Yippie Yo Crossbuggy Review

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Every now and again, it’s good to try something different. Never mind 4 wheelers or even 3 wheelers, this is a beautifully designed, heavy-duty 2 wheeler that will tackle any off-road terrain, unlike any other pushchair you’ve seen.

Oh, and you pull it. Does that make it a ‘pullchair?’

Overview of the Yippie Yo Crossbuggy

YippieYo has effectively created a new category of child transport. These buggies are specially designed for off-road use, created to manoeuvre over the toughest terrain and live to tell the tale. Not to mention they pride themselves on the comfort of the mini passengers.

I liken this to a roman chariot. Minus the whipping. And the furious fighting to the death in the colosseum; although some baby & toddler groups do get quite competitive. Especially with the mums!

There’s a reason why the British army used Land Rovers in WWII; because they were built incredibly well, were reliable and could tackle any terrain they faced. The Yippie Yo Crossbuggy is exactly the same. It’s built to last from strong corrosion-resistant aluminium. And check out what they say on their website:

The metal is formed into shape by means of a state-of-the-art tube-bending technique. Each element undergoes a separate tolerance test before being welded by hand to create a robust framework. Manufacturing is carried out in Switzerland, while the assembly takes place in a large sheltered workshop that employs people with disabilities. All the other components are purchased from renowned brand manufacturers within the EU. The chassis is totally recyclable.

This clearly demonstrates the ethos and values of the company. Values that I can buy into very easily.

The fact that it only has 2 wheels (1 axle) combined with the ‘pull’ (rather than push) make it highly manoeuvrable over any obstacle it may encounter. That in turn with the mountain bike components, make this an off-road force to be reckoned with.

At £500+, it is pricey. But if you want the best tool for the job, sometimes you have to pay for it. You can also customise your colour and wheel schemes, so that’s a neat element included in the price.

Out The Box

The box is quite large. But that’s because the Yippie Yo Crossbuggy comes pretty much all set up ready to go. You simply clip in the wheels. Bonus!

Performance

This buggy is engineered exceptionally well making it a dream to pull. This is down to the perfect balance on the axle & wheels. Even when ‘Grandma’ gave it a pull, she commented on how well it was balanced making it feel easy to pull without much effort, despite the weight of a couple of tykes in the back!

The ride is smooth, even over gravel; primarily because of the off-road tyres, large wheels with excellent bearings and suspension system.

It can turn on the spot making it fantastic at working its way round roots & rocks and on top of this, the frame is built with robustness in mind. Disc brakes add a fantastic extra safety element, as well as having some neat features such as a carry rack, mesh pouch, lights & a change bag.

This buggy is also exceptionally safe. Here are some of the safety features:

The low point of gravity prevents the buggy tipping to the side, even on steep slopes.
The carrying rack doubles up as an anti-tip device, preventing the buggy from tipping backwards.
Two 5-point safety harnesses ensure that both children are securely strapped in.
The patented frame construction, in combination with the suspension elements and “solight ecco” tyres, ensure optimum shock absorption, even on bumpy terrain.
Disc wheels and special finger-guard elements prevent children from interfering with the wheels.
The solid aluminium seat shell and the side protection elements protect against possible obstacles on the ground.
The high-quality disc brakes on the wheels offer excellent control on steep terrain and secure the buggy when parked.
The YippieYo has no sharp or chafing edges or pinch points.
All materials are certified and contain no harmful substances.

Usability

The Yippie Yo Crossbuggy is designed to be the ultimate off-road child transport device. And it is. For the purpose of trekking through the woods, hiking up a mountain, splashing through streams or walking through gorges with the kids, this is the machine you need. Pulling is much easier than pushing when the resistance (i.e. being off-road) is greater. On steep hills, it can be tough work to pull the weight of the buggy and 2 children, but far easier than if you were pushing the same weight.

By purchasing a purpose built buggy, in this case, a crossbuggy designed for off-road use, you’re limiting yourself to that 1 purpose. This is not a multi-purpose product. Because it’s built for off-road, that means using it for everyday ‘buggying’ is far from ideal. Its weight means you can’t chuck in the boot easily, especially with my wife’s pigeon wings for arms and the size makes it difficult to store, so you need a decent size shed, utility room or garage. Despite the awesome manoeuvrability, walking through shops in town is difficult because it is a lump of a machine. As an everyday buggy, it just wouldn’t work.

It does mean that you need to bear in mind, this will probably not be your only pushchair. You’ll have to have another one for those occasions when you need to nip into town.

For me, it comes down to lifestyle. If you the type of family to spend all weekend outdoors, trekking over the hills and far away and you want to take the kids, you won’t find a more perfect product. If you want to use a buggy off-road, this is the one for you.

The Verdict

For what it’s designed for, you won’t find better and so for this reason, the Yippie Yo Crossbuggy receives an official Dad Network star rating of 5 / 5 stars.