Bumbleride is a household name in the US. Its pushchairs are seen on every street corner and, quite frankly, it is easy to see why.
Quick Summary: We have really enjoyed using the Bumbleride Era and perhaps the most notable point to take away from this review is that the Era fitted into our family like a glove. Not once did we have to alter our plans or routines to accommodate features of the pushchair and all the while it served us well, no matter what the situation.
Whats good?
- Easy to use
- roomy seat
- Great wheels
- Large basket
- Real workhorse
- Smart appearance
Whats not so good?
- Occasionally difficult to bump up kerbs when seat lying flat and parent-facing
Verdict
Bumbleride is a household name in the US. Its pushchairs are seen on every street corner and, quite frankly, it is easy to see why.
You might live a suburban lifestyle but enjoy off-road ramblings in your spare time and the Bumbleride Era can handle both of these situations perfectly. Ideal for families not wanting to have to buy separate pushchairs for different situations, the Bumbleride Era pushes over rough terrain like an Out‘n’About Nipper 360 but performs in the city like a Baby Jogger Versa.
The really neat ‘flat’ nature of the fold means it can easily be transported in car boots, and the fact that there is no need to purchase any additional accessories such as carrycots and rain covers is nice and easy on the pockets of parents too.
From wheels to the handlebar, the quality build of the Bumbleride Era means you are buying a trusty workhorse that will serve you and your family right through your children’s early years.
We have enjoyed using the Bumbleride Era and perhaps the most notable point to take away from this review is that the Era fitted into our family like a glove. Not once did we have to alter our plans or routines to accommodate the features of the pushchair and all the while it served us well, no matter what the situation.
Chassis
The Bumbleride Era is advertised as the brand’s new ‘city’ stroller but in all honesty, we would define it as a ‘Jack of all trades’. It has quite simply performed brilliantly on both off-road adventures and town-centre shopping trips.
First things first, we love the look and feel of the Bumbleride Era. It is simple and classic in its appearance. No fancy frills that detract from the fact this pushchair is built to work but just enough detailing to show the quality finish of the product.
Starting from the bottom up, the wheels are fantastic. Four air-filled tyres coupled with the fabulous four-wheel suspension give the feeling of walking on air. The lightness of the push is a brilliant feature for those parents wanting to use the pushchair up to its impressive 25kg weight limit. Even with a 4-year-old in the seat, we felt the push was completely effortless.
The wheels can handle any situation with utmost ease. Tight city corners and kerbs were no issue at all and for rockier paths we simply locked the front wheels and our passenger had the most comfortable of rides over any footing.
The basket is large and deep and was always packed with a variety of belongings from our family of five! Backpacks, coats and water bottles were all packed in there and we never once struggled for storage space. The useful zip compartment at the back of the basket is great for securing valuables but we also kept the included tyre pump in there, so that it was always on hand if needed.
The chassis we are testing is silver. It has a robust but classy appearance and has seemed to wear well with the constant lifting in and out of the car boot that we have put the pushchair through.
The handle is, in our opinion, pretty special. If somebody had told me I would be loving a pushchair with a cork handlebar I would never have believed them, but in reality, it is FABULOUS for a few reasons! The first is that the natural cork is eco-friendly and, especially as we introduce the new generation, we all feel a need to love Mother Nature and do our bit for the environment, don’t we? The second is that it feels absolutely lovely in the palm of your hand – the cork is tightly compressed and smooth to the touch.
Seat
Moving onto the seat of the pushchair, again we have not been disappointed. The huge 25kg weight limit is accommodated by a wonderfully roomy seat.
From birth, the seat reclines to a flat position and the deep sides make the space cosy and protected for a newborn. The clever seat fabrics can also be clipped together to make the seat just the right size for your newborn so that your tiny bundle doesn’t slip down the pushchair and is always kept safely at the top of the sleeping area.
The seat can be altered to any recline position from upright to lie-flat because it is operated by a strap recline system. Many people prefer a one-handed recline lever but the strap system was simple and easy to operate.
The seat fabrics are great quality and are crowned with a sun canopy with two panels that extend over the baby to keep them sheltered from all weather. There is then a pull-out visor at the front of the hood that gives another few inches of coverage. The viewing window at the top of the hood is silent when opening and closing, which was great when we wanted to peep in on baby without disturbing them.
The spacious seat has an adjustable leg rest that allowed older children to support their legs too, which is lovely to see.
Changing the direction of the seat as baby grows is also a great feature of the Bumbleride Era. Most all-terrain pushchairs are fixed in position forward-facing but the option to parent-face whilst out on off-road walks is a big advantage. To flip the seat around just press the buttons on each side of the seat and clip it back onto the frame in the other direction.
The only small point to note was that when our 2.5-year-old toddler was lying fully reclined in the pushchair seat whilst it was parent-facing, we did feel a strain on the handlebar when going up steps and kerbs purely because of the weight distribution in the seat. When she was sleeping fully reclined in the world-facing position this was a whole different story – we couldn’t even feel her weight going up and down kerbs.
Fold
The all-in-one fold of the Bumbleride Era was also a great hit with our family. We loved how we could flip the seat forward and collapse the frame without having to remove any components.
When first learning how to flip the seat forward, you need to figure out the most comfortable place for you to stand to enable you to gently flip the grey levers on each side of the seat but once you have found the position that works for you, the rest is straightforward.
The main reason we love the fold is that it folded so flat that we could pop it at the bottom of the boot space and it felt like it took up very little room overall. There was no element of bulk to the folded pushchair at all.
