Does anyone have a Quinny Freestyler or Formula?

[beatie]

Are they good enough for use off road? For countrypark walks etc...? Is that tilt steering thing useful or just a gimmick? How heavy are they? How easy are they to fold up?

Since the new Quinny pushchairs have come out, these older models seem to be selling cheaply all over the place and I am tempted as I am on the lookout for a 3 wheeler with a fixed front wheel.

There are very popular here in Switzerland as they cope well with different terrains. I had(have ! ) a fixed wheel one though so can't comment on the tilting one. They are reasonably heavy but seem to fold ok (think you need to remove carrycot first if you use one rather than just the stroller seat).

They are heavy - it was the one and only reason we didn't get one. Twice as heavy as our mountain buggy.

Hi, we have had a Quinny Freestyle like the one you mention for approx 3 years. Yes, it is heavy, though not as heavy as plenty of others we looked at. On the plus side, it's not bad for 'off roading' (we live semi-rural) - but watch out for plenty of punctures on your tyres! I wouldn't buy pump-up again for this reason alone. Easy to fold up once you practice a few times, but you need a fairly big boot for it to go in.

A few negative points spring immediately to mind - firstly, the harness straps on the quinny when used with the footmuff in winter are way too small for a toddler - our daughter was just 2 and the straps were too small. We queried it with Quinny, who were absolutely useless, and so we had to buy an extension harness, even though Quinny don't recommend doing this. Frankly, with a pushchair system retailing at close on £500, I was amazed. The retailer claims this pushchair can be used up to the age of 4. Also, the raincover is a pain to use, not sure if you can buy a universal one though and use that instead.

The second big negative is Quinny themselves. Their customer service is appalling, and I am not exaggerating when I say this. Once they have your money, they couldn't give a stuff if you have a problem. Beware!

Interesting second point pacinofan. We had problems with our brakes where the blocks on the rear wheel wore quickly but it was really awkward to just replace them in the shop. The chassis was sent away and we had it back by return. Wonder if yours was dealt with by the distributor in UK (Dorel) rather than the main company.

Thanks for your views. This wasn't going to be my first choice anyway, I just got lured in by the cheapness and because they are nice looking pushchairs.

What's the alternative to pump up tyres?

i had a quinny (amongst many others) and i have to say i thought that they were great. i used it until my son was 2 1/2 and then gave it to my friend as i was bored of it. never found it a problem going on any terrain, admittedley it was abit awkward around town with the tilting wheel, as still had to lift an turn.
as for puncturs, most all terrain buggies have blow up wheels and you can buy slime that goes into the tyres to stop punctures.
if money was no object then i would recommend the mountain buggy urban or terrain, but the quinny did a great job and you can get one at an amazingly cheep price at the moment. i would personally buy from a reputable baby ware supplier rather than somehwere like ebay as you will have them to go back to if anything goes wrong in the first few months.
p.s i think i must have been lucky with the customer services as they sent me a set of new instructions free of charge with no fuss and a replacement wheel, when i left mine at a campsite!

Chuffed- do you love your mountain buggy?

I second most of the previous comments. Quinny are part of the Dorel group who also make Maxi Cosi and Bebe Confort. The customer service is very hit and miss unfortunately.

The Quinny Formula is very heavy and really huge when folded down. The tilting front wheel does not really cause any problems to do with reliability, however, in the shop where I work we have seen quite a few where the screws on the handle worked their way out and a few with brake problems.

Mountain Buggy is probably the best off roader and an excellent all round buggy.

There are no real alternatives to pump up tyres. The best option is to take the wheels to a bike shop and have some kevlar tape fitted to the insides of the tyres to prevent punctures.

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I just wanted to add, I have exactly the same problem with my Quinny as pacinofan had - my DS is 10 months but 28lbs and 80cm (I know he's big !) and I find it impossible to use the cosytoes on the buggy which I love by the way - anyone know where I would get a harness extender, it's getting desperate, the poor baby won't go in it and I don't blame him !!

Am i the only one who loves their Quinny???? I have the XL freestyle and think it's fab. On the beach it just sails across sand and pebbles and I watch others struggling, we take it in the woods, the park, it even went up a mountain in the Lake District a couple of weeks a go. Never used it with footmuff yet tho so guess I may struggle in the winter, as last year DS was in Carseat attatchment not actual pushchair.

Hi Littlemermaid, sorry to hear your problem but glad to hear it's not just me, iyswim! We got a harness by Safety First(I referred to a harness extender below when I should just have said harness)and simply attached it to the existing D rings in the Quinny. DD is 2.8 now and is still in it, although haven't used the cosytoes for some months now so not sure if we'll manage in the winter. It was quite straightforward to fix, but your supplier should be happy to help you. Mine weren't, but I insisted as I confess I did get a bit confused what went where so in the end they showed me.

Hope you get this sorted, Helen.

I have a Quinny Fashion which has a fixed front wheel and I have found it fantastic. Like Katylou25 said - perfect for beaches, woodland walks etc etc. I also do a long walk to school and it practically pushes itself and DS is nearly 4! I find buggies hard going on long pavement walks due to no suspension.

Thanks for that pacinofan, I'll check that out, I was getting desperate as I love my Quinny to bits, it's so easy to use and push everywhere but my heavy, teething 10 month old is having none of it !

i loved my quinny had no probs with it just got bored and brought a different buggy! my friend still uses it for her ds and so its about 4 years old now and still going stong with hardly any signs of wear and she said when shes finished with it did i mind if she passed it on to her firend who is expecting in january!