Mountain Buggy
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The rugged trails of New Zealand inspired the founding of Mountain Buggy strollers in 1992, part of a wave of "all-terrain" strollers with air-filled wheels that were born in the 90's. Founder Allan Croad started Mountain Buggy in Whangaparaoa, New Zealand when he saw a picture of a Baby Jogger stroller and thought it should be adapted to New Zealand.
In 1992 Alan Croad was thinking about a child's buggy or pushchair that could go wherever he wanted, when he saw a picture of a buggy in an American magazine. It was a three wheeled buggy that American joggers used to push their children in while they ran.
He recognised it as something close to what he wanted and headed off to the garage to knock together a rough version of what he had seen. He made his first buggy out of a child's car seat and an old golf trundler that had been bought for $5 at a school fair. It worked well enough to encourage him to design a more elaborate version and he had soon begun work on his first proper mountainbuggy.
Mr Croad worked on modifying the American design he had seen to better suit New Zealand conditions; the first thing he did was to install smaller wheels. He says he was pretty sure that if he could make a working model then people would buy it, and besides he still wanted one for himself.[1]
The result was the Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle. Designed for hiking, Mountain Buggy's Urban Jungle tri-wheel design with 12" tires was among the brand's biggest hits.
With increasing sales, Croad sold the company in 2004 to Tritec, a New Zealand manufacturer that also made theater and auditorium seating.
The Mountain Buggy's reputation for ruggedness was underscored in 2005, when surveillance cameras caught the stroller (and its baby passenger) surviving a building collapse in Manhattan. The New York Times recounted the story:
It is impossible to say with certainty that the Mountain Buggy Urban Double Stroller—which costs roughly half the monthly rent of a small Brooklyn apartment—actually saved Abigail Lurensky, 7 months old, as a Manhattan building collapsed around her on Thursday.
But it didn't hurt.
As word spread yesterday of the stroller's role in protecting Abigail, the building collapse added even more cachet to the carriage, the $600-plus Hummer of the Sidewalk S.U.V. set. With their maneuverability and inflatable tires providing a smooth ride over potholes, cobblestones and sandy sidewalks, the Urban Double strollers are popular with the affluent, especially those with beach houses.[2]
In 2009, Mountain Buggy was acquired by fellow kiwi baby gear brand phil & teds. Prior to the sale, Mountain Buggy had filed for bankruptcy amid slumping sales and ballooning debt:
Mountain Buggy's parent, Tritec Manufacturing, "had some significant debts" and suffered from the economic slowdown (in 2008-2009), seeing its sales fall by a third in the past year. In recent years, Mountain Buggy increased prices—that made their flagship Urban stroller nearly $600. That left them vulnerable as demand for high-end strollers has fallen sharply in recent months.
While most strollers are made in China, Mountain Buggy kept production in their native New Zealand. Those higher costs were probably a factor in the bankruptcy.
Mountain Buggy racked up about $11 million (U.S.) in debt over the last few years, modernizing their plant, buying out their European distributor and investing in new marketing/packaging. When sales collapsed last year (an estimated 33% drop in sales) amid a souring economy, the debt service became overwhelming.
Mountain Buggy said they needed to raise prices when the American dollar slumped in recent years, making their New Zealand production more expensive to sell here. But jacking prices was a risky move—when the economy soured, sales tanked.[3]
Mountain Buggy's new owner, phil & teds, kept the company as an independent division, but moved the production to China (where all phil & teds strollers are also made).
In recent years, Mountain Buggy expanded more into travel strollers, with the Nano stroller as the current flagship.
Flagship Stroller: nano
Mountain Buggy's nano stroller (13.23 lbs., see price on Amazon) strays a bit from the company's roots and moves from all-terrain strollers to lightweight travel strollers. The nano has a locking, compact fold plus a carry handle and shoulder strap to help you haul it through the airport. Additional features include:
- Full recline to flat allows use by newborns.
- Parent facing cocoon option for newborns.
- Universal car seat strap and bungees for infant car seats.
- Cover pouch included.
- Adjustable leg rest.
- Locking front swivel wheels.
- Storage basket.
What about cons to using the nano? These include the carry bag, which doesn't cover the wheels, lack of a bumper bar or child's tray, no parent cup holders and a complicated, two-step fold.
Mountain Buggy makes a twin side-by-side version of the nano called the nano duo (20 lbs., see price on Amazon). The Duo comes with independent canopies and individual adjustable foot rests.
Other Mountain Buggy Single Strollers
Mountain Buggy offers two additional single stroller platforms, the cosmopolitan and the terrain.
The Mountain Buggy cosmopolitan (30 lbs., see price on Amazon) is a modular stroller with a reversible seat that converts to a lay flat bassinet. (The stroller can also be used with an infant car seat with the additional purchase of their universal car seat adapter.)
Features of the cosmopolitan include air filled rear tires and no flat, lockable front tires with all wheel suspension, one hand standing fold, hand brake system, adjustable handlebar, bumper bar, adjustable leg rest, gear tray and storage basket, and reversible seat liner. Some versions include the rain cover as well.
The Mountain Buggy terrain (30 lbs., see price on Amazon) is Mountain Buggy's version of a three-wheel jogging stroller. Unique to this jogging stroller is a three position swivel front wheel. You can lock the front wheel in a forward position, a backward position or leave it free to swivel at will. A front wheel tracking device keeps the stroller in position.
The terrain also allows for newborn use as the seat adjusts to lay flat. The wheels are air filled with 16" versions in the back and 12" in the front. Also included is rear wheel suspension, foot and hand brakes, one hand standing fold, adjustable handlebar and foot rest, storage basket and gear tray, reversible liner, two bottle holders and a bumper bar.
Like the cosmopolitan, the terrain can be converted to a travel system with the Mountain Buggy universal adapter. A carrycot/bassinet is also available at an additional cost. The terrain also comes in a second version called the terrain active stroller.
Double Stroller: Duet
Mountain Buggy offers another side-by-side stroller along with the nano duo called the Mountain Buggy duet (32 lbs., see price on Amazon). Based on Mountain Buggy's old Urban Jungle platform, the duet offers seats with full recline for infants, independent canopies, 10" air filled tires and lockable front wheels, one hand standing fold, hand and foot brakes, adjustable handlebar, bumper bar, pull out sun visors, reversible seat insert, water bottle holder, and storage basket.
Safety Recalls
As of this writing, there are no safety recalls for Mountain Buggy strollers.
Is Mountain Buggy a jogging stroller?
The Mountain Buggy terrain is a jogging stroller with a swivel, lockable front wheel. While the terrain can be used from birth (as the seat lays flat for newborns), it is recommended that only infants with good head control (around 6 months of age) should be in a jogging stroller with an adult who is running.
Is Mountain Buggy suitable from birth?
Yes. All the strollers in the line can be used from birth—all of them have lay flat seats.
StrollerWiki is reader-supported. Things you buy through our links may earn us an affiliate commission. StrollerWiki.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and its related sites. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.