We have had the My3 3-wheeler travel system for around a year now, so I thought it was about time for me to say what I thought of it.
We looked around at lots of prams, I liked the 3 wheel Phil and Ted style, simple and robust, where as Mrs WB liked the more conventional 4 wheel designs.
We compromised when we saw a re-badged Quinny in the shape of the My3 3-wheeler travel system from Mothercare. In typical Mothercare style, everything came with it ( apart oddly from the parasol ), pram, cot / seat, cosy-toes covers ( for car seat and pram ), car seat and rain cover.
It doesn’t fold down to a terribly small form, but the wheels pop off easily making it a reasonable fit in most car boot spaces. One of my initial concerns was that the frame seemed flimsy, the joints and hinges flexed a lot, so when lifting the front wheel over a curb by pushing down on the handle a lot of movement occurred prior to the wheel lifting. This hasn’t developed into anything nasty and it still does this, in some respects it acts a form of suspension and the worry was unfounded.
The under seat storage isnt massive and looks a little vulnerable with only a small peice of Velcro to keep the lid down, again, it has worked well, however I wouldn’t trust valuables to be stored in there. This too has had survived, snow, rain, mud and dust very well, all brushing off easily to keep things smart and clean.
The foot break works well, with one central foot peddle in the middle of the rear axle which locks both the rear wheels easily and without fuss.
It has washed and wiped down well, without loosing colour or shape as some fabric scan. The only discolouration was on the rain cover, a small section of it has gone a slight smoky brown colour, I think from contamination with something damp, but other than that, again the rain cover has worked well keeping cold winds and rain off, in fact there was several incidents when I did think about joining Worrybomb in the pram to keep dry and warm!
The pneumatic wheels have been good, a bit heavy to steer when the pram is in the horizontal position, but with the weight over the rear wheels in the normal ( six months plus ) mode its very easy to manoeuvre around. One issue we have had is that the front wheel when lifted to climb a curb or step sometimes flops 90 degrees to one side making forward progress very hard, this I think depends on how much you tilt the pram / how high the step is, its a pain, especially when Worrybomb is sleeping and we want to creep into the house, only to have the pram jolt to a stop because the front wheel has turned sideways.
We haven’t had any puncture issues even with the reasonable amount of off-roading we do with it. You get a pump with the kit, but no spanners to remove the front wheel. You also don’t get a puncture repair kit, but any bike shop can sell you one for a few pounds. We fitted a puncture proof layer between the inner tube and the tire, again, this came from a bike shop and might have helped with punctures.
Worrybomb likes the pram and the ability to have it facing both ways so when young she used to face us, but now as her inquisitive nature has started to form, she likes to look out and watch the world, when younger she preferred to sit up in the back of the horizontal bed, leaning film star like on the back, with her arms on the sides grinning at everyone.
Its a year old now and in relatively good condition, certainly with a wash and rub down it would look pretty much as new, so its certainly lasted in this respect, the black colouring as well wont date and although not as leery as the acid greens and red of some, it looks very smart and blends in well to any surrounding.
The car seat has been fine, from her first trip home last November up until recently she has enjoyed riding in it, normally she falls asleep in a few minutes of settling down. Getting it in and out depends a little on your car, but its fitted a variety of large and small cars easily. We have used it a couple of times as an emergency pram seat as well, but we preferred at first to have her lying and now like to be able to swap the seat from upright to laying when she falls asleep as it looks more comfortable. This conversion is very easy with two large buttons that unlock and then allow the seat to click into position.
Its been ideal and a great purchase, its easy to push ( even with long legs, I rarely kick the rear axle ), it keeps clean, it folds down reasonably well and is sturdy enough to have survived our driving around.
Plus points
- works well
- comfortable
- keeps clean easily
- good over rough and smooth ground
- adjustable hight bar for pushing
Drawbacks
- it only comes in black
- size for storage
- feels a little flimsy
Would I recommend it, yes, I think I would, the system is pretty good and certainly great for the price. It might not be as funky in the colour department, but the design and usability is top rate.
Mothercare
