Uppa Baby Cruz

[MellowYellow]

Afternoon all,

We are expecting our first this summer and cannot decide on a buggy!

Initially we were considering the Bugaboo Cameleon 3 as I know from previous experience the suspension is excellent making it also comfortable for the parent pushing (I got v sore wrists pushing a bumping maclaren when I was a nanny.

I'm quite drawn to the Uppa baby Cruz due to the size and similarity to the BC (I don't like the bee)and hoped to hear from others with experience of using it. In particular, how does it feel to push over bumpier ground / paving stones? I've also heard conflicting reports about the quality of the wheels - did yours wear out quickly or go well for ages?

Many thanks in advance for your views!

[Convex]

Hey,

if you have had sore wrists from a buggy before then i would recommend you get a pram with air tyres. i had the same thing and had to have physio, it was pretty crap, not to mention very painful.

although i do have a yoyo now which has hard tyres and i don't tend to have issues - i don't push a buggy all day these days though! (and i also have a phil and teds for carrying 2 kids)- so maybe good suspension is the key.

the advantage of the bugaboo prams in my opinion is their longevity - they work great with buggy boards due to their extendable handles so you might avoid needing a double if you go for 2 kids (and your 1st kid likes the buggy board - can't predict that though!)

you could also look at baby jogger prams - the city select is comparable to the chameleon in a lot of ways. it looks a bit odd as a single but it has a huge basket and i loved it.

my opinion on prams is to plan to have 1 big/main pram and also a smaller one for buses / car journeys. i know some people do well with just one, or switch to a maclaren or equivalent after 6 months to a year.

i also recommend buying secondhand, though you do need to inspect carefully and you then don't have a warranty - so its not for everyone.

[Buffnutter]

Our Cruz is still going strong after 3 years without any wheel (or other) problems and we have found it great - much easier to get on and off buses and manoeuvre around shops than the cameleon as the wheels are narrower. Other pluses for us were getting the extra carrycot for when our little one was tiny so he could lie flat (unlike the bee) and the fact we could switch between rear and forward facing as needed (which I felt strongly about). The basket beneath is also massive which has been really helpful as is the extending handle if your or your partner are tall. No regrets from us! (We do now have a super light Maclaren we keep in the boot of the car - but still use the Cruz around ED.)

[LOUROY]

I have the Uppababy vista. Wheels are a bit wide but I have super bad rsi and have never had any problems with it. It's so light to push x

[esmeonline]

We have the Uppababy Cruz, 2015 model.

We bought the first one around June/July last year and approximately 3-4 months later the wheels failed, in the style of a faulty shopping trolley. It was really difficult to use the buggy and the jamming of wheels occasionally occurred when getting off public transport, which was a bit alarming. It also really hurt my wrists and elbows and exacerbated the carpel tunnel syndrome I'd started to suffer in pregnancy.

John Lewis said they had been made aware of a fault with the wheels of this model, so initially just replaced them but it was obvious that this didn't rectify matters - I was almost dragging the pushchair across the shop floor - and so they promptly replaced the whole pushchair. I've been told some other people just had wheels successfully replaced.

The new, replacement pushchair has now, 8 months on, failed in the same manner and I am due a second replacement this week. Although I've been given slightly different messages from various members of John Lewis/Uppababy, ultimately it seems that there is an issue with some of the Cruz 2015 and it's pot luck as to whether yours is affected or not. A good friend of mine bought one, loves it and has had no problems.

Aside from the inconvenience (and the environmental impact of getting through three pushchairs for just one baby!) we really like the Cruz. It's robust but relatively compact, we make use of the different recline/upright positions the seat goes into, it's a good height (we didn't want my son to be too low to the ground, near to exhaust fumes etc) it is fine over rugged terrain (I do quite a lot of walking) and overall the quality feels good.

If you feel inclined towards buying the Cruz, knowing that some pushchairs have this design flaw, then I'd recommend buying from somewhere with reliable customer service, like John Lewis, so that in the event that you have a problem you can be sure you'll have a remedy.

[Buffnutter]

Reading esmeonline's post has reminded me our wheels did get a bit sticky at one point but luckily ours just needed a good dose of WD40.