Cybex Libelle Stroller review: the ultimate travel-friendly buggy

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How we tested the Cybex Libelle

• Three months of testing with a dad of two

• Used multiple times a week

• Tested with a two-year-old

Our tester, dad of two Matt, tested the Cybex Libelle out for three months with his toddler. During testing, Matt scored the Cybex Libelle on different criteria, including: assembly, safety and stability, ease of use, ease of folding and unfolding, comfort, design, ease of cleaning and value for money.

What’s in the box? 

• Sunshade

• Frame and wheels

• Seat unit

• Raincover

• Storage basket,

• User guide

Inside the box are all the basic essentials for parents to get started straight away, with the assembled stroller, a raincover and instructions. If you want to add more to the buggy, there are other accessories available, such as a footmuff, bumper bar and travel bag, but we didn’t test any of these.

Matt says, “There are no extras included so this is a very basic pram but very practical for flying and lots of travel.”

How does the Cybex Libelle look?

With a black aluminium frame to help it feel super lightweight and a range of different colour seat and sunshade options, including Ocean Bean, Nature Green and Hibiscus Red, this buggy looks the part, but has a more basic design overall than many other strollers. 

The plastic wheels are small so tend to struggle on rough terrain, such as gravel, but handle city life well, which is what the stroller is ultimately designed for. 

According to our tester, Matt, “The pram looks basic, but its small fold function makes up for that. For a family who travels regularly, or who lives in a city, it is an absolute must! It will grow with your child all the way into toddlerhood and there are five colours available for the sun shade, which are great colours for those wanting a non-gender-specific pram.”

How easy is the Cybex Libelle to assemble?

One of the things that we love about the Cybex Libelle is that there is no assembly required as it comes ready to use straight out of the box. 

Our tester Matt says, “A small user manual is included with the pram with well written instructions, but it arrived completely assembled, so it’s brilliant for those who want to be on the move straight away.”

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Is the Cybex Libelle safe and sturdy?

Although the Cybex Libelle isn’t the sturdiest of all the buggies we tested (we much preferred the Babyzen Yoyo2 for its stability), it can tackle day-to-day family life well. The seat material and aluminium frame feel fairly robust despite the buggy being compact and weighing just under 6kg, with a three-point harness for keeping young children secure. 

One of the tests we carried out involved hanging a bag off the handlebars, which is especially important because the storage basket on the Libelle is on the shallow side. Matt explains, “When my toddler is seated there is no movement when a heavy bag is added to the handlebar. When no toddler is sat in the pram, a heavy bag starts to topple the pram.”

Matt adds, “The seat’s recline mechanism is easy to use, but slips quite easily if my two-year-old is moving around a lot or bouncing back and forth. The buggy also lacks a bumper bar for little ones to hold on to.”

The rear brake feels secure and easily clicks side to side to turn on and off. “The brake is sturdy at controlling the back wheels but doesn’t have an affect on the front wheels,” Matt explains. The harness has nicely padded shoulder straps for added comfort, with a large button for easily releasing the straps. 

Although we didn’t use a car seat with the Cybex Libelle, the stroller is travel system-compatible - the adapters can be purchased separately to add your car seat to the stroller, making it suitable to use from birth.

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What’s it like to use day-to-day?

As one of the lightest strollers on the market with a super compact fold, the Cybex Libelle would suit anyone who likes to travel, has a small car or frequently uses public transport. 

During testing, our tester Matt was very impressed with the size of the stroller. “It’s very small and easy to manoeuvre. The entire buggy is narrow and compact but there is a good amount of space for my toddler to relax in.” 

He adds, “The school run was brilliant. The buggy is so light to get in and out of the car and is great for queuing with parents and other buggies outside the school gates. It’s also very easy to carry up and down stairs.”

While the seat is spacious and comfortable, it’s probably better suited for shorter journeys as the material is quite thin and not as cushioned as other lightweight strollers we tested. That being said, with a three-point harness that can be easily clipped in and out when you’re in a rush, this is a stroller that requires minimal faff.

It’s not designed to tackle all terrain, but the small plastic wheels have suspension on the front wheels so it performs well on bumpy ground and can handle everyday tasks like going shopping, to the park and on the school run well enough. Matt says, “The stroller is easy to move up and down kerbs with good steering and the small wheels work well on grass, however the angle of the handles made more complex manoeuvres slightly more challenging.”

He found the Libelle comfortable to push, but the handlebars aren’t extendable which may be a dealbreaker for tall parents. He says, “They are an odd shape due to the construction of the buggy, which takes a while to get used to as you have to hold your arms in an unusual position for pushing. Shorter parents would be happy with this product, but I think that tall parents would find it quite low.”

As we found with most of the compact buggies we tested, the Libelle’s sunshade doesn’t offer full coverage and there is no information about the UPF rating, so you may need to add an extra sunshade to ensure good coverage during the warmer months or if you use the Libelle on holiday. Matt explains, “The shade is quite small so it covers my child’s head well, but not his full body which could be a concern when travelling to warmer climates.”

For rainy days, the raincover gives good coverage and fits nicely underneath in the basket when not in use, however Matt found it hard to fold the stroller with the raincover inside. 

How comfortable is the Cybex Libelle?

The Cybex Libelle doesn’t have the same padding and luxury feel as the likes of the Ergobaby Metro+ but it’s designed for travel and busy family life so will keep your child comfortable enough on shopping trips, the school run and on family holidays. 

Suitable from birth up to four years, it manages to still be spacious enough for a growing toddler and the seat is sturdy, with enough room for a child to sit comfortably. The seat doesn’t lie completely flat though, so we wouldn’t recommend you use it until your baby is six months old unless you turn the Libelle into a travel system by attaching a baby car seat.

The padded shoulder straps on the harness add an extra bit of comfort whether your child is sitting up or napping. Matt says, “It is a very basic pram but comfortable for short periods of time.”

The material is lightweight so our tester Matt felt you would need to purchase the footmuff for the winter. He says, “Great for popping in and out of the car and shops, however in the winter we think it would require the footmuff as the pram material is so light, so there’s no warmth.” 

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How easy is it to fold?

The big appeal of the Cybex Libelle is its super compact fold, which most airlines accept as cabin-approved, but it’s always best to check the measurements before flying. Matt says, “When folded, it takes up the space of a small carry-on suitcase, which is fantastic. It stands upright really well and is difficult to push over.” 

As the Cybex Libelle Stroller has been designed to tackle public transport and travel with ease, this is an area that the pram scored extremely well in. Matt says: “It’s very easy to unfold.  Simply un-click the lock and with a ‘throwing’ motion the pram unfolds really easily. It is easy to collapse too, using the white trigger buttons on the handles.”

The folding mechanism is very smooth but it does need two hands due to the buttons being on the handles. When folded down, the legs click into place using a lock (which is also white so easy to locate), to stop it from unfolding. Weighing just 5.9kg, it can be easily carried around if you’re getting on and off public transport.

What’s storage like?

For a compact pram, the basket on the Cybex Libelle is a good size for putting items like nappies, baby wipes, a change of clothes, baby toys or shopping underneath, but our tester Matt did have some concerns: “It has a relatively large space underneath, however there is a bar across the centre which restricts you adding a changing bag or larger items to the storage basket.”

He adds, “The basket is very shallow and we would worry that smaller or important items could potentially fall out.” 

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Are there any added extras?

The Cybex Libelle stroller comes with a raincover but there are no added extras like a bumper bar, footmuff or seat liner. These have to be purchased separately. 

Is the Cybex Libelle easy to clean?

When it comes to spillages, the polyester seat can be easily wiped clean, however during testing we found that this needed to be done quickly as mud and other thicker substances settled into the fabric if left for too long.

Still, it’s a hard wearing material which doesn’t attract dust or fluff, and the covers can be machine-washed in cold water on a delicate cycle. Matt says, “The Libelle seems durable when using light cleaning sprays (not bleach) to clean and the darker colours of this pram [we tested the black version] mean that dirt and marks are not easily shown, which is always a positive! After three months of testing, it’s showing no signs of wear and tear.”

Is it good value for money?

If you’re looking for a lightweight buggy that can be used for trips to the shops, busy school mornings in and out of the car, and on family holidays at home or abroad, the Cybex Libelle has some great features. While lacking in the quality and comfort of other lightweight strollers, such as the Babyzen Yoyo2 and Ergobaby Metro+, the quick and compact fold makes it very functional.

While the cost of purchasing extra accessories like a bumper bar and footmuff would drive up the price, they’re not a necessity and we like that you can use the Libelle from birth with an infant car seat. Despite weighing just under 6kg and folding down so small it can fit in most airline cabins, the Cybex Libelle still feels secure. It’s a very affordable price too. 

Our tester Matt says: “It averages £199 online which we think is a very good price for the mechanics that are involved in this pram. It’s sturdy and very practical for those who travel regularly.”

About the author 

Gemma Wilcock is a freelance writer and copywriter. At Mumsnet, she creates content providing useful parenting advice, information and top products to make life easier – as a mother of two children herself, Gemma knows how important it is to get the right advice.

Gemma loves writing about subjects that will be helpful to the reader, including recommending top products on Mumsnet that help parents in their day-to-day life, such as writing reviews for lightweight strollers, pushchairs and double buggies. She knows how important online reviews are when it comes to making a purchase so she always makes sure to thoroughly research every product so we are recommending the best ones on the market.

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