iCandy are the epitome of style and substance in the Pushchair world. British born, designed and engineered; their definitive pushchair collection oozes quality on every level. We take a closer look at the new Peach Blossom.
Quick Summary: It really is hard not to be in awe of the exceedingly fine attention to detail on the Peach Blossom. Every zip, popper, clasp, hinge, joint and rivet really is truly perfect. It's clear iCandy have high expectations of themselves and the ability of the Peach Blossom to not only serve its family for the purpose of functionality, but also to look effortlessly stylish whilst it does so.
Whats good?
- British quality
- Compact fold
- Super stylish
Whats not so good?
- Two-handed recline
- Static bumper bar
British born, designed and engineered, iCandy’s definitive pushchair collection oozes quality on every level and is the epitome of style and substance in the nursery world. Even Her Majesty The Queen agrees and has awarded the company the incredible Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2016.
Configurations
There are so many different ways to set up the Peach Blossom. It can be used with the toddler seats, carrycots or with car seats if the additional car seat adapters are purchased. There are several configurations, all of which are explained in the user manual.
The Peach Blossom can be adapted to your family by mixing and matching the seat units, carrycots and car seats according to your own needs. Car seat and toddler seat, car seat and carrycot, two car seats, two toddler seats, one toddler seat and one carrycot….and the list goes on! The only thing the Peach blossom can’t do, which would have been an added bonus, is have the children facing each other so that they are able to interact with each other.
Chassis
When you say “iCandy” to a modern Mummy, they automatically think of the Peach. There’s no escaping that the iCandy Peach has become an icon in the world of pushchairs, having been the pushchair of choice by too many A-listers to mention. The perfectionists at iCandy won’t stop until everything is spot-on, hence the Peach being now being in its 4th generation. The chassis on the Peach Blossom has an impressively petite footprint. At 60cm wide it shouldn’t ever be an issue for parents that need to whizz on and off public transport and through shops. This tandem double pushchair boasts a cleverly chic frame made of effortlessly light yet reassuringly sturdy aluminium. A feature we were quite impressed with is the fact that the frame is also corrosion resistant making for no unsightly blemishes on this beautiful piece of kit.
We tested the Claret colour-way on the effortlessly elegant matt black chassis. Other options include a space grey chassis and a polish chrome chassis with seat fabric colours such as Royal, Truffle 2, Butterscotch, Olive, Primrose, Bubblegum and Black Magic 2, Peacock and Honeycomb. The Peach looks like a celebrity in its own right with its gorgeous matt black chassis, which may cause you to want to wrap it in cotton wool as you push it about. No doubt it will accumulate a few little knocks and scratches when being put in and out of cars or knocked into the odd door frame; but then again what pushchair wouldn’t.
The wheels on the Peach Blossom emulate the sleek, stylish aura of the rest of the pushchair. The durable black plastic spokes are pleasingly finished with thick, chunky EVA tyres. You’d really have to run some miles to wear these wheels down and there’s no worry of being caught short with a puncture whilst strolling on the trails or in the park. Although the Peach is sleek and stylish, iCandy have made sure it ticks the “all-rounder” box on the parents’ pushchair wish-list due to its all-round suspension. Standing behind the iCandy and holding on to the handle, you get the feeling that there isn’t too much that it won’t be able to handle. The iCandy pushed well on many terrains including cobbles, pavements, tracks, gravel, grass and in the woods. One thing is for sure, the Peach Blossom will take some getting used to in terms of its weight! It definitely feels more weighty when laden with two babies, so curb popping may need to be practised somewhat!
The brake is operated by a simple flick-on and flick-off button in the centre of the back wheels but thanks to the large shopping basket you may need to bob down to check your feet are pressing in the right place especially, if the lower seat is in the recline position. The handlebar on the Peach Blossom is one of the most striking improvements from its predecessor. The handlebar is now covered in luxury feel leatherette giving a soft and comfortable push for parents, and of course adding to the style stakes. The handlebar adjusts with a simple one handed squeeze motion in the centre. It moves from a modest 95cm to an impressive 105cm – a real bonus if quite a few people of different heights may be pushing the Peach Blossom.
The basket on the Peach Blossom has the capability of holding 5kg – which in real parenting terms equates to approximately three carrier bags of shopping, a full change bag, a few pram toys and the odd coat or pair of wellies. A big shopping basket on a tandem pushchair is surely a positive – two pushchair occupants can often mean twice the luggage! The basket is still accessible from the front and back of the pushchair as a tandem, but space is reduced if the child in the rear seat has longer legs that stretch beyond the footrest. However I guess this is to be expected from any space saving tandem double.
Seat
The seat units on the Peach Blossom do not fall short of the high expectations set by iCandy. The fabrics ooze that quality feel and are available in ten gorgeous colour ways. The detail on the seat units and carrycots really is second to none. Every stitch, zip, popper and length of piping is perfect – whilst testing the Peach Blossom, we have come to realise that we should expect nothing less than perfection from this trend setting company. The seat units on the Peach Blossom are able to carry a useful 15kg each. Both the main and lower seats have the same 50cm backrest height however the lower seat (which understandably needs to squeeze into a tighter gap at the bottom of the pushchair) is 2cm slimmer in width than the main seat. This difference didn’t seem noticeable at all when we popped a 19 month old in.
The recline on the Peach Blossom seats is easy to operate by pressing in the central buttons on either side of the seat and tilting to your preferred angle. This definitely requires two hands! Parents with babies needing to fall asleep in the Peach Blossom will have to think carefully about where they put which seat. If the child in front has their seat reclined it can sometimes impose on child number two’s space, depending upon which set up you have chosen.
As with any tandem pushchair, it can be a tight squeeze to get the occupant in the bottom seat in and out of the pushchair, but it really is a case of using a trial and error approach as to what works best for you! The harness on both seats is made from strong quality webbing luxuriously padded by coordinating shoulder and crotch pads. The harnesses are height adjustable and operated with a smooth and simple one-click central button. It’s safe to say the child can travel in comfort with the use of this harness and that parents will find it easy to use.
The bumper bar on the main seat and carrycot are covered in the same gorgeous leatherette covers as the handlebar. Again these bumper bars ooze quality and feel fabulously robust, great for any little person to hold on to. One tiny detail which may pose a niggle to some busy parents in that the bumper bars are not gate opening and the quality buttons to release the bumper bar are stiff to push and need to be pushed simultaneously. This motion is definitely a two-handed affair!
The sun hoods on the Peach Blossom seats are (you guessed it!) fabulous quality. Piped and stitched to perfection in true iCandy style, they provide a good 90° of protection however they are not extendable beyond that. The hood hinges themselves move with an effortlessly smooth motion so sleeping babies can definitely lie and won’t be woken by sharp clanks and clicks of the hood!
Carrycot
The carrycots for Peach Blossom are of the same famous iCandy branded quality as the seat units. They come complete with a scrumptiously soft mattress and have padded sides to make babies ride super snuggly. Access to the carrycot is easy as the carrycot apron is secured by a chunky, firm zip. The bumper bar on the lower carry cot is cleverly angled meaning parents can easily reach in to grab the carrycot off the chassis without twisting their wrists! The lower carrycot is also shaped to a slight point at the feet to help it pop in and out of the pushchair chassis easier.
The rain covers for the Peach Blossom couldn’t be easier to pop on and off. There are separate rain covers for each seat unit or carrycot and they are all included in the lavish glossy box along with your pushchair, so there is no need to purchase them as an added extra. The plastic is strong but pleasingly malleable meaning the rain covers can be stored easily without hogging all of your basket space!
Fold
The clever team at iCandy obviously know that the fold can be a deal maker or breaker for many pushchair buyers and they proudly state that the blossom can be folded one-handed. Folding and reconstructing the Peach Blossom for the first few times will seem like somewhat of a Generation Game challenge, however after a few goes and once you are confident with all of the configurations, it is really easy to manage. The seat units and carry cots can all be removed one handed – even whilst holding a hefty 13 month old, we were quite impressed! You simply click the outer ring of the pushchair hinge/recline mechanism on each side, and the units pop off the chassis. Next you need to pop the elevators off the chassis with a simple one button click, before finally pushing the central button in on the handlebar and making one short sharp downwards movement to fold the chassis all in one go.
So it’s true, the Peach Blossom can be folded one handed, although I’d be tempted to keep the kiddies strapped somewhere safe whilst constructing and deconstructing the pushchair, as the whole process is much more manageable with two hands. When folded the Peach Blossom chassis is no bigger than that of your average single travel system with a footprint of 52 x 70cm, so storage is made much easier, rather than trying to find space for a double width pushchair. Depending on which combinations of seats and carrycots you are using, the Peach blossom folds down reasonably well for a tandem double pushchair. The seats themselves store neatly on top of the frame, fitting the whole package comfortably in your average family hatchback. If you take off the quick release wheels, then you do get a more compact fold and might even find room for some shopping bags too!
Our verdict
It really is hard not to be in awe of the exceedingly fine attention to detail on the Peach Blossom. Every zip, popper, clasp, hinge, joint and rivet really is truly perfect. It’s clear iCandy have high expectations of themselves and the ability of the Peach Blossom to not only serve its family for the purpose of functionality, but also to look effortlessly stylish whilst it does so. You will need to be forgiving of the rigid bumper bar and the two-handed recline system but if you fancy being ranked in the same style stakes as many A-Listers and want your children to cruise in sheer luxury, then the Peach Blossom will do this without a doubt.
