Mountain Buggy Urban Single Review
- Introduction
- Seat design and function
- Child Safety Harness
- Hood or Canopy
- Handle design and function
- Storage
- Wheel brakes
- Fold mechanism
- Wheels
- Manoeuvrability
- Size
- Accessories
- Conclusion
Review by: Annabel
Introduction
The Urban is a quality swivel wheeled jogger made by New Zealand's Mountain Buggy. The Mountain Buggy Urban is designed to handle city streets as well as it does off-road.
At first glance the Urban is quite a simple looking pram, without fancy details such as cupholders and parent trays. However its simple and rugged design mean that it performs brilliantly on the criteria that matter -comfort, handling and manoeuvrability.
The Urban should definitely be considered by anyone looking for a top quality pram for multi-purpose use.
Seat design and function
Seat in most upright position
Seat half reclined.
Seat fully reclined.
Straps to adjust seat position.
The backrest on the 2005 Urban is well structured with padding sewn in front of a stiff plastic board. A child does not slouch into the seat as tended to happen with previous models. The seat does not however sit completely upright. This is true of many prams where a child's bottom sits lower than their knees. It is only a slight recline and seems a very comfortable seat but is not so great for kids who like to sit completely upright.
The Urban seat reclines to 162 degrees which is enough to accommodate newborns (although I would much prefer to put a small baby in the optional carry cot). My 1 and 4 year olds have both slept very well in this pram!
The seat reclines using a strap on either side of the seat back. This is easy enough to use although it is easiest to adjust both at the same time and so ideally requires two hands. The strap adjust means the seat can be adjusted to any position.
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Child safety harness
Harness.
Harness buckle.
The Urban has a fairly typical five point harness with a plastic buckle. The buckle does up slightly differently to most however, and the design makes it very quick and easy to use. Instead of the buckle for each waist and shoulder strap coming into the the crotch strap from the side, it comes in from above. This combined with a rather large buckle makes the harness very easy to do up quickly, and also seems to avoid adults' fingers getting pinched in the process.
The shoulder straps can be adjusted to come out of the back of the stroller in three different places. This provides a good fit for children of different sizes although the straps are fairly fiddly to move from position to position.
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Hood or Canopy
Hood.
Flap covering viewing window on hood.
Viewing window in hood.
The hood on the Urban adjusts up and down easily and silently, although it does not provide an enormous amount of sun protection. There is a good viewing window on top with a flap that closes with hook and loop fasteners.
The only real problem with the hood is that it is too low for older children. My just on four year old scrapes the top of it however he is not very tall, and I imagine this would happen much sooner with taller children.
An extra tall hood is available for purchase from Mountain Buggy.
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Handle design and function
Handle at lowest position.
Handle at middle position.
Handle at highest position.
Handle adjust buttons.
The 2005 model Urban is the first to have a height adjustable handle. The handle now adjusts down from 80cm up to 106cm, which is good news for tall people who may previously had to buy a handlebar extension (sold separately by Mountain Buggy).
The new handle does however add length to the pram.
I use the handle at about mid height which results in the urban being at its longest. For the first week I found this a little awkward -it almost felt like a was pushing a tandem. The pram steered well but I felt a long way back from the front wheel. I must say however, that after 4 weeks I got used to the feel of the pram and the length of the Urban no longer bothers me at all.
The handle itself is very comfortable to hold. It has a soft rubber grip which is is very pleasant to touch, much nicer in my opinion than the standard foam grip. The handle is also a comfortable shape. The angles on it allow you to place your hands in a very natural position.
The handle adjust buttons are on either side of the handle and are big and very easy to use.
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Storage
Storage basket.
Storage compartments on outside of basket.
The 2005 Urban has a great basket. It is large and easy to access, even when the seat is fully reclined. Across the back on the outside of the basket there are two compartments, one which is zippered, and one made from mesh which is shaped to hold a drink bottle. The zippered compartment is great for holding a purse for easy access, or for stashing a nappy and wipes for emergency use. The inside of the basket also has a mesh pocket on each side and a place to hold the wheel pump that comes with the pram.
The basket has two holes in the bottom to drain any fluid that may spill inside it, and is fairly easy to remove for washing.
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Wheel brakes
Brakes in engaged position.
The Urban has a metal brake bar that you flip down with your foot. It is fairly stiff to put on an off, but does a good job of holding the pram very steady.
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Fold mechanism
Fold buttons either side of footrest.
One of the fold buttons.
Folded with handle at mid position.
Folded with handle lowered.
The Urban is very easy to fold. The fold buttons are on either side of the seat, down near the foot rest. To fold you simultaneously push both buttons, and the pram does all the rest. The only thing to watch is the front wheel needs to be pointing out towards you or it gets caught underneath and the stroller will not fold.
Not only is the Urban easy to collapse, but it has a really nice smooth action as it goes down. It kind of glides down, unlike the Buzz which you have to push, or the E3 which will chop your finger off if you're not careful!
The Urban is also easy to pick up when folded. There is a press stud on the wrist strap that fastens around the frame to keep the stroller closed. For everyday use though it's just as easy to reach through the handle bar and grab the frame underneath.
The Urban has quite a compact fold, not too long, and fairly flat. Those with a small car boot might need to fold the handle down to reduce its length. This is quick and easy to do, although it is one more thing to fuss with when loading and unloading the car each time. The rear wheels can be removed to provide an even more compact fold when needed.
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Wheels
Front swivel wheel.
Mechanism to fix front wheel.
Rear wheel.
The Urban has 30cm or 12 inch air filled wheels which handle uneven terrain well whilst still allowing good manoeuvrability in crowded areas.
The rear wheels have a quick release button to remove them although I have found this fiddly and it has taken me several tries to remove the wheels.
The front wheel has a knob to easily change the steering from swivel to fixed.
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Manoeuvrability
The Urban is a fantastic pram to push, in fact it would have to rate as one of the best I have used. It easily steers with one hand when inside and out, regardless of the size of the child being pushed. The pram goes exactly where you want it to go with the smallest of hand movements, which makes it just as suitable for the shops as it is for outdoor use.The Urban handles rough ground easily although the lack of suspension can make the ride a little bumpy over curbs and really rough terrain.
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Size
I weigh the Urban at 10.7 kilos or 23.5 lbs. For a jogging stroller this is a fairly good weight and this helps make it a good all round pram.The Urban is 69cm or 26.9 inches wide which is unfortunately one hubcap too wide to fit through a normal checkout at my local Coles supermarket.
At its longest (with the handle midway down and the front wheel pointing out) it is 145cm or 56.6ins long. It measures 120cm or 46.8ins with the wheel facing in and at its shortest (handle fully up and wheel in it is 110cm or 42.9ins long.
Folded at its shortest (handle fully down) it is 104cm or 40.6ins long, with handle midway up 116cm or 45.2ins long, and 35cm or 13.7ins high.
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Accessories
All the Mountain Buggy accessories need to be purchased separately.
Items available include:
- Storm cover
- Sun mesh
- Handlebar extension (for older models without the adjustable handle)
- Carseat clip
- Bumper bar
- Travel bag
- Sleeping bag
- Carrycot
Toddler Seat
No toddler seat is available for any of the prams in the Mountain Buggy range.
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Summary and Rating
Pros
- Steers easily with one hand
- Handles uneven terrain easily
- Comfortable seat with simple backrest adjust
- Good hood with viewing window
- Nice big basket with zip pockets
- Very comfortable adjustable handle
- Simple and solid design
- Good harness with easy to use buckle
- Easy fold mechanism
- Has a bassinet option for newborn babies
Cons
- Hood not high enough for taller toddlers
- Seat is a little shallow
- Adjustable handle makes pram quite long
- Accessories are expensive and need to be purchased separately
Conclusion
The Mountain Buggy Urban is a top quality stroller in nearly every aspect. Instead of offering a host of fancy features, Mountain Buggy have built a simple, solid and dependable pram that is a pleasure to use. It is light and manoeuvrable enough to put in and out of the car for trips to the shops, and yet sturdy enough to take off road.For those who want one stroller that can do everything, the Urban is a great choice.
Rating
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