Baby Jogger City Select Double Review

From its humble beginnings in 1984, Baby Jogger began with two fathers' goal of jogging with their babies. With no jogging products on the market, the dads created the first stroller designed to jog with. The company offers multiple strollers for activities other than jogging, and in 2015, it was purchased by the Newell Rubbermaid company.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

The City Select is easier to use than the average option in this review. Ease of use affects your daily stroller experience, making it an important metric.

Fold and Unfold

Folding requires the removal of the rear seat, which leaves you carrying two parts, a diaper bag and little ones. Folding is difficult, requiring two hands, five steps, a manual lock, and no self-stand. You must recline the remaining seat and bend to the ground to fold and engage the lock (which hurt testers' fingers). It requires lifting the product off the ground to fold, and the release on our stroller was sticky. Because it is heavy, we had trouble lifting the sides to fold, and it felt awkward getting it to fold over. Unfolding the stroller is even worse. You'll once again be bending to release the hard-to-use lock and to lift the sides.

Brakes

The Select has a hand-operated parking brake, unlike the slowing brake on some jogging strollers. It is a single-action brake that sits on the right side of the frame. It is easy to use, but it can pinch your hand when you release it. We didn't experience this, but it might take repeated use before the paranoia goes away. This brake requires dexterity and finger strength.

Storage

The Select is one of the few inline double strollers that doesn't stick the second passenger in the storage bin, and for that, we thank it. The bin remains accessible no matter how many seats you use or their configuration. The basket is large with a 15 lb weight allowance, and we fit our extra-large diaper bag inside. It has easy access from the back, sides, and top, and the back unzips for larger or awkward-shaped items. The shape of the frame and basket make it hard to fit as much inside as the larger bins on some competitors.

This stroller also has mesh pockets with elastic tops on the back of each standard seat. Each pocket can hold about a pound. The pockets can carry water bottles, bottles, or sippy cups.

Sunshade

The canopies on both seats are the same. Each can be adjusted for height and how far it rotates forward, and they have vinyl and mesh peek-a-boo windows with magnetic closures. The canopies are medium in size and have pop-out visors on the front. The canopies have ventilation and are UV 50+. The peek-a-boo window on each is virtually impossible to see through with the mesh, and we aren't sure what the point of the mesh is since the window is vinyl.

The photos above show a standard seating configuration with canopies closed and open and seatbacks upright and reclined.

Harness

The seats have a 5-point harness and the same buckle and height adjustment. The harness is effortless to put on, slightly harder to take off, and okay to adjust. The shoulder strap height range has three positions with an adjustable crotch strap with one location. The rethread system requires putting one hand down the back of the zippered access panel on the seat, which could be challenging for those with larger hands. The buckle is easy to use, but the components don't "spring" out when you press the button; you'll need to remove each strap.

Seat

Unlike some of the competition, this stroller has stadium seats instead of the second seat under the main seat inside the storage bin. This design retains the use of the storage bin and gives a similar experience to both passengers. The seats easily click into place with side adapters and can be moved quickly. Both have adjustable leg rests and recline features with the same adjustability.

The foot and leg rest adjusts in length and angle. They are not padded, but the seat fabric rolls over the edge for comfort. The rests are wide with durable fabric that looks like it will wear well and be easy to clean.

Both seats offer a one-handed recline operation that is simple and easy to use. The seats recline to almost the same angle, but the angle is limited when both seats face forward as the front seat collides with the rear seat when reclined too far.

Car Seat Compatibility

This stroller can work with two infant car seats, including some from our best infant car seat review. These include brands like Baby Jogger, Britax, BOB, Chicco, Cybex, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, and Peg Perego. We tested the City Select with the Britax B-Safe 35, Chicco Keyfit 30, Graco Click Connect 35, Graco Click Connect 40, and the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35. The Britax and Graco adapters do not require assembly, but the adapter for the Chicco and Maxi has five parts. All of the seats require the removal of the toddler seats. All of the seats click in fairly easily, but the Chicco is marginally better. The Chicco and Peg feel more secure than the rest.

Ease of Setup

The Select is easy to set up compared to much of the competition in this review.

Maneuverability

The Select is slightly better than average for the ease of pushing and turning. Maneuvering a big stroller can be a key factor in enjoying a stroller or wanting to dump it in the nearest dumpster.

While the Select is not difficult to push, the longer length makes it harder to control and turn. It also means you need to plan your next move in advance. It doesn't stop or turn on a dime, but it is more manageable than some tandem strollers with plastic wheels. It rolls surprisingly well over most surfaces, performing reasonably well on grass and gravel. Pushing gets harder the more weight it contains, so pushing babies will be easier than toddlers pushing the weight capacity of the seats. Side-by-side strollers like the BOB Revolution Flex 3.0 Duallie offer a three-wheel design that is significantly easier to push and turn.

The longer handle helps it maneuver up and down curbs, but the heavy front weight makes the process a little out of control.

Weight and Folded Size

The Select is one of the heaviest strollers in this review at 37.8 lbs, but it manages to fold relatively small at 16,084 cubic inches. The Select is heavy, but its smaller size makes it easier to lift and fit into standard-sized trunks. However, it is unlikely that many parents will want to lift and carry this stroller folded for any real distance.

Quality

The Select scored higher than average for quality, proving that Baby Jogger can run with the big dogs when it comes to quality.

The fabric is similar to options but isn't as soft to touch. While it is thick and feels durable, it also feels like it will chafe delicate skin. The padding on the seats isn't as substantial as that on the similarly styled competition. The sunshade and the seats are the same canvas, which is too heavy for the shade and looks frumpy. The fabric is softer and more breathable than other Baby Joggers but arguably not as easy to clean. The basket has a bottom of durable canvas with stretchy mesh sides.

The frame on the Select feels sturdy and durable, but the overall look of the fabric on the frame is lacking. The Select doesn't look as complete and polished in the fit and finish department as the competition.

The handlebar adjusts with the telescoping method we prefer. Unfortunately, the height range is only about 2 inches making the adjustability almost useless considering the competition ranges up to 8 inches. The bar itself doesn't feel great and has a rubber material cover with grooves that run the length of the bar, with a plastic part in the middle for height adjustment. The handle is narrow, making it uncomfortable to use.

The Select has 8-inch plastic front wheels and 12-inch rubber foam-filled tires on the back. It only has suspension on the front wheels, and the seat jiggles significantly when strolling. So while we feel the larger tires and front suspension might help smooth the ride, we think it would be better with four-wheel suspension and no plastic tires.

Twins

The Select accepts two infant car seats making it attractive to parents of twins. It accepts different brands and works in a variety of seating configurations. Both standard seats are the same with similar features and functionality. We suspect that twins or siblings will be able to avoid a fight on who gets to sit where. It is one of the few options that accept two car seats without requiring a specific brand.

Should You Buy the City Select?

We aren't big fans of this popular stroller, given the lower performance test results and the heavier weight. Despite having better-designed features than other in-line strollers, it lacks truly good ease of use and maneuverability compared to competitors. We expect more, given the higher price, and we think most families will too.

What Other Double Stroller Should You Consider?

If you are looking for an inline stroller, the UPPAbaby Vista v2 Double is the best of the best. This stroller works with two infant car seats, and the toddler seating is virtually identical to avoid sibling fights over who sits where. It is also easier to push and turn than the Select, and the 30 lbs storage can't be beaten. If the Vista is out of your price range, but you still desire an inline, the Evenflo Pivot Xpand Double is a very budget-friendly choice with similar features and functionality to the Select for about half the price. While it still lacks higher performance scores (though the ease of use and maneuverability is better than the Select), it feels more acceptable given the reasonable price tag, and we think it will meet the needs of most families and save them money over the Select which is a win-win in our book.

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