The Ride is Mothercare's compact folding pushchair, designed for parents who love to explore, so let's see what we thought.
Quick Summary: The Ride is in our eyes certainly an occasional use or holiday stroller. The short seat back is not ideal for sleeping and resting toddlers and the recline is very fiddly. On the plus side it does have an excellent fold that is easy to operate, giving a small and very transportable package as the end result. The basket space is great for carrying everyday holiday essentials such as beach bags and towels and the extra compartment to the rear of the basket is really handy too.
Whats good?
- Small fold
- Light
Whats not so good?
- Small hood
- Fiddly recline
Things we love
The party piece of this stroller is without a doubt its fold. It’s easy to operate with just one hand on the handlebar and the auto lock keeps the whole small package together so it can stand alone or be carried. The shoulder carry handle was comfortable and carrying the stroller is as easy as carrying a handbag or changing bag. The basket is great for taking all of your holiday essentials. There is plenty of space between the bottom of the seat and the basket tray so you can easily fit beach bags and towels underneath. Access to the basket is from the front of the pushchair and at the back there is a clever smaller basket compartment, which can hold items that you need to grab more frequently like bottles and wipes. The wheels are small but chunky and manoeuvrable. The brake is also fab. The pedal is large and really easy to flip on and off. We also love how the rain cover is cleverly stored away in a pouch underneath the calf rest of the pushchair.
Things to look out for
Although being light is certainly handy when the stroller isn’t in use, its featherlight weight does make it feel less stable and it is naturally less substantial than a traditional stroller. The hood doesn’t give oodles of coverage from the sun. There is a small pull-out sun visor, which may help taller children, but this is definitely something to bear in mind if you are looking to use the Ride on summer holidays in the sunshine. The other thing to note is the size of the seat. Although it is wide, the seat back is very short, meaning children over about a year in age will not be able to rest their heads back when napping. The recline is also fiddly. The strap recline system has metal stoppers for each of the four recline positions. Getting these metal stoppers level on both sides of the seat is tricky and the overall seat recline is jerky.
Our Verdict
The Ride is in our eyes certainly an occasional use or holiday stroller. The short seat back is not ideal for sleeping and resting toddlers and the recline is very fiddly. On the plus side it does have an excellent fold that is easy to operate, giving a small and very transportable package as the end result. The basket space is great for carrying everyday holiday essentials such as beach bags and towels and the extra compartment to the rear of the basket is really handy too.
