Review: Thule Sleek

I waited quite a while that some new interesting stroller came along that was really something exiting. There a couple more on the horizon right now (Micralite!), but the first to arrive was Thule Sleek. I have been following its arrival since the first sneak-peeks and was very eager to try it. I've had positive experiences with Thule before (Thule Urban Glide 2, I've been meaning to getting around to post about it as well). What I am really happy about is that Thule understands that strollers are used by a little bit older kids as well. My 2 year old does not use the stroller on a daily basis anymore (daycare + sometimes with bad weather she sleeps indoors), but because she isn't much of a hold-hand type and runs off a lot, strollers are still essential to us. 

Believe it or not, this was the first time I tried a stroller with an ergonomic seat. Plus it had been a while since I tried using a stroller with parent-facing seat. I was curious to see what my daughter thought of this combination.

Some technical information:

Weight: 12.7 kg

Carrying capacity: 15 kg (in the US 22 kg)

Footprint: 85x60.5 cm

Front wheels: 20 cm (8 inches)

Back wheels: 28 cm (11 inches)

Folded dimensions: 83x60.5x48 cm

Seat dimensions: seat back height 48 cm, seat 20 cm, footrest 27-28 cm (seat + footrest 47-48 cm), width inside the seat 24 cm, at the outer edge 30 cm.

Shopping basket carrying capacity: 5 kg

What I like about Thule Sleek?

• Good suspension, perfect for the city, but can handle some terrain too if needed. We tried it on asphalt, light gravel, cobblestone streets in the old town and public transport.
• Easy to steer, even with one hand, the handle is sturdy
• The frame is sturdy, unlike Cybex Priam which feels to fragile to me (some comparison pictures below), yet a little flexible.
• Because it also converts into a double stroller it has a little bit longer footprint than some single strollers, but it is good when going over the gap between sidewalk and bus for example. 
• Curb-pop is fairly easy.
• It has a sporty look, but not too sporty, so does not dictate what you ought to wear
• The seat is long and wide enough for a toddler with a padded overall. Thule says it fits even a child that is 111 cm tall. And you can raise the canopy! I don't know many others that have this possibility except Emmaljunga NXT30 and Easywalker Mosey/Mosey+/Charley)
• The canopy has ventilation options and a peek-in window.
• I was very happy that the seat was quite light - easy to turn around facing the other way.
• The stroller is quite high (116 cm) and the seat too is located quite high, perfect for average or tall parents. If you are unsure, try it out first. 
• Wheels are reflective, perfect for our dark autumn and winter.
• The seat is facing up when folded, easy to leave the foot-muff or sleeping bag in it in the winter.
• Although it takes to hands to fold, it is still quite easy.
• The shopping basket is not huge, but still can handle 5 kg and the best part is that it is closed by zippers and magnets so things don´t get dirty. 
• Thule strollers have my favorite bumper bar (so far)! Opens like a gate, easy to use when carrying a child in the other hand. 
• You can choose which seat belt harness you want to use, just the upper or just the lower ones.

What could be improved?

• I wish it was a little lighter, perhaps Thule could do a stroller just for one kid without possibility for double stroller next, maybe then it would be a bit lighter. But it is still very much in the same weight range with e.g. Cybex Priam.
• Perhaps this is just me, I am quite tall and not really used to parent facing seats. I was not really able to see my kid´s face when the canopy was down. Too long of a canopy - no , too tall parent - perhaps, too tall of a kid - perhaps. So I found it difficult to find the right position of just seeing enough but still offering enough sunshade for her.
• Ideally it could be a little smaller when folded. I am not sure it would fit in a smaller car e.g Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris easily without folding down the back seats. But in larger cars, it was fine. So it is compact but not as compact as I am used to with my Bumbleride indie.
• If I used it daily, I would worry about staining the footrest. I wish it had some other material that could be more easily cleaned or some cover on top of it. Toddler´s feet tend to get dirty. But I am sure something could be custom made.

Accessories:

I quite liked the accessories that Sleek came with, but some of them did raise some questions. First of all, the organizer is great, but the place the organizer is meant to be attached to (on the fram under the seat) is a bit confusing me. Loses the point of an organizer for me... but theoretically nobody is stopping you from using it on the handle if you feel like it.

The diaper bag looks like good quality, and has plenty of pockets. The rain-cover is very tight, as Thule's are usually, but works well. 

Thule has nice color alternatives and the fabric is bit less sporty than on Urban Glide 2, still water and dirt resistant, UV protection is included as well. 

Overall I think Thule has done a wonderful job with Thule Sleek! I wish I had bought something like this as my first stroller. It is sort of in the middle of the road and would therefore suit many families - city stroller that is ok to take to the park or a few kilometer hiking trail, small enough to fit into most cars, fits a toddler and once the family grows, you can turn it into a double stroller. Good choice also for those who really want to stick to just one stroller for a long time.

The official seller of Thule Sleek in Estonia is Stroller24.