Bee Fold Issues?

[DCmommy]

I had pretty much decided to get the new 2010 Bee as my "in and out of the trunk stroller" because I really wanted something smaller and lighter than my Vista that could fold with the seat rear-facing. I finally got to play with one IRL today and the sales guy and I both had a REALLY hard time getting it to fold rearfacing. The seat back has to come all the way forward to be able to fold, but it kept getting stuck about 3/4 of the way there. It seemed to catch on something on one side of the seat, and it took a good several minutes to finally get it to budge -- not just once, but pretty much every time. I've watched Magic Bean's video of the new fold and it looked pretty smooth and easy, but it was anything but when I actually tried it today. I obviously don't want to be standing next to my trunk for ten minutes trying to fold the stroller every time I take it out, so now I'm concerned. I don't really want to pay over $600 for a stroller that's a PITA to fold, though I love everything else about it -- the adjustable height handles, the large basket, nice canopy, great manueverability and option to go rearfacing.

What's your experience with the Bee Fold? I know they have a reputation for being "sticky" at first, but how long does it generally take for them to loosen up? Are they ALL generally so sticky out of the box that it can take five minutes to coax them into folding? Or was there something wrong with the floor model I saw? The sales guy admitted that he had not yet had a demo on the stroller and so he was also new to the fold, but if the stroller guy had trouble with it I'm a little intimidated as to what the learning curve would be for me!

TIA!

Megan

[ehf]

My salesperson at Magic Beans had the same problem and even claimed that it couldn't be folded all the way with the seat reversed!

I figured it out accidentally when I was trying to turn the seat around the weekend I bought it. There's a trick to lifting the seat-part of the seat before folding the back. Mine has been "sticky" twice, and I've had the stroller since it came out--using it almost every day. I don't know if I was doing something wrong those two times or what.

I wish I could be more helpful. I will say that obviously it has worked well for me all but two times. If it becomes a problem, it seems like Bugaboo has very good customer service and will resolve it.

[DCmommy]

UPDATE: I went back to the store again today to play with the Bee and the fold seemed a little better, so I decided to go ahead and get one. I brought it home and assembled it in under 10 minutes and have had NO problems raising the seat to fold it rearfacing at all. It sticks maybe just a tiny bit, but I haven't really had to fiddle with it when folding. Based on how easy it's been, I'm pretty sure that there was something wrong with the floor model I'd seen. So if you're thinking of picking up a 2010 Bee, don't let me previous post deter you :)

[momtoz85]

It does stick a tiny bit but its are really easy fold. I really like how its almost just a one step fold. I love mine, it sets up quickly for shopping trips.

[MamaBear]

I've had mine since April, and it is sticky. I've been hopping that itr just needs to break in, but I thought it would've by now.