Bugaboo Knockoff: First Wheels City 'Elite'
While on a recent trip to Toys R Us I noticed a stroller on display and was instantly impressed that the mega baby store was now carrying Bugaboo. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the stroller I was admiring was not a Bugaboo, but a 'First Wheels' City Elite.
This thing looked so much like a chameleon that I stood there and went over it for at least 10 minutes. In the end, one of the only differences that I could find was the price. This stroller was priced well lower than it's famous counterpart which immediately made me thing of a knock off handbag.
It would be one thing to design a stroller that loosely incorporates some of the great features of your competition, but another to completely copy almost every detail down to the wheel size.
I put together this chart to compare the two strollers. Some of the information is not available for the Bugaboo and I wasn't able to get a picture of the seat facing the same direction on both strollers.
First Wheels City Elite |  Bugaboo Cameleon | |
|---|---|---|
| reversible seat |  |  |
| reclining seat | | |
| 3 seat positions | | |
| height adjustable push bar | | |
| lockable front swivel wheels | | |
| easily manoeuvrable | | |
| comfort-ride suspension | | |
| aluminium lightweight frame | | |
| compact folding system | | |
| folded frame can stand independently | | |
| rain cover included | | |
| possible to place car seats on the frame with the adaptor set | | |
| size unfolded (length x width x height) | 89cm x 59cm x 106cm 35" x 23" x 42" | 24 in |
| size folded (length x width x height) | 84cm x 59cm x 28cm 33" x 23" x 11" | 85cm x 60cm x 30cm 33.1" x 23.6" x 12" |
| size carry cot (bassinet) (length x width x height) | 80cm x 39cm x 25cm 32" x 15" x 10" | 35.5" |
| weight stroller | 11 kg (26 lbs) | 9.5 kg (21 lbs) |
| weight carry cot | 4 kg (9 lbs) | 3,5 kg (8 lbs) |
| material seat, carry cot and accessories | 600 Denier nylon | 1000 Denier nylon |
| front tire size | 17cm (6.7") | 15.24cm (6") |
| rear tire size | 30,5cm (12") | 30,5cm (12") |
| tire pressure | 28PSI/ 2.0 bar | unknown |
The First wheels stroller would be perfect for moms who want a nice ride without the steep bottom line.
Trendy, need-to-be-seen moms will still choose the Bugaboo because of it's strong name and reputation.
The Cameleon comes ahead in the comparison with it's higher quality canvas fabric, roomier bassinet and extensive colour choices.
At the end of the day every parent has their own list of deal breakers and most of the time it's price. The average person won't go through the hassle of doing an indepth comparisson on both strollers before buying, they will choose the one that fits into their budget.
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