Ah, the great double stroller debate...If you have two kids you're bound to face the question of how to transport them. Tandem (front/back) vs. side-by-side? Umbrella vs. full-size? So many questions...The question of a full size stroller vs. double umbrella stroller (a la Maclaren Twin Triumph) could be an entire post on its own. Just like single strollers there is no perfect choice for everyone. Here is a comparison of two of my favorite tandem full-size strollers - the Phil & Ted's Sport and the Baby Jogger City Select.
Background:
I bought the Phil & Ted's Sport Double about a year ago. My building has a very narrow elevator so a side-by-side was out of the question. After reading Sheri's postings from the ABC Kids show last year about the Baby Jogger City Select I was very excited. Two full size tandem seats (or bassinets or carseats), huge storage, patented Quick-Fold technology, and accessories galore (car seat adaptor, buggy board, parent console, adaptors to turn seats into highchairs, etc.). I'll be honest, I've been stalking this stroller since it was announced and as soon as Magic Beans got it in I ordered it.
Let's get the rough data out of the way:
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Here is a summary of the less tangibles:
Storage:
The City Select is the clear winner here. No question. In two-front-facing toddler seat mode, there is an astounding 4,300 cubic inches of storage space in the lower basket which is enough for two medium sized adult back packs. Plus you can hang a Skip Hop Duo Deluxe diaper bag off the support bar under the back seat if you want to increase your storage. The rain covers (1 per seat) are tiny and fit in the pocket behind each seat. The lack of storage space in the P&T Sport has been a big complaint among many parents. At best, there is about 2,000 cubic feet of storage space into which you need to which you first need to fit the rain cover (about 350 cubic inches, tightly rolled) and your child's legs. Yes, there are ways to add to this space - pannier bags, saddle bags, Mommy Hooks, etc. - but in the end every day your child's legs get longer your storage space decreases.
Folding:
The City Select is slightly easier to fold, when you factor in the whole folding process and definitely gets points for being easier on the hands (no more broken nails). To fold the City Select, you need to lift off the front seat, release the adaptors, pull up on the two Quick-Fold buttons and "Voila!" the stroller folds itself. To fold the P&T Sport, you need to first unsnap the canopy, remove any additional storage bags, remove the second seat (with miniscule nail-breaking buttons), twist and press the front release buttons and then lift up. If you are considering either of these for an everyday stroller I would think carefully about how often you are REALLY going to fold this down (once a month, maybe?). If you really are going to be pulling this in and out of the car everyday, neither of these is the probably the stroller for you.
Handling:
The P&T Sport is definitely more nimble. The tri-wheel design, low/rear center of gravity, narrow wheel base and 1.5" wide tires all contribute to making it easy to hop up a curb or steer one-handed. The City Select has distinctly different handling. The rectangular design, high/forward center of gravity, wider wheel base and 2" wide wheels give it a boxier feel and makes it more difficult to push. The handling is best with the heavier load (child or carseat) in the upper position. You won't notice the handling as much on the straight aways, but your arms will feel it if you're on a sidewalk that angles sharply to one side or the other. For a car analogy, the P&T Sport handles like a Honda Civic - it's no ultra-light sports car, but its pretty nimble. The City Select handles like an Escalade - the passenger ride is really comfortable and there's plenty of room for your stuff, but it's a big frame so expect a wider turning radius.
Braking:
The City Select with a Bugaboo-style handbrake is a clear winner. The foot brake of the P&T Sport is virtually impossible to engage (or disengage) when the 2nd seat is on.
Tires:
For peace of mind, the City Select has better tires since the front tires are solid and the back tires are foam-filled (which basically makes them the stroller equivalent of "run flat" tires). The tires on the P&T Sport at air-filled which gives it a cushy ride, but you periodically need to add air and you do run the risk of getting a flat. I have actually gotten a flat in my P&T Sport and although it is easy to have it repaired at your local bike shop, it is a pain to get there (especially if you had two kids in the stroller and you're not close to home). That being said I have other friends who have had their P&T Sport strollers longer and have never run a flat - so this may also be luck of the draw.
Handlebars:
The handlebars are quite different - there are more useful height options for the City Select, but the shape of the P&T Sport handlebar is more comfortable. The City Select has a single center push button that increases the height of the handlebar. It starts at a height similar to the Baby Jogger City Mini handlebar and get taller. The oval shape of the frame - and thus the handlebar - makes this slightly less comfortable for smaller adult hands, but the wipe-clean grip is easy to sanitize. The handlebar on the P&T Sport is round and squishy making it very comfortable to grip. It adjusts by pressing the two buttons on either side of the frame which allows you to select within a limited range of angles. It is a comfortable range for a petite to medium height parent. Medium to tall parents may find them selves hunching over and knocking their shins on the second seat due to the mechanics of how the handlebar works. Since the angle-system means that as the handlebar moves higher it also move towards the front of the stroller and so your knees move closer to the back of the second seat.
Buckles:
The buckle systems are also different. Both strollers feature a 5 point harness system, but in different ways. The City Select has the same buckle system as all the other Baby Jogger strollers, which means 2 buckles/child with a single click to release. The straps can get twisted, but the rotating clips at the top makes them easy to untangle. These clips also make height adjustments easy, but strap adjustments remain a challenge on this stroller (similar to other Baby Jogger models). The P&T Sport has the similar buckle system to all the other P&T strollers, so you will do 4 buckles/child (8 buckles total to buckle/unbuckle). Conversely to the City Select, the length of P&T Sport buckles are very easy to adjust, but the adjustment to change the height of the shoulder straps is painstakingly difficult.
Sunshades:
The City Select has excellent sun protection - hands down the best I've ever found in a double stroller. The canopies fully encompass the top half of the seat, protecting kids from sun at almost every angle. You can also retract the canopy in 1/3s for incrementally less protection. The canopy "windows" are now magnetic and shaded (an improvement over previous Baby Jogger models) which lets you peek in on the tots without waking them up. The P&T Sport doesn't really have a sun canopy on the top seat. Yes, there is something there called a "canopy," but it doesn't provide any protection from the sun or anything else. There is NO sunshade for the second seat. You can buy relatively inexpensive supplemental sunshades from Protect-a-Bub for both seats, but they are cumbersome to attach.
Seating:
Both strollers have distinct benefits to their seating designs. The City Select features individually adjustable footrests which decrease the stress on a child's back from having their feet hanging. The P&T has better leg room, but as discussed this comes at the expense of your storage space. Several of the other parents who have tried the City Select worried about the child in the upper seat kicking the lower seat (which happens), but it also happens with the P&T Sport with the child in the lower seat kicking the child in the upper seat. In both strollers they'll do it for a while, then the novelty will wear off.
Stability:
The City Select is definitely more stable. The wider-base wheel base, four wheel design and the front position of the second seat all make it very, very difficult to tip (either side-to-side or front/back). Weight imbalance (which leads to tipping backwards) is an annoyance with the P&T Sport. To be fair, the instructions are very explicit - the heavier child should always ride in the main/front seat and you should remove the child in the 2nd seat first, but this isn't always practical (for example, what do you do when your 3 year old in the front seat needs to go potty?).
Recline:
Neither stroller offers much in the way of recline in the traditional two-facing-front configuration, but the if you put the City Select in the two-facing-rear configuration you can get close to full recline on both seats. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable driving around with the front child's head that exposed, but it certainly could be nice for a double nap in the park. The P&T Sport does offer a small amount of recline with the second seat, but it only works for a limited time. After about 9 months, the second child will be too tall to take advantage of the recline feature since they will knock their head against the seat frame - more on this in a minute.
Pinches and Dings:
The City Select has fewer inherent kid-proofing issues than the P&T Sport. With the P&T Sport there are two key issues with the second seat - pinches and dings. No matter how vigilant you are, the child in the second seat of the P&T Sport will try to touch the back wheels and will pinch their fingers. It is very easy for even young children to reach around the wheel covers to touch the spinning wheel. It's just too tempting for a curious child. Also, as I mentioned above, after about 9 months you can no longer use the recline feature in the Sport (or and of the P&T models) because the child's head knocks against the bar that runs across the top of the second seat. The bar across the top of the second seat is an issue even in the upright position when you go across rough urban terrain (big curbs, bumpy/rocky spots, cobblestones, uneven grass, etc.). In the City Select both kids are fairly high up off the ground and away from the wheels which eliminates the chances for pinched fingers. With the adjustable canopies and well padded seats there are also fewer opportunities for knocking their noggin against the frame.
Age Range:
Given the variety of accessories (bassinet, car seat adaptor, etc.) the City Select works better starting from birth (even with twins), but these strollers are fundamentally better for different ages. The two toddler seats are both smaller than the P&T Sport main seat, but larger than the P&T Sport 2nd seat. The City Select is better for kids who are about 2.5 years apart or less. If you start this stroller with a three year old they won't have much room to grow (unless you want to take the canopy off or quickly transition to the toddler board). On the age spread on the P&T Sport is a little trickier. The constraining factor is the size of the second seat. In newborn mode, the second seat mounts on top of the stroller (and the main seat reclines to create a little nest for the babe). In this setup, there is exactly18" between the base of the seat and the canopy which maybe too small for taller/older children (like a 3 year old). After the first 4-6 months, when the infant can ride in a reclined seated position you can put them in the 2nd seat and put the larger child in the main seat. What this means is that if your older child is too big there may be 4-6 months where you can only use this as a single stroller (you'll need to carry the infant in a Baby Bjorn, Ergo, etc.).
Conclusion:
The Phil & Ted's Sport has better handling and can support a much larger, older child in a seated position, but has some issues with parent and child comfort. The Baby Jogger City Select can comfortably support two children (from birth) with plenty of storage space and accessories that allow you to modify it to meet your family's needs, but the trade-off is less than nimble handling. Both strollers are worth taking for a test drive.
If you're in Boston, it's worth swinging over to Magic Beans to test drive both at the newly renovated store in Brookline. If you're in New York, stop by Planet Kids on 86th and 2nd, head to the stroller section and ask for Sana - he can tell you everything there is to know about strollers.
