The Stroller Chronicles

I bought my first Maclaren, a bright red Triumph, three years ago at Maklem's in Toronto. It cost about $269 and I thought that was an outrage for an umbrella stroller. But my stylish downtown friend Jenn had one and so I had to have one too. It was the least I could do, this act of stroller solidarity, since I steered her very, very wrong a few months earlier when I recommended she buy the same Peg Perego Atlantico I had. But I'll come back to that lumbering beast in a moment. The Maclaren was meant to be my urban buggy. Good for navigating the crowded sidewalks of Bloor West Village. Something that wouldn't take up the entire trunk, leaving no room for groceries or a jug of washer fluid (Peg I'm talking about you).

The Triumph has its shortcomings: an inadequate sun/rain canopy, two seat positions - ramrod and supine- and an absurdly difficult closing mechanism that required me to literally take off my shoe and wedge my toe, painfully, under the thingamajig to fold the stroller. This, as you can imagine, was most inconvenient in a snowstorm.

I never loved the Triumph and didn't treat it very well. But after a three year tour of duty, it's still called into occasional service. Which is more than can be said for the $400 Peg. So after a discouraging couple of months researching and test-driving other brands (including the much touted Bugaboo - I don't get the appeal, frankly) I bought a Maclaren for the new guy. This time the upgraded Techno. It costs about $469 if you're forced to buy it in Canada. We were able to take advantage of a business trip to San Francisco and ordered it online from www.tinyride.com. I think I paid $225 and free shipping. A very satisfying experience for me, though my husband wasn't pleased having to escort a five-foot tall box home.

The Techno is a sleek ride. Handles well, turns easy, and it will let you steer it with one hand long enough to drink your Tim Hortons. A much more generous sun canopy with a peekaboo window on top is a big improvement over the Triumph. And I like the colours.

The downsides:
It tips backward with alarming ease, especially with a newborn in the reclined position
It folds up more easily (I can keep my shoe on, thankfully) but it doesn't fold flat and lock into place all that well.
The shopping basket below is impossible to access. So you're tempted to hang your Loblaws bags on the handles. Don't. See point #1.

I give the Techno one enthusiastic thumb up. I'm a tough customer.