Tried out the Bebecar Tracker!

[deborah1]

Hi -- I'm a first time mom-to-be who has been reading this message board for stroller advice for my first stroller purchase. I live in Canada where some of the models and makes mentioned here aren't available or have different names. After reading many posts, I decided to investigate the Bebecar line of strollers as it seemed to have a lot of the features I'm looking for (steerable wheels, large all-terrain tires, high quality construction). I noticed that many people here have been frustrated by the lack of availability of these strollers in the U.S.
Well, in Canada (at least in Toronto) I've seen them -- Raiders -- in many stores. The Tracker arrived just last week and after test driving it, I decided to buy it (over the Bertini Shuttle and Peg Perego Converse Volo -- which I don't think is available in the U.S.)
For those of you who are interested, here is what I thought (please keep in mind that I am a novice at this whole stroller thing):
-First of all, contrary to what the web site states, it is NOT 19 pounds. The man at the store weighed it and came up with 30ish pounds of stroller.
-The steering was great. Better than the Bertini in my opinion.
-The back wheels are wider than the front (allowing it to collapse easily) but this could be a problem in narrow spaces.
-Basket size seemed adequate
-It folds up to a nice flat package that can be stored standing up.
Overall, although I would have preffered a lighter weight, I went with this because it is the only steerable, all-terrain, reversible seat stroller I have found in Canada (you may have more selection in the States). This is my outdoors stroller -- I rarely anticipate ever packing it up in my car to take with me. For that, I intend to my a lightweight stroller -- the Maclaren Quest was recommended to me.
If anyone has any more questions about the Bebecar Tracker, please fire away. And thanks for all the advice on this message board!

[zane]

Deborah, thanks so much for your review. What made you like it more than the Bertini? I am so curious because we have the Bertinis here to try but not the Bebecar. Did it fold more narrowly or was it chicer looking. What made you like it more (besides the stering easier, which is very important) and how much did it cost you (can you convert that to American $$)
TIA
zane

[sbirmantaz]

Hi Deborah, I am seriously considering the Bebecar Tracker and would love to know what store you bought yours from. Do you know if they have a website? I have relatives in Toronto who can hopefully pick one up for me!! Thanks!

[deborah1]

Hi, I got the Tracker at at store called Macklem's in Toronto. It's probably the oldest stroller store in the city and is the place all other stores refer to for repairs. I figured they would be the most knowledgeable -- and they were. They just received their first shipment of Trackers last week and are expecting more in late July/early August. The website is: www.macklems.com
Hope that helps. Good luck!

[sbirmantaz]

Thanks for the info! I just emailed them! When are you due? I am due Sept 26th so I hope to have at least a solid month or two of good walking weather left (I live in Boston). Do you know if Macklem's ships stroller? Thanks again for the info!

[deborah1]

Hi Zane,
It was a hard choice to make, especially since I don't have a baby yet (Aug. 30) and it's hard to know exactly what I'll want in a stroller. In the end, it came down to a couple of things. I loved the push of the Bertini Shuttle (and the price which was about $100 less than the Bebecar), but the seat didn't reverse. After pushing a kind stranger's child around the store in it, I realized I wanted to see my baby's face (at least until it's old enough to want to face the world). If this model had reversed, it would have probably won out.
The other Bertini they had available (was much heavier than the Shuttle,looked a little more traditional pram style but I don't remember the model - sorry) seemed bulkier when folded, didn't steer as smoothly as the Tracker (IMO) and was about $100 more in price.
I guess it's different for everybody. My husband, for instance, didn't really like the feel of any steerable wheels and was favored the Perego Converse Volo. I won out in the end since we decided that it would probably be me who is going to be doing the majority of strolling (and I don't want to be doing pop-a-wheelies everywhere I go).
The price of the Bebecar was $489 (Canadian) which I would say roughly equals about $305 U.S. dollars.
Hope that helps.

[rachelfran]

hi
how exciting... i thought this was my dream line of stroller until you said it weight 30 lbs... you know they have several strollers that look almost the same but they don't have the reversible seat and they do weigh 31 lbs - this one is supposed to be 19 - I can't understand how they could make such a huge mistake.. That's a deal breaker for me so i wish someone could explain that -

What color did you get? did you get any of the accessories? carry cot or bag?

TIA

[starfish1995]

Deborah,

Thank you for posting about the Bebecar Tracker Urban. I am the one who originally posted about this stroller a week or so ago, it looked great on the website but I have none to see in person so thatnks again for your review. I am wondering if you would be kind enough to post some measurements on the stroller since I have a 5 month old and a 4 year old and ideally I would like to be able to put either child in it and need to make sure it would fit my 4 year old. here is what I am looking for:

Length of backrest
Distance from seat to top of the inside of the hood when the hood is fully extended
Seat depth (not including the legrest)
Legrest depth (I am assuming there is an extendable legrest)
Seat width
Distance from seat (where knees bend, with legrest down) to footrest (where heels sit)
Handle height

Thank you sio much for your extra trouble. I am very interested in this stroller but need some measurements before purchasing it sight unseen.

Beth
Distance from seat to footrest

[anj7]

That's the stroller we want as well. We are in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We haven't seen it in person, but the salesperson was telling us it would be out soon (we are going back today to se if it is in yet). the thing that has sold us on it, is the reversible carriage.

For the price that you paid, did you also get the car seat (we were told that it comes with a car seat)? I am not sure if the saleperson was just trying to lure us in by saying that it came with a carseat. She said that the infant seat clicks right into the stroller.

[deborah1]

Hi -- I'm due Aug 30th, so I'm really hoping to get some good use out of the stroller before winter sets in. The nice thing about the Tracker, though, is that with those big single wheels, walking through the snow shouldn't be a problem.
Not sure if Macklem's ships strollers to the U.S. but it's definitely worth a try. The owners are names Bill and Debbie (I think the phone # is on the web site) and they are very helpful.
Good luck!

[deborah1]

Hi, I went in thinking it would be 19 pounds too. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be over ten pounds heavier. Maybe the website means 19 pounds of frame only. Either way, it's quite misleading.
I still decided to get this stroller because I don't imagine lifting it much at all. I'll get a good lightweight stroller for car trips.
The Tracker came in brown, navy/red, and pewter/black. I went for the pewter/black color and the only accessory I purchased was the Bebecar rain cover.
So have you eliminated the Tracker? Which stroller are you thinking of getting now?

[deborah1]

Hi Beth,
Sorry but I can't help you with these measurements. I've bought the Tracker, but won't take delivery of it until mid-August (since we are moving to a new house between now and then).
Maybe if you called the store where I bought it, they might be able to help you out. The store is called Macklem's and the number is (416) 531-7188. Alternatively, you could e-mail them at their web site (address was posted earlier in this thread).
Sorry I couldn't be of more help with this.

[deborah1]

A car seat wasn't offered to us, nor was it even mentioned. Even if it was, we wouldn't have gotten it. We only plan on using this stroller for long walks around our neighborhood, nearby parks and shopping.
Looks like a great stroller and I can't wait to take my baby out in it! I agree, the reversible seat was a huge plus for me as well.

[eekwan]

Hi Deborah,

Congrats on getting the Tracker Urban! I was able to test the Bebecar Raider A/T this past weekend and found that the steering was atrocious when attempting to maneuver the stroller backwards. Did you find this to be a problem with the Tracker Urban as well? I wonder if Bebecar changed the design of the steering for the Tracker so they wouldn't have that problem?

Also, do you recall if the Tracker had adjustable handle?

Thanks for all your input!!

Ernie

[deborah1]

Hi Ernie,
I did find that steering backwards was difficult, until the sales person suggested that I lock the wheels when backing up. That, to me, made all the difference. Being a first time mom-to-be (and therefore not an experienced stroller) I have to wonder how many times I'll need to be backing up anyway. Maybe I'm in for a shock -- LOL!
By the way, I found backing up the Bertini challenging as well without locking the wheels.
As far as the handle goes, yes -- it is adjustable on the Tracker (as opposed to the Raider A/T).
Hope that helps. Good luck with your decision!

[eekwan]

Hi Deborah,

Thanks for the response, I can see how locking the wheels will work. One post mentioned that the seat on the tracker is smaller than the seat on on the Raider A/T...did you notice that as well?

Ernie

[zane]

Ernie, FYI, I went to USABABY the next day, and tried out the Raider again. The steering was awful, much worse than i remembered. I asked the salesman, who said he thought someone had bent the frame coz it was not working correctly. We opened/closed it a few times and Voila! it steered a full steer again, so I don't know if it was acting up when you were there ( or if you jammed it while playing with it,lol) but that might have been going on when you tried it out. Also, i never tried to pull it backwards, so i don't know much in that case.
zane

[eekwan]

Hey Zane,

Maybe I was the one that bent the frame! But I did have trouble with the steering at first. It seems that I'm the only one making a big deal about the reverse steering, maybe I should just let this one go?!

Are you leaning toward any one particular stroller? Did you see my reply to your post last Sunday?

Ernie

[hipmaman]

Hi ladies,

I don't know the Bebecar line, so I can't comment on it. But I only want to comment on Macklems and reverse steering.

Macklem is great. They have the most exclusive collections in the baby gear business. You probably seen the brands they carry on their website. They are also service centre for most of these brands. I get great information from them all the time. It's also a family-owned business, passed down a few generations. They are quite knowledgable about their gear.

The other issue is reverse steering... I tried the Bertini Classic with steerable wheels and found the reverse steering terrible. Britchick suggested locking the wheels to do so. But I just found it bothersome to lock the wheels and then reverse. So, you ladies are not alone for feeling bothered with the reverse steering.

Hope that helps. Btw, I love my fixed-wheel strollers with all-terrain tyres. Better and smoother ride.

[uccomama]

Tam

I couldn't agree with you more about the reverse steering. It seems it would be a PITB to have lock the front wheels everytime you need to back up.

Personally, I would go for a fixed wheel A/T stroller. Then I don't have any issues with fixed wheels and love my Emma EC Sport!

Deborah

[deborah1]

Hi Ernie,
No I didn't notice that -- they both looked the same to me. If you look up the dimensions on the Bebecar or Kidcoinc websites I think they mention that the folding dimensions are the exact same. If there is a difference, I just didn't notice.

[zane]

Oh, you girls!! I would prefer to struggle a tiny bit on the rare occassions when i am backing up, then have to try to move that fixed wheel strollerback n forth and back n forth to get it to go where i want it to.
I know that the fixed Emmas and i think the Kingston(?) are soooo cool looking, but i am amazed that anyone can manage, i find it almost impossible!!!
JMO
zane