Jané Rider is a new luxury stroller from a Spanish company ‘Jané’. It’s designed for everyday use like going to a shopping mall, grocery store, or walking in the park. It rolls on four hard rubber wheels with 6″ wheels in the front and 10″ wheels the back. The Rider model performs best on flat surfaces, but can also tackle some ‘mommy terrain’ like grass, gravel, or mulch. The rear suspension with adjustable shock absorber will provide your little one with a comfy ride.
I really like the reversible seat that sits higher on the frame than on most strollers and can be used as a high chair at the cafe or restaurant. By bringing your baby closer to you, it promotes better communication and bonding at early age. The seat has a one-hand lever recline and can accommodate a child from 6 months and up to 40 lbs. You can also remove the seat and replace it with an infant car seat by using a car seat adapter (called ‘Link Fix’ on Jané site).
The Rider model looks very sleek. It comes in three beautiful colors with black or silver frame. The seat has a removable seat liner that has a stylish print on it. The unique feature of Rider model is a VERY compact fold. The folding system reduces the size of the stroller by 30% of the unfolded size. It has one of the most compact folds on the market for a full size stroller. And, you can even fold it with the seat attached. Very cool! The downsize is a narrow basket that they did in order to make it so compact. It also features adjustable handle bar, adjustable foot rest, easy fold and hand brake (so much better than a foot brake). All these goodness weighs 30 lbs.
I gave Rider 3.5 out of 5 stars because despite the modern design and reversible seat, I was not happy with the size of the canopy, very small basket (for a full size stroller), high price, and heavy weight (30 lbs). I am not sure what makes this stroller so heavy especially with such a small basket and medium size wheels. Strollers with reversible seat are generally heavier because of the additional frame of the seat, but most of the are way under 30 lbs. I am also not big fan of the ‘v’ shaped seat, because I don’t like that fact that you can’t just reline the back of the seat. Instead, the whole seat reclines and your child ends up being always in the sitting position even when taking a nap.
Let’s talk about that price! The Rider model doesn’t come cheap. It retails for $399 on Amazon (free shipping/free returns and no sales tax). It comes in three colors blue, shadow, and sand with two frame colors in silver and black. I think it’s a little overprice for the features you are getting. The great thing is that it comes with a bumper bar, cup holder, rain cover, and a matching diaper bag. Most of you probably spent a lot of time picking a diaper bag (I spent around three weeks) to match all of your different outfits, so I doubt the included diaper bag will get much use. Mine diaper bag is a medium size but can expend if needed. It also has 10 different pockets that I absolutely love.
Pros
-Medium size canopy. I was not impressed by this canopy. The canopy has two panels and is a medium size. I wish it was larger or had a pop-out sunvisor like many other strollers do. There is also no peekaboo window. You can unzip it in the back where it attaches to the seat.
-Adjustable handle bar. The handle bar goes from 31″ and up to 42″ from the ground. Great for taller and shorter parents.
-Reversible seat. The seat is 12.5″ wide with a 21″ seat back and a measurement of 23″ from the back of the seat to the top of the canopy. It has three positions lever recline (I am not a fan of those strap system reclines. I love that this one requires only one hand). Since the seat is one molded piece, it keeps it’s ‘v’ shape when reclined. The seat can accommodate a child from 6 months and up to 40 lbs (which is your average 4 year old). It is reversible. To reverse it, push on to buttons on both sides, swig it around, and plug it back into the frame. Done! I like that the seat is positioned higher on the frame than on average stroller bringing your child closer to you and promoting better bonding.
– Seat liner. My daughter Sophia loves to eat as soon as we get out of the house. I don’t know why she feels that it’s more fun to eat in the stroller, but because she is a bad eater I don’t argue. I am just happy she eat something! Of course I end up with peanut butter, cheerios, milk, and cheese all over the seat. Oh, those cheerios…. they are everywhere. I even found a couple in her shoes. LOL. Thankfully Rider model has a a removable washable seat liner. What a time saver! You just remove it and put it in a washing machine. Done.
-5 point harness. And like all of the modern strollers it has an adjustable padded 5 point harness. The buckle is a puzzle piece.
-Bumper bar. INCLUDED! The bumper bar is covered with durable material that can be unzipped for easy cleaning. The bumper bar is removable and swing-away for easy ins and outs.
-Adjustable leg rest. The leg rest is a part of the seat and it is adjustable. I really like that all you need to do is bring it up until you hear a click. There is also a platform for older kids to rest their feet.
-Basket. Not my favorite. It’s narrow and small especially for a full size luxury stroller. Forget about going to a grocery store with this one. You can barely fit a small diaper bag. I live in a suburbs, but still like to take my stroller to a grocery store to get a few items. With Rider’s basket shopping will be a challenge.
-Diaper bag. INCLUDED! Since you cannot fit much into that basket, Jané decided to include a diaper bag for more storage. The matching diaper bag is really great. It’s gender natural so both parents can carry it.
-Cup holder. INCLUDED! The sporty looking cup holder can be moved from one side of the frame to another.
-Wheels. It rolls on hard rubber never-flat wheels with 10″ wheels in the back and 6″ wheels in the front. Like on most of the strollers, the front wheels are 360 degree wheels with the ability to lock straight for rougher terrain. Although this stroller is designed for smooth surfaces, it an tackle some playground mulch, grass or gravel.
-Adjustable suspension system. I absolutely love this adjustable suspension system! It has two modes: soft and hard. You can adjust it depending on the terrain. The soft suspension will make your stroller more bouncy absorbing more bumps, while the hard suspension works great on a flat surfaces.
-Hand brake. I like that it has a hand brake instead of foot brake. No shoe scratches and it’s flip-flop friendly!
-Easy fold. The fold is very easy but you will need both hands. You can fold it with the seat attached facing in or out. First, fully recline the seat. Next, pull on two levers on the handle bar to unlock the frame and push the handle bar forward until the stroller folds. There is an automatic lock and standing fold. This stroller is BULKY and HEAVY! And it weighs 30 lbs. On the bright side, you will have a great workout every time you have to take it in and out of the trunk. The folded dimensions of this baby are 34″L x 26″W x 13″H.
-Rain cover. INCLUDED!
Cons
-Medium size canopy. I’ve expected a better canopy for such expensive stroller. It has only two panels that don’t go all the way to the bumper bar like in many other strollers. I would like to see a ‘follow-the-sun’ option or an additional sunvisor. It is also missing a peekaboo window.
-Small basket. The basket is really small and narrow. You can fit a few baby essentials in it, but not much more.
-Heavy. This baby weighs whooping 30 lbs!!! I am very surprised it’s that heavy considering the small canopy and a small basket.
-Expensive. All this luxury doesn’t come cheap. It retails for $750. Ouch! All I can say.
Video Review
Baby Gizmo has a great video review. Take a look. Note: They say it weighs 28 lbs, but on Jané website it says that the weight is 30 lbs.
Specs
Stroller weight: 30 lbs
Weight limit: 40 lbs
Folded dimensions: 24.41”L x 23.62”W x 14.96”H
Handle bar height: 31″ – 42″
Seat to canopy height: 23″
Rear wheels: 10″
Front wheels: 6″
Overall length: 36.5″
Overall width: 23.6″
Warranty
Jané has a one year warranty on strollers from the date of purchase. Here is more information on the warranty.
Available colors
For 2014 this stroller is available in three color: shadow, blue, and sand.
Where to buy it
My favorite place to buy strollers and a lot of other baby items is Amazon. It usually has the lowest prices, free shipping, free returns and no sales tax. How great is that? You can get Jané Rider in one of the three beautiful colors for $399 on Amazon (free shipping/free returns and no sales tax). It comes with a bumper bar, cup holder, rain cover, and a matching diaper bag.
~Susan Brian
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