Another happy new Mountain Buggy Urban Owner! :)

Well, I am sure glad I asked for input from everyone. Today we drove to Ellicott City, MD for a MB test drive. We absolutely loved it! Baby Outfitters does "by appointment only" personal consultations. They are in the process of building a storefront, so right now they show MB's, Ingelsina’s, and Zooper’s out of a home. They will soon be selling the Bugaboo's too, but we decided a stroller could not get much better than the MB, and at about 2X the cost, the 2-part breakdown would have been quite a drawback IMO. She (Kit Orloff) had all the colors for the 2003 models. We bought it in the Ocean Cloud color, which is sort of a steel blue/gray color.

Kit was great. It is always nice to have a salesperson that is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a product. She started her company as an Internet business (www.baby-outfitters.com), so she can ship products anywhere. The test drive is really what sold us though.

She has a "try before you buy" option and a 25-day return policy. We took the stroller to Historic Ellicott City, which has steep hills, cobblestone and brick sidewalks, and little shops and restaurants. It performed beautifully. It was like pushing air compared to my Metrolite. We tried to roll over bumps to test it and it was a really smooth ride. We did not get it into little antique shops, but I don't think you could even get the smallest umbrella stroller into some of those places. We did fold it up easily and take it into a small cafe for lunch. Next, it was on to Target to get a lock. (Apparently MB theft is on the rise) Pushing it was such an easy experience. It spins and rides backward as well as it goes forward. Our son took a 1-hour nap while we shopped. The reclining mechanism is hard to describe, but super easy to use. I was originally worried about him sitting to deep in the upright position, but that was not the case at all. He could see everything when he was awake.

The 2003 model has a rounded hood instead of the flat top so that taller kids can get in and out. It is also supposed to have 8mm padding under the canvas. Kit told us that MB had to apply for a mattress license (the tag that says DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW...), so the U.S. 2003 MB's don't have the padding yet. She is going to get us the padding once it becomes available. The seat is still quite comfortable without it. We were able to test it next to the Zooper, and although the Zooper has plush fabric, the seat is hard and not contoured like the MB.

Thanks to everyone for their input. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to write. I can probably take some digital pictures too if I get any requests.

[etwahl]

Congratulations! That's really exciting. I pre-ordered a 2003 direct from Alan at MB (the Terrain actually) and he said it should be in around end of February. I didn't know they had new colors. We just ordered the black, but I'm so excited to get it. It sounds like such a wonderful stroller. Very exciting to hear you love it so much. It gives me a good feeling that we made the right choice (because we've never seen one in person)

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[pamela mom of 3]

Your quite lucky to have been able to get such touchy contact before you bought LOL ;)

I had to just go by all the happy owners..and buy sight unseen.

Anyways your right well worth it, the ocean cloud seems like a nice color, my single urban is grape and double is spruce..they push like a dream and are so great with older kids.

Enjoy!

:)

How awesome you got to try it out first! I bought sight unseen as well...just went with the reviews, and have been thrilled.....

Of course, if I had gotten to try it out first, they may have had to chase me down the street to get it away from me....;-)

I just bought a MBUD sight-unseen from Baby Outfitters. I initially dealt with Michelle. There was problem with one of the accessories I ordered and Kit called me to work things out. Both of them are great! I cannot wait to get my hands on this thing. I am having buyer's remorse for spending so much but I am sure I will love it. I cannot recommend their company strongly enough to purchase a Mountain Buggy! I too will let everyone know how I like it when it arrives. We are also getting some type of kiddie board that will allow my oldest daughter to either sit or stand on the back of the buggy. Hope this helps.

Amy

I saw that kiddie baord yesterday at Kit's home. It is very cool.

I did not realize that most people bought it without ever testing it. What a leap of faith! We were lucky that Baby Outfitters was only about 1 hour from us.

Has anyone tried to take this stroller on vacation yet?...or through an airport? It seems to me that it would be worth a little extra travel weight to have a great stroller with you at your destination, but from the posts it seems that most people don't think they would bring their MBU.