Design
The Fleet Street is one of Valco's more basic umbrella stroller options. The seat is made from a durable polyester fabric and the chassis is lightweight aluminum. As with all umbrella style prams it is small and nifty.
It comes in red, navy and black with a wide pinstripe. The chassis is finished in a white powder coat giving the pram its distinctive look.
The Fleet Street is a budget pram and the components are of reasonable quality. The harness is one of those typical plastic pinchy ones so keep your fingers clear from it.
Features
This pram features comfortable padded handles, wipe down seat fabric, a four level reclining seat, a side handle for carrying and shoulder strap pads for your baby's comfort. It also has an adjustable footrest and little flap at the top of the seat which you can adjust to create a bassinet.
It has a small under seat basket which is easy to get into when the seat is upright but inaccessible when the seat is reclined. The hood does not extend far so if you spend a lot of time outdoors it may be wise to invest in a sunshade.
The seat is basic with not a lot of padding and the recline mechanism is easy to use but you have to bend down and use both hands.
Performance
The Fleet Street rates well for manageability. The wheels are a good size and handle curbs well; they swivel and are lockable which help it handle more difficult surfaces. The pram handles are a good height for the average sized parent and you can push this pram with one hand if needed (but not for long distances).
The fold mechanism is easy to use and the pram has a little clip on the side to keep the folded pram secure. Once folded, the pram is small and will fit into the boot of a small car.
There is a brake on each wheel and they are on the stiff side. They take some effort to engage and disengage so don't plan on wearing sandals anytime soon. Having said that once the brakes are on, this pram is going nowhere fast.
The Fleet Street is a good size for wheeling onto public transport and you can get a travel bag so it’s a good budget option for travel.
Drawbacks
I'd think twice before using the Fleet Street for a newborn for long periods of time. The ‘flat’ recline setting is sloped and some sort of infant insert or carry cot is needed to add a bit of padding. The harness, although adjustable, is on the larger side, better suited to a toddler than a baby.
The seat is shallow, it comfortably fits the average sized toddler’s bottom (around 2 yrs) but once your child gets larger they may get a little squashed and their legs are likely to dangle over the footrest.
Valco is often guilty of my pet hate which is not including a rain cover. At least a rain cover for the Fleet Street only costs $19.00. You can also get other Valco accessories at a reasonable price.
You should also be cautious that this pram can tip when empty, especially when there is a toddler rummaging around the basket for treasure. This is the case will all umbrella prams.
Our Best Buys tester said
Our tester used the pram regularly on public transport and liked the way it was lightweight and folded easily when she needed it to. However, she did find the that hood warped over time. She rated the Fleetstreet highly for maneuverability and noted the chassis and tires have worm well over time.
The basket was smaller than she would have liked and suggested that a window on the hood would have been useful, particularly when you have a younger baby in the pram. She agreed that the Fleet Street was better suited to an older child.
Conclusion
The Fleet Street is a smart looking pram in a tie-wearing kind of way and performs it's duty well.
It’s not my top pick for an infant but a great budget option with lots of features if you are looking to downsize from a big baby pram to a nifty toddler mover or if you want a basic umbrella pram for travel.
About Valco
Yeah! Valco is an Aussie company producing a wide range of prams and accessories and distributing them around the world.
