I cannot believe how much we're walking around the neighborhood lately, and we have bumbleride's Queen B ($500) to thank for it. This premium-priced stroller has premium-grade quality and design to back it up, without any of the shortcomings that made my review of the company's Indie stroller a mixed one. Read on to find out how it performed in my family's extensive testing.

Assembly

Like the Indie, the assembly was easy and did not require tools. Even though the baby and the phone interrupted, it still took me less than 10 minutes to set up the full stroller and the bassinet accessory. (More on that in a bit.)

Style

Within minutes my mom stopped by. Upon seeing the stroller, she offered to take the baby out. I snapped on the bassinet. The baby cooed as they headed out into the neighborhood.

After thoroughly touring the neighborhood (on and off road), my mom had a soundly sleeping passenger and only praise for the stroller.

The Queen B's graceful lines and retro style beckon people to push it. The large wheels maneuver over uneven concrete and lawns with minimal resistance. The gentle shocks offer the passenger a pleasantly hypnotic motion.

With the bassinet attached, the Queen B appears to have rolled out of an English storybook. Don't be mistaken though, this stroller's old school looks may distract from some very contemporary engineering and construction.

Maneuverability and Performance

The frame is substantially made, causing the stroller to weigh in at 31 lbs when assembled. With that kind of weight, I expected some unwieldiness in movement. The 12 inch air-inflated wheels more than compensate for the material density. Small wheeled strollers cannot compete with these smooth rollers. Even on hilly terrain, Queen B allows for a comfortable stroll.

After years of strollers with one or more independently rotating wheels, the steerable front wheels (on a turning axle) feel a bit strange at first. The arc of a turn is broader than with fully rotating wheels, but hairpin turns are rarely needed in outdoor use (though an easy solution for that is available).

The more static wheels made the stroller less likely to veer off course or tip (especially when combined the frame weight). Our 3.5-year-old son Ranger's help pushing seemed no threat to its stability. Although I couldn't test it, I think this design would perform well when walking large, excitable dogs.

There may be a subtle technique I'm missing, but I had a hard time steering the stroller if I pulled it backwards. It consistently veered in the wrong direction. When I tried to steer counter-intuitively, I still met resistance. There's probably a simple steering solution to this, but it seemed easiest to slightly rock the stroller onto its back wheels and pivot. Once I discovered how easy pivoting was, I abandoned the search for reverse steering. The tilt and pivot method also works well for quick turns and tight corners.

The brakes are the same efficient system I admired on bumbleride's Indie stroller. The single lever back wheel brakes lock quickly and firmly, don't get underfoot while walking, and can be released without scuffing up your shoes (or hurting sandal-clad feet).

The pushbar adjusts to heights comfortable for a wide variety of people.

Portability

While Queen B performs well enough that I wouldn't hesitate to use it at street fairs, parks, or roadways ranging to gravel, it is not easy to transport by car. This is a great urban stroller and neighborhood stroller. I think it might perform well on a "kneeling" bus with ramps. It is not going to be good on a commuter train as it doesn't stow easily away.

It can be transported by car. Jim and I took it to a local park for a long evening stroll where it performed beautifully and garnered lots of compliments. The chassis doesn't fold very compactly unless the wheels are removed - which is surprisingly easily, but not convenient. The folded frame prefers to be transported with the basket parallel to the ground, so it has a big footprint.

When placed in my Honda Accord station wagon, there is almost no room left in the cargo area. The space that remains is around the edges as the tall stroller doesn't easily scoot alongside any wall.


We transported it in my mom's minivan, so there was plenty of cargo room, but it was awkward to lift that high with its weight and lack of locks to keep it folded. I cannot imagine using it for a repetitive car-loading trips like traveling from the car into preschool, the library, or the supermarket. Clearly the Queen B is designed for a walkable neighborhood rather than automobile commuter use.

Storage

The QB has three primary storage areas: a cup holder that allows for some large cups/bottles, a large aluminum storage tray below, and a zipper pocket on the back of the seat shade.

The cup holder is the same open style used on bumbleride's Indie stroller. It can accommodate my fat HDPE Nalgene bottle or a skinny baby bottle. While it can't hold spare change, it also won't retain spilled lemonade or cup sweat.

The storage tray is strange to someone versed in soft baskets. Would small items slide out on slopes? On different occasions, I tried loose mail, baby hats, small toys, a snack box, a cell phone with slick housing, a camera case, and magazines. Ranger loaded a rubber ball and an assortment of rocks. We didn't lose anything, not even on windy days. I expected the ball to work its way over the rim, but it never progressed to the outer edge. The ridges in the wire basket prevented much shifting.

The rear zipper pocket is unobtrusive, so it looks small. Surprisingly, it can simultaneously hold my camera, cell phone, and toy boat as big as my fist with a little room to spare.

Seating, Footrest, and Foot Muff

Smart, spacious, and accommodating, the Queen B's seat embodies good design. The seat locks into the chassis via an elegantly simple mechanism. Tilt two of the 4 posts into rear slots, then drop the remaining two posts into parallel slots and fasten the locks.

The seat is very secure in the locked position, but can be swapped for the bassinet in about 3 minutes. This simple system enables one of the Queen B's finest (and least advertised) traits.

The seat can be installed in a forward facing OR rear facing position. I always thought rear facing was convenient for parents but boring for babies. Recent research suggests that infants experience more stress when turned away from their caregivers (even though there's lots of stuff to look at). My baby greatly prefers the rear-facing position as she can watch me as we stroll. She is laughs more and is much more likely to laugh fall asleep when facing the person pushing the stroller. With Ranger and I dancing, singing, and making faces to entertain her, I'm sure our daily walk now provides entertainment for more than a few bystanders.

With a five point harness and full recline, Queen B is ready to transport even tiny newborns. A removable front bar acts as a secondary restraint.

The footrest can be adjusted up chaise lounge style for small infants. It did a nice job keeping toys on board when our 6 month old pushed them away. The footmuff accessory (which comes standard) snaps easily into the sunshade and over the footrest. It has additional snaps to size it down into a pseudo-bassinet. The footmuff provides protection from the weather and retains toys, blankets, and those too often wayward baby shoes.

For bigger kids, when the footrest is lowered, the footmuff snaps over to provide great coverage from wind & precipitation. From the footrest length, I suspect the stroller would work for many kids through the age of 4 and beyond.

Additional Weather Protection

The sunshade offers great coverage and has a small plastic window in top (which is hiddden under a Velcro flap). The exterior fabric shed water when we took it out in a light rain, but we did not test it in a soaking rain.

A large clear plastic rain cover and matching zipper bag are included. My friend pointed out that the zipper bag could be handy if the cover is wet and you need to put it away upon entering a building.

Use with Infant Carrier Car Seat

Another great option for the child to face backwards is using a infant carrier car seat in the forward facing seat. An infant carrier safety strap clips into d-rings sewn onto the seat's lap belt while the bumper bar restrains the seat at the front. The strap fit easily under our Graco SnugRide's upper belt holders and held the seat securely in place.


I'm not sure how often this feature would be used without transporting the stroller in the car, but it was handy on our car trip with the stroller.

Bumbleride also sells a car seat cover ($60) that includes a canopy. ZRecs recommends against the use of any after-market car seat products, including car seat covers, which may impact a car seat's performance in a crash.

Bassinet Attachment

Bumbleride submitted the optional bassinet attachment, which sells separately for $140, for this review. While the standard seat forms into a nice bassinet like configuration, the additional bassinet has some great features.

The bassinet folds easily folds flat for storage, so it won't occupy lots of storage space between children.

Unlike the seat, the bassinet lacks any harness or straps. There's lots of room for a baby to kick around. I loved being able to put an assortment of toys around the baby. She could travel swaddled or in a baby gown and didn't need to be changed to pants for a spin around the neighborhood.

The bassinet has the child facing the parent. With this attachment, the stroller looks like a proper pram, and nothing looks so good as a pram (I may be overwhelmingly biased on this matter as I often slept in a a pram during my first few months of life).

When we rolled back in the house with the baby asleep, I could park the stroller in a front room and let her continue to nap without interruption.

A matching bassinet cover is included. It keeps the bassinet cozy in inclement conditions. Like the footmuff, the cover easily snaps in at the base of the sun shade.

The bassinet's use-life is short-lived, however, at least for a single child: It shouldn't be used after the baby can sit up or starts rolling over.

Accessories

Also included standard with the Queen B are air pump, headrest, and shoulder strap pads.

Additional optional accessories for the Queen B that we did not examine are:

• A matching small diaper bag, the Jam Pack, which works as a messenger bag for parents or a backpack for kids ($60)


• An additional toddler seat that turns the Queen B into a double stroller. The second seat pushes into the front bumper bar slots to accommodate a second child. This seat requires an infant who sits independently and weighs less than 35 pounds. ($80)

Summary

The Queen B is top performing stroller in a neighborhood or urban setting. We wouldn't want to heft it in and out of our car on regular basis, but it doesn't seem intended for a suburban, car-bound user.

This stroller will look good at the park, the library, and on the streets. My neighbors came out of their houses to ask about this stroller. This friendly attention and the stroller's ease of use make it much more alluring to take a daily hike.

Queen B's premium price is linked to its versatile seat, rear-facing capability, and quality construction. For those of us who do a lot of strolling, investing in a good stroller can provide years of benefits. The bassinet is a great luxury if you plan on using the stroller often in the baby's first months.

The Queen B's recommended retail price is $499. You can purchase it from bumbleride or on Amazon.com.