Micralite Pushchair Review

Overall Rating

This pushchair is lightweight, and it folds to size 0 (great for catching the bus, plane or putting in a car boot). Even the cot folds flat, folds with 1 hand (great when you're holding the baby, getting on the bus, plane), works beautifully off-road on the two big wheels, very robust (used daily for almost 3 years with barely a mark on it), the 3G-BuggyBoard fits it perfectly, and it still folds down to nothing!

Flips up when you attach the 3G-BuggyBoard, as it weighs almost as much as the Micralite (says more about the under designed, overbuilt BuggyBoard than the Micralite).

Shopping for a baby buggy was a headache from hell; particularly as it needed to fit into a Mk1 Honda Civic car boot. One particularly good local retailer tried selling us all sorts of massive £500 marvels, but I liked the slightly quirky look of the Micralite, so I asked the Australian shop assistant to show it to us. After she had fought and struggled with all the other buggies, suddenly she dealt with this one with aplomb. With one hand, she took hold of it and it almost vanished with a flick of the wrist. I was gob-smacked. I picked it up and found it weighed less than the wheels of some of the other contraptions. I was hooked.

Turns out this young lady used one herself, and it wasn't hard to work out why. It packs down to an unbelievably small size, and will even fit in the overhead locker on a plane, as the big rear wheels pop off with one hand - the whole thing can be operated with one hand, which is essential when you've invariably got a baby in the other.

As a design engineer myself, I fully appreciate the use of aircraft alloys to keep the weight down, whilst sacrificing nothing in strength. I applaud the intuitive folding mechanism, and the funky looks. I demonstrated it to 3 other couples we knew, who were having kids just after us, and they all bought one (luckily only one other couple bought the same colour, so it's not too confusing when we're out together). After 3 years of constant use, there is hardly a mark on it, and we've taken it everywhere - parks, zoos, wildlife reserves, holidays, city shopping etc.

We initially bought it as a travel system opting for the cot - it's very bad for baby's back to leave them in a car seat, so I would very strongly advise against this option with this or any other buggy. Don't be a lazy parent, pick your kid up and put them in the cot. You had kids so you signed up for the responsibility. If you wanted an easy life you'd have bought a Cabbage Patch Doll! Car seats are for cars - the hint's in the name.

I cannot praise this buggy enough. It's been a revelation every time we're somewhere crowded watching other poor parents who saw a celebrity photo with a Bugaboo Frog or Stokke struggling to fold or carry the thing, or some poor kid getting bounced to bits around a park in a Quinny thanks to the tiny wheels.

Some people will tell you there is no Buggy Board for the Micralite, but they're absolutely wrong. The 3G-BuggyBoard is a perfect fit, as long as you have the wit to remove the two arms and swap sides so they dog-leg into the middle and not out to the sides. Once you do this the two cottapins need to be screwed all the way through to marry-up with the clamps placed on the rear down-tubes, and off you go. It fits so well it doesn't take up any more space when folded either.

The only down side is the relatively poor design quality of the BuggyBoard product. It weighs almost as much as the Micralite, so it tips it over without the baby in it before your toddler gets on. It also tips it over when folded and stood vertically. You just have to remember to wedge it up against a wall with the brake on.

Overall, owning and using the Micralite has been an absolute joy! So much so, I wish I'd designed it myself. And the real plus side is it's lasted so well, so I fully expect to be able to sell it once Baby 2.0 doesn't need it any more. How could it get any better?

Members' Comments onmark norris's Review

• karig on 20th Dec 2007

  Hello! I've just bought a micralite and have read our review about using it with the 3G board. Sorry, but how on earth do I get the arms off so they no longer poke out to the sides?
  Thanks!
  K.

• mark norris on 3rd Jan 2008

  Hi

  It's been a while since I did this so can't remember off the top of my head but the bar the arms sit on can be removed and you simply swap sides.

  I'll have a look when I get home tonight and give you a full answer. I've got pictures of how I did it, but there's nowhere to post them here, or a way to send them to you.

  Warmest Regards..

• kathyb on 31st Jan 2008

  Can you post a link to somewhere where there's a picture of a 3-G buggyboard please? I'd love to buy one for my micralite but want to be sure I buy the right one. There seem to be lots of different ones on ebay listed as 3-G. Is it made by Lascal?

• mark norris on 31st Jan 2008

  The 3G Buggy board I used can be seen here "http://www.whizzywheels.co.uk/buggy_board__m85". There's a new one out now that should also fit as the mounting mechanism for the arms is the same. To remove the arms and replace them so that they dog-leg towards the centre rather than left and right you need to unscrew the locking mechanism marked with an open and closed padlock (it sets the angle the board sits at when attached). Keep turning in the unlock direction until the left and right hand threaded pins come lose. Pull them out and swap over the arms, then retighten. Enjoy your Micralite, ours is still in perfect condition after 3.5 years of frequent use. Mark

• sallywells on 29th Apr 2008

  I'm after a buggy board for my 2.5year old son on my micralite (original). I tried the link you posted but it no longer works. Could you tell me the make and model of the 3G buggy board that you recommended.
  Thanks

• mark norris on 8th May 2008

  Hi
  
  The Buggy Board I used was the Lasco 3G which is the 2007 model. This is now called the Buggy Board Maxi. From what I can tell the only difference is that there are various colours and graphics now available.
  
  Fitting it still requires undoing the locking mechanism until the arms can be removed (just keep turning in the unlock direction until the screws come free) and turned inwards, like this _II_ from the standard I__I position. It then fits straight onto the uprights.
  
  Enjoy your Micralite, we still are nearly 4 yrs and two kids later.

• RosieGerrard on 14th May 2008

  Having read your review, we bought the latest Lascal 3G BuggyBoard Maxi from John Lewis. Following your instructions we easily managed to fit it on the Micralite and it all looks very promising as my son (almost 3) seems keen to use the board freeing up the pram/pushchair for the baby when she arrives. Problem of transporting 2 children solved without the expense and unwieldiness of buying a double buggy. Plus it's great that it still folds up very neatly with the board attached. Thanks for writing such a helpful review.

• swil on 11th Jun 2008

  I have just bought a lascal buggy board maxi from Toys r Us and following the instructions it fitted like a dream and works really well. Thanks loads for your help. S

• louisegarner on 15th Jan 2009

  Micralite told me they could not recommend a buggy board and I had despaired, but this advice has been spot on - The Buggy Board works a treat and my daughter loves it - and now I don't have to buy a new buggy for no 2!
  Thanks! You're a star!

• jowoods123 on 20th Mar 2009

  Hi all, I have a micralite and am very pleased to hear that a buggy board can be fitted successfully. Just one question - does this work when the carry cot is on the pushchair?
  Or does the carry cot get in the way of where the toddler would stand?
  Any comments appreciated!
  Thanks, Jo

• RosieGerrard on 20th Mar 2009

  Hi Jo, I used it with the carrycot no problem. The carrycot doesn't restrict or interfere in anyway with the buggyboard. Good luck!

• green31 on 22nd Mar 2009

  Just a quick note to say thanks for the help on buying a Buggy Board.
  
  We have just bought a Buggyboard Maxi from John Lewis (it was a bit of a nightmare to track down who sells them as the Lascal website doesn't really help!) and it was a doddle to fit it to our Micralite.
  
  By the way, is anyone else astounded that Micralite isn't the best-selling buggy - absolutely fantastic - I can't imagine having to use anything else (mainly because I can't bear the thought of pushing anything as heavy as most other pushchairs!)
  
  Cheers, fellow Micraliters!