immensely.
Unfortunately for your pocketbook, putting all these things together usually bumps the strollers price tag up quite a bit. When we were stroller hunting, we didn’t find anything that met these criteria for under 300 Euro, and ended up choosing a Quinny Buzz. Before you buy, you (and anyone else who’ll be using the stroller on a regular basis) should go to a store and test drive the models you are considering. Fold up the stroller, make sure it will fit in your trunk. Think about the terrain you’ll be traversing. Think about whether that white or cream canopy really is such a good choice! To help you get started, here is a partial list of strollers that should work well on cobblestone:
- Quinny Buzz - It has a wide wheel base that doesn’t allow it to fit through narrow doorways, but it not only does well on cobblestone, it has no problem taking on the gravel road and even fields and hiking paths around our house. It’s a popular choice of parents in our nearest city, Regensburg. The Quinny Speedi is more heavy duty option, with three pneumatic tires. I saw a lot more Speedis than Buzzes in Munich.
- Bugaboo Cameleon - This stroller is very popular in the larger German cities like Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt. It’s very maneuverable and has a smooth ride.
- Mutsy 4rider - Another option from this company is the Mutsy 3rider.
- Phil and Ted’s strollers - Any of the Phil and Ted’s strollers fit the above criteria. The neat thing about these strollers is that a sibling chair can be added on to the back without doubling the length of the stroller. If we have another child, I’d really like to get one of these - wish I’d known about them before we had Oliver. Phil and Ted’s also has a twin side-by-side stroller.
- Chicco S3 - These strollers are everywhere in Italy, all those Italians moms can’t be wrong!
- Hauck Roadster SL - A heavy duty jogger that’s pretty common in Germany.
- Teutonia strollers - Any of the fully customizable Teutonia strollers would be a good choice. They’re also quite popular in Germany and have a twin side-by-side option.
- Stokke Xplory - Your child sits higher off the ground in this unique stroller. I’d heard of stability problems when this first came out, but I think they’ve been dealt with, since I haven’t heard anything recently. You don’t see a lot of these around, I’ve only seen one maybe 5-6 times. If you go with this stroller, you’d certainly turn heads!
- Orbit Infant System - This is the new cool stroller for Hollywood parents. The seat can rotate 360 degrees, so your child can face forward, backward, or even to the side. At $900, it’s got a hefty price tag, but you’ll definitely be the coolest mama on the block.
I know I’ve missed a lot of great strollers. What stroller do you have? Is it a good choice for a cobblestone frequenter? Do you have any other tips for choosing a stroller?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We have a couple of strollers. The Bugaboo Cameleon, which is wonderful for cobblestone, turns easy, and is relatively narrow. I can drive it with one hand while shopping.
We also have a Quinny Zapp— not for cobblestone, but I do use it when traveling in the US when I plan on being places with smooth sidewalks and malls, etc. We did take it to DC, but the entire time wished for our Bugaboo.
I think most importantly, one must decide how often and what they are using their stroller for. In the US, in and out of cars, on smooth sidewalks, makes different features important than if you are going on cobblestone, up and down hills or running. Also, keep in mind if you plan to use it primarily indoors or out. Indoors shopping probably requires a more narrow stroller than one that you are using outdoors.
I agree, I think for most Americans, these strollers aren’t necessary. If you’re mostly in and out of the car, and using it on sidewalks and at the mall, I’d go for a smaller, lightweight stroller or travel system. When we’re traveling to the US, we bring our Maclaren Techno Classic. I’d love to have a Quinny Zapp, it’s fantastic how small they fold up, but the Techno seat reclines fully, which was an important feature to me, since I wanted to be able to use it from birth onwards. Maybe you should write a post on strollers for typical US use!
Our Hauck Infinity stroller is wonderful for Germany. We bought it in the US before we even knew we were moving to Germany. It has all of the advantages of some of the aforementioned strollers like a reclining seat for afternoon naps and pneumatic tires AND the price was much cheaper! I think we paid around ~200 USD.
One of the drawbacks is that it is a little heavy and carrying it up stairs is definitely a little more difficult. But overall, we are more than happy with our purchase.
I now have the Phil & Teds Sports. It is good. A allrounder, I would say. It folds and unfolds very easy and has enough headroom for a tall child. The raincover is compact and fastens to the buggy. The wheels come off with the gentle push of a button, making it fold nice and flat. There is plenty of storage in the base with optional extra pannier bags etc. The pushchair is pretty heavy, though… but sturdy.
I love it.
Mountain Buggy Urban (New Zealand). Its heavy though, but love it. It has wheel that can be fixed or swivel. We have this and an umbrella stroller only. Downside other than weight is that it doesn’t fold down enough to easily fit in the car. But, we take it all over town, on trails (paved and unpaved).