City Savvy Soho??? (Long post warning)

[babystuffbuff]

Hubby and I finally made the hour+ trek out to BRU today, and when we were looking at strollers, he actually found one he liked. Unfortunately, I was so torn between my shock at his actually taking a genuine interest in something baby related (we're not even pregnant yet.....) and my annoyance at the BRU guy who was insisting that under NO circumstances would the '05 P3 take a Snugride that I forgot to read what stroller it was!!! :P It was obviously a Combi, I just didn't see which model. I THINK it was the City Savvy Soho (yowza):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...#more-pictures

BUT the pics on the BRU website show the fold being more like a book fold, and the one we looked at definitely had the Combi fold (folded in half, then in on itself, if that makes sense). Also, it had two little plastic parts that attached to the sides of the frame so that it would take a Tyro, but the one on the website says the City Savvy takes the Connection seat (never heard of it -- maybe it will be made of carbon fiber, which is what my husband wants to have a carseat made of, to make it lighter...he's such a guy :)). Anyway, the City Savvy comes in the same colors as the one we saw (blue and red), I'm just not sure it's the same one. If it IS, could we use it as our one and only stroller??? I know the recline isn't good enough for a brand new kiddo, but we could use it with the Tyro/Connection seat for the beginning, right? Or get a Snap N Go/Kolcraft Universal and save the Combi for the 6 mos+ stage. I was in love with the P3, but the fold is bigger than I thought it would be IRL, and I'm not wild about the metal 'hooks' for the Primo Viaggo (which I hate - sooo heavy!) that are in the seat.

If you've made it this far, thanks for listening...I'm suddenly feeling slightly overwhelmed, and I thought I had a handle on this baby equipment stuff! The BRU guy said I even knew more than he did (shocking, eh?). Any help would be lovely. :)

Sarah

I just bought a city savvy soho from babiesrus and I also have a P3 since DD was 6 months old. I love the P3 but it is more in the midweight range and so that was why I bought the soho as a second stroller. I think the 2 strollers complement each other and completes my stroller collection. :")

The recline on the soho is full enough for a newborn, I feel. I think it can be your only stroller. The plus points for the P3 is that the P3 handles rougher terrains much better than the soho, has a better sunshade and basket, which I'm sure you already know. But these features does compromise on the weight and so if lightweightness is your main criteria than I think the soho is a great choice. Actually, I think the P3 is a great stroller as your only stroller too, and so I think either way you can't go wrong!

I made 3 Treks to BRU... After choosing the Pliko, I went 1st to Buy Buy Baby (out of preferred color), so off to BRU (trip 1). Got home, found it was missing the strap for the SnugRide, so back to BRU (trip 2).

Finally go to uncrate the P3 before an airplane ride to Florida, and DH managed to break the Pliko, confirming my fear that it had too much plastic. Afraid that anything a baggage handler would do would be worse than what we did unboxing it, so back to BRU for the return (trip 3).

DH wandered off to the stroller dept on his own (he too would love to see a carbon fiber car seat ;-) and is amazed by the pack n play)to check out our alternate choice, the Maclaren Techno. Next thing you know I find him test driving the City Savvy. We bought it as a spare, and the height didn't seem to bother us (I'm 5' 9" and he's over 6').

But now I'm wondering, if I have a Jog Stroller in the apartment, and keep the City Savvy in the car at 11 lbs, do I still need the Techno? Or if I have the Techno, is it safe to gate check it and skip the Savvy altogether?

Once I got to Florida with my faithful Snug Ride and Kolcraft Universal, I saw an awful lot of Maclarens hanging out at the hotel pools. Can I presume from this that they travel well and double as a travel stroller, or do I still want the Savvy as insurance?

My stroller needs are to walk around the neighborhood and the green grocer, walk to the community swimming pool, occasional trips to the mall or supermarket, and car / walking trips into the city. So far my daughter has been on three airplane vacations at 4 months old, so that should tell you something about the travel needs.

The City Savvy does boast a full recline on the side of the box.

I'd love to hear comments on the 2 vs 3 stroller debate.

Ok first off the BRU guy has no clue what he's talking about because the 05' P3's come with a universal carseat adapter so the Snugride would fit. I am a little bit biased here because I LOVE my P3. I think its perfect for all ages. It has a great recline so its good for little babies. My 22 mth old loves being in the P3 and my 4 yr old loves riding on the back step. A couple of yrs ago I bought a Combi Savvy DX and totally hated it. I could never get use to that flexible feel. I prefer a stroller with a more sturdy feel to it.

Melissa

[babystuffbuff]

>DH wandered off to the stroller dept on his own (he too would love to see a carbon fiber car seat and is amazed by the pack n play)

LOL!!! Mine, too! He saw the Pack N Play and he was like "What is THAT?" And he was totally drawn in by the City Savvy. They're really all hard-wired the same, our boys. :) However, as willing as he was to play once we got inside, my hubby had to be dragged, grumbling all the way, into the store. :P

I'm so glad to hear that the height on the CS didn't bother you! I'm only 5'4", but DH is 6'1"! I'm happy to hear that it's on okay stroller for taller people.

I'm sorry to hear about all your stroller troubles! We are hoping (fingers crossed) that the CS will be able to be our only stroller. According to the BRU people (who sometimes offer questionable information), the CS can fit, folded, into the overhead bin of an airplane. I have also heard, from the people on these boards, that under no circumstances will the airline let you take a stroller on board. Of the two, I would be much more likely to trust the people here than at BRU, but if you can/are allowed to stick the CS in an overhead bin, that would be a big plus for you, I think! No worries about damage by baggage handlers who have probably NO idea how much we pay for these strollers!

As far as if you need the Techno, I'm not sure. I think that the CS is a great travel stroller, in theory; it even has a carry strap so you can put it over your shoulder! I think that the CS should be fine for your needs, but I have not owned one so I can't say for sure. :) If you haven't bought the Techno, I would encourage you to try out life with the CS first (and definitely tell me about it, lol). It is my hope and prayer that we won't need anything besides the City Savvy (plus Britax Companion and Kolcraft Universal carrier for the early months) but I would like to hear about someone who used that particular Combi in real life (I have heard about the other models, but not this particular one).

Hope you found some help somewhere in my ramblings!

OK... So finally took this out for a road test and thought I'd post my opinion for all to see.

Had a 10 day trip to California from New York, roaming from San Diego to San Francisco. Decided to bring the infant carrier one last time for our convenience, and use the City Savvy as our stroller.

1. We were able to place the SnugRide on the seat of the City Savvy. Between the sides of the stroller and the napper bar, the car seat was very snug. While I certainly wouldn't recommend this as a travel system, it was adequate to get us from the curb to the gate at the airport. Similarly, we could get from the car to the hotel room if we were napping. I used this forward facing with my DD turning 5 months.

2. We were pleased overall with the value for the dollar.

3. We were fine with the height of the handles. I am 5' 9" and my husband is 6' 1". We walked several miles every evening along the beach without any discomfort.

4 There is no suspension. While this stroller was great along the smooth beach pavement in California, it was a bit bumpy in my NY Metro area neighborhood, where ice and snow can make the sidewalks pop up and crack.

5. The recline mechanism is a bit hard to use compared to more expensive strollers. Recline is controlled by a drawstring. While DD was happy napping in it, upon waking, she'd want to sit up, I'd instinctively go to the front of the stroller to pull her up, and need to reach around back and pull with the strings to tighten it. Compared to the yet unused Maclaren in my living room, it is a bit cheesy and awkward (but 1/3 the price ;-) ).

6. The straps are hard to tighten or loosen in general. They are canvas, not nylon, so they don't flow smoothly. I never did get them snug enough for my 27" baby, and there were times her arms were out of the harness all on her own, which is a bit unsafe.

Also, the shoulder strap clips to the waist harness kind of like a dog leash. This piece is plastic, and I found that this could unclip just by my pulling the shoulder straps to the side. It happened to me about 1x - 2x per day!

7. Folding was a breeze. It was so lightweight compared to the baby!

8. It comes with a travel bag, but the flight attendant cautioned strongly against using it, and stated that the baggage handlers will likely send it to the carousel if used. I pointed out that it had a clear panel, and she said it didn't matter, and I'd be better off not using it. So this confirms what others have said on this post.

9. Sun visor is a bit inadequate for more than part time travel use. So while it was good enough for the trip, I wouldn't use it all summer without buying a better shade for protection.

10. The basket was a bit hard to get to. I like to keep the Baby Bjorn in it for when DD gets bored, so once that was stuffed in, there was no room for anything else. (I actually lost stuff that I tried to put in on top).

So overall, we were really happy with the value, but I would recommend something a bit more upgraded for use as a single stroller. While DD didn't complain, I'd want suspension if it were to really be a 'City' stroller and not a mall stroller, and I'd want to spend up for the one hand recline, better straps, and better shade. But it certainly did the job over a non reclining umbrella stroller, and is good enough that we haven't been compelled to rip open the Mac box now that we are home.

Sorry so long, but hopefully this does a good job of reviewing this before running out to BRU.

Meredith and Ella