Mountain Buggy Duet-who owns one?

[jinxwilson]

Am very keen to get my hands on one of these-twins due in Feb. Has anyone actually got one? And what do you think of it? The only review I have found was by a dad on bestbuggy wesbite and he wasn't hugely positive. Or does anyone have this on preorder with a guaranteed delivery?

I'm sure Tiggy will be along soon, bestbuggy is her website but I know she's been disappointed...

Oh dear... The main reason I like the look is because the width. My front door is too narrow (71 cm at the best) and I live in an area of London with very narrow streets. I thought the duet was going to solve my problems.

I have it and have mixed feelings. It does what is says on the tin ie gets through small spaces easily and for that it is great, if a side by side is what you want. But the quality is relatively poor compared to other side by sides eg the Baby Joggers, Easywalker, Twinner Twist Duo etc. There are gaps at the sides of the hoods, each time I recline the seats (easy to recline) the poppers which hold the back seat up (hard to explain but the hood attaches to the back seat fabric and appears holds it up) undo - either one or both each time. I am already fed up of reattaching them. When you recline the seat, and then pull it back up, the fabric all bunches up around the children's heads. I find I need to pull the seat right forwards (without a child in) to tuck it all behind the seat again. It's really hard to get the brakes on. There is a bar behind where you flick them on so it's easier to use a hand rather than your foot. The shopping basket is great but access at the back is a bit restricted but fine at the sides. I got a lot in the basket. I like the storm cover and how you can open the front up - but the top line is too low for my DD and she couldn't see out without stooping. She asked for me to take it off in the end. Another friend is going to get her storm cover zip replaced to make it open higher up so her children can see out. I have rough rivets, a stiff lock (it didn't used to work at all!), my handlebar cover doesn't meet at the edges, and my bumper bar is a) too high on the children and b) keeps falling off. It's relatively heavy to push compared to say the Elite - I thought it would be light! But it turns fab and was great in shops. The fold is large, heavy and bulky though. It just...and I mean...just fits in my large boot. I have just tried a standing fold in my hall but I think I need to remove the two back wheels to get it secure - it doesn't feel safe so has been propped up. The Duet also feels very low down - I need to see if that's perceptional or not. And then there is the hole in the hood about the size of a pack of cards which let light straight into my sons eyes today....
I am lucky, I have a choice of double pushchair and I think unless you really want a side by side that is so narrow for a specific purpose (most side by sides fit through standard doors) then I think there are better quality double pushchairs out there, with better, easier to use or more features.

Thanks for that - very thorough. Dissappointing to hear those cons for the price it's at. I thought MB were more robust than that.

So did I to be honest. I expected more too because the price (£580) isn't far off the Baby Jogger Elite (£612 RRP so a retailer told me, but you can buy one for less) and is only just under the TFK Twinner Twist Duo (£599 RRP) and I was very disappointed to be honest. I have waited months for the Duet. The fabric if nothing else is polyester and feels cheap.
The hole in the hood IMHO needs addressing. MB label the hood in their instructions as a sun hood. But this is my son with sun on his head when sat upright and And this is my son reclined with sun directly in his eyes. Not great for a sun hood!

P&T has bought MB, so the quality has taken a nosedive.

Tiggywunkle, which double buggy would you go for if I want something for beach/fields but also goes in and out of our (estate) car and into town, which fits a car seat onto it, for toddler and newborn? I thought P&T was the only way to go, but reading the threads on here I am now not so sure.
In the past I have had Baby Jogger single buggies and loved them. Also considering the Land Rover double, and Mountain Buggy, although just been put off Duet by this post!
Thanks, sorry if you get this a lot, C.

I would choose the TFK Twinner Twist Duo, Bugaboo Donkey or Easywalker Duo. The first and last are quite different to the Donkey though in style and price. I think the TFK takes some beating though. My only negative is the hoods are a bit shallow but that's minor really.

Thanks, never heard of the Twinner, will look it up!

Twinner Twist Info here

I've got a Mountain Duet and I love it. I'm not having half the problems other people seem to be having so I wonder if they've changed a few things since it first came out - i.e. there is no hole on the sun cover that I can see.

The break is a bit hard to begin with, but I can do it with my foot no problem. It also feels very sturdy and well made and all the fabric looks excellent and hard wearing. It's actually as heavy as my old single pushchair and I was amazed that it could fit in our car boot, but it does (it is a double so I wasn't expecting it to be tiny). I also find it very easy to store folded upright - you just adjust the handle, clip the lock together and it's solid as a rock.

I wouldn't normally contribute to the discussion as i think no pushchair is ideal and everyone is looking for different things, but I feel the Duet's been getting a rough ride recently and I just don't think it deserves it (maybe I just don't want egg on my face having bought it ) A lot of it's 'lack of features' I think is actually what makes it so brilliantly simple - there's not much that could break or not be fixable...Just another opinion!

They have changed things since the first batch. There are no longer holes in hoods and the hoods no longer catch together. I am guessing the rattling brakes have been looked at. I couldn't get my foot around the back to get my brake on, so hopefully that's improved too. I have been back and played with the Duet (and Swift recently) and realised that the low handle really was an issue. Largely because I needed it straight upright (I am 5ft 6ins) but that made me stand nearer the pushchair, plus with the handle upright the bends in the handle dug into my hands - they didn't with it flatter. My two were unevenly distributed as well which meant the pushchair pulled to the side my eldest was on. I ended up with back ache so badly that I could barely walk for a week. On the first few outings (in town) it felt fine, but on cambered surfaces it was bad. I know others who love their Duets though, but for one of them the fold size is a big issue. The +One which on paper is longer fits better in my car than the shorter on paper Duet!

That's funny - I'm 5'10" and I was just saying to DH how it's the first pushchair I've had where I find the bar at comfortable height and am not kicking the undercarriage! just goes to show - different strokes, different folks.

Good luck jinxwilson hope everything's going well with your pregnancy, my twins are due end of Feb/March - I'm over on the Twins Club thread if you ever fancy a moan!

Its great that you dont have an issue with the handle, but I know I like a high handle, but its not simply about the handle height but the position you stand in too, and that will vary like you say.
Its interesting though because I went to a pushchair shop recently and said that I found the Duet handle low, and the shop assistant immediately said, oh but it is not. I asked her to turn around and look across the shop and the Duet and Swift handles, even on the highest setting were a fair bit lower, than any other pushchair handles in front of us in the shop. The Duo handle is a fair bit higher. She was surprised.

That is weird. You've got me wondering now. I just know it feels a lot higher than any other pushchair I've had. Going to go and do some snooping now to compare!

It's true - it does feel high, and probably is higher than some pushchairs eg B-Agile etc. but just looking around the room full of pushchairs in front of us (mainly top end pushchairs) both were noticeably the lowest.

Hello,
I am thinking of buying the duet but I can not seem to work out how the rain cover works when you have a bassinet and a seat. Mountain buggy told me that the double cover would not work and that the bassinet will use its own rain cover. So what does the single seat use?
What did you do if you used bassinet/seat combination.
Thanks!

You have to bodge it basically! Tuck the double raincover around the single seat. You could try adapting a single raincover but it expensive just to try.

I have the Duet. I love it!

I do not have the bassinet. Instead I used a bugaboo bee cocoon for the newborn. It works perfect. The baby lies flat and is so cosy and you can use the straps or not. And then the rain cover fits perfectly.

I've got twins due april 2015, my little one will be 17 months old. I'm torn between mountain buggy duet with buggy board seat, but heard mixed reviews on quality, and t3 jogger, but worried about the weight of little one on the front.

I love the idea of the duet taking car seats and carry cots but that does make it expensive. Any help??