Baby Jogger City Select 2 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, the Newell Rubbermaid company purchased it.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

The Select earns an ease-of-use score just below the average. It is one of those performances that seems good until you compare it to the competition and realize how amazing some strollers are. Baby Jogger had an opportunity to work out the kinks of previous versions, and we don't see much improvement here.

Fold and Unfold

To initiate the fold, the rear seat needs to have the leg rest twisted all the way back and at its shortest setting. Otherwise, it can't turn down past the front seat. This is a hassle step and one not typically shown in video descriptions since it is already in the best position for folding. The stroller folds in half using marked knobs on either side; our tester felt it was challenging for those with shorter arms. Lifting the entire stroller slightly makes it easier to get the fold to happen. Once folded, it automatically locks, but if the front wheels aren't in the correct position, it won't self-stand.

Unfolding is easier and can be done with one hand after unlocking the auto-lock. We had to use our legs to pry apart the taco'ed stroller as it doesn't pop open very well without assistance. It also feels heavy compared to competitors, making a parent more tired over time depending on how often you need to open and close the stroller each outing.

Storage

The Select has a relatively large storage bin under the seats with a maximum capacity of 15 lbs. The back of the storage bin has zippers on each side to provide slightly better access to the bin for more oversized items. The zippers aren't the easiest to use, and our knuckles rubbed on the frame. The idea that you'll need to utilize them every time you want to get something from the bin is annoying.

A crossbar over the storage bin somewhat prohibits bigger items from being easily placed in the bin. The basket would be far easier to use if this bar weren't there. The rear passenger also can impede the use of the bin, depending on their position, as the legs of the seat descend into the basket area.

The seats also have mesh pockets on the back and have a maximum weight capacity of 4 lbs each. We suspect that anything of significant weight will cause stretching of the pocket over time.

Harness

The harnesses on the Select are 5-point harnesses that require rethreading for height adjustment. The harness straps nest together before you can put them in the buckle, which could be challenging when you have a crying or wiggly child. The belly bar on the seats is pretty close to the child, making using the harness and making adjustments more difficult. It almost feels like there isn't enough room between the child and the belly bar to fit your hand. Tightening the straps is a push toward the back of the seat and is less convenient than those that pull toward the parent to tighten. The buckle is easy enough to release, but again, the nesting of the shoulder and hip straps before you put them in the buckle is more complex than it is on competitors.

Brakes

The Select has single-action brakes with a large pedal in the center of the back of the stroller.

The pedal is easy to access, set, and release with no safety concerns. Setting the brake is a press of the pedal while releasing using the top of the foot. This process is easy and does not hurt like some competitors.

Maneuverability

The Select is a challenge to maneuver about with lower performance scores than much of the competition. This is in large part due to the longer length this inline offers. It makes the whole package feel heavy and cumbersome, with no ability to make tight turns or get out of the way of anything. All maneuvers take planning ahead and often some jostling of the stroller to get where you want to go, even on flat surfaces.

You can push this stroller with one hand, but we don't think you can turn it or would want to move very far this way. This stroller put a lot of strain on our tester's hands, and she was happy to be done with it. It is only more challenging if you move off-road to grass or gravel. When you start out, it requires extra initial force and is a workout on the wrist with a curved handlebar that doesn't feel very ergonomic. The handlebar is thin and not round and lacks any kind of wrap we enjoyed on some of the competition. Given the challenging maneuverability, it did turn pretty well on grass, but overall, we suspect parents will avoid taking it off flat surfaces.

Transporting and Storing

While the Select 2 has a somewhat compact fold when used as a single-seat stroller, it is significantly larger when folded with the second seat. It's huge! We think you'll need to remove the second seat to fit it inside most vehicles. If you hope to take it on public transportation, it isn't much smaller folded than it is open, and it could be a huge hassle.

Weight and Folded Size

The Select is big and heavy, making it one of the hardest to stow or lift. With a weight of 35.5 lbs, only a few strollers weigh more.

When folded with both seats in place, the Select 2 measures 24,462 cubic inches, making it one of the largest behemoths in the group.

Kid Ride

The seats themselves are comfy enough, with multiple adjustment points. Still, the proximity of one seat to another makes most adjustments useless and impossible when transporting two kids in toddler seats.

Seat

The two kids' seats on the Select are frames with adjustable leg rests. They are lightly padded sling-style seats that recline and can be attached to the frame in various configurations. While the seats themselves are ok for comfort, they are too close together and cannot recline very far without conflicting or hitting the second seat. The recline adjustment is hard to get to, with the mesh layer from the canopy getting in the way.

No matter how you try to arrange these seats, one passenger can hassle the other, and neither can recline very far or have their leg adjustments (length or angle) moved much. It is not ideal for super comfy napping. While you could put your younger/smaller child in the back seat since it has less space, they will have limited legroom as they age.

Sunshade

The sunshades pop open easily and are UV 50+. They have nice peek-a-boo mesh windows with magnet closure covers. They cover to about the knee and are on the thicker side for weather protection.

Quality

The City Select 2 earns its top score in any metric for quality with an above-average performance compared to the competition. The overall fit and finish are better than some of the competition, with no weld points, some internal Allen and Phillips head screws, and rivets. Surprisingly, a product this long did not have significant flex to the frame.

The fabric on the seats and canopy feels sturdy and easy to clean. They fit the frame and other parts well, and the canopy can be pulled taunt without looking rumpled. The fabric connects via buttons which we prefer over Velcro. The magnets are nice and offer secure closure with a silent mechanism.

The toddler seats have foam for a comfy ride, and the shoulder straps have comfort padding not found in all of the competition. There is more durable material at the footrest that feels like it is better for dirty feet.

The front and back wheels are plastic, and we didn't experience any wobble during testing. The front wheels are smaller than the back by about 4 inches.

Car Seat Compatibility

The Baby Jogger works with two infant car seats. With the purchase of click-in adapters, the stroller is compatible with seats from Baby Jogger, Graco, Britax, Chicco, Nuna, and UPPAbaby.

Ease of Setup

The manual for the Bbay Jogger setup was average, and it took us about 20 minutes to complete the process.

We struggled with putting the Select together and ended up putting the lap bar on the wrong side, requiring a do-over. It took almost half the time to fix this error. So, we suspect most folks will experience as setup time half of ours.

Twins

The Select accepts two infant car seats simultaneously, making it a viable option for parents of infant twins. Parents have a variety of infant car seats to choose from. The main seats also recline pretty far back, allowing 6-month-old babies to nap and lay flat. The main drawback to this stroller is the already mentioned close seating positions that put one child right behind the other at a distance that could allow for kicking or pestering. The proximity also limits the reclining of either seat, which could cause problems between bored or squabbling siblings. So, while it will work for twins in car seats and later in the standard seat, we have suspicions that frustrations will occur as children get older and interact.

Should You Buy the City Select 2?

Despite the well-known name and our appreciation for other models from Baby Jogger, we've never been big fans of the Select, and this version is no different. This inline stroller is harder to maneuver and requires a thoughtful approach to turn, and more room is required to turn. It also has some seating configuration problems that limit recline and comfort of both passengers. Last, the fold is ridiculously bulky, and we couldn't get it in our test trunk without removing the second seat. Overall, we think there are better options in our lineup, both inline and side-by-side options, that offer more.

What Other Double Stroller Should You Consider?

If you desire an inline stroller to fit in narrow spaces, we prefer the UPPAbaby Vista V2 Double. This high-quality stroller has seat extenders that spread the front and back seats out to avoid conflict and increase comfort. The UPPAbaby also offers bassinets and is compatible with two infant car seats from various manufacturers. The Vista has the largest storage bin with a capacity of up to 30 lbs, and overall the stroller is much easier to push and turn. No matter what you're looking for in a double stroller, the Vista has it in spades over the Select and would be the inline we recommend to a friend.

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