iCandy Peach Blossom 2 Review

Quick Summary: Yes, the iCandy Peach Blossom 2 is expensive, but never has ‘you get what you pay for' been so poignant. The fabrics are great quality and so are the mechanics; everything clicks properly, moves fluidly with the least possible resistance. Aesthetically it is beautiful to look at, the matching chrome edged canopies give it that ‘new' look for longer and the attention to detail, like the ‘iCandy' branding on the zip fobs, show the care taken to make it look this good.

We thought that iCandy had surpassed themselves with their Peach 2, scoring 4.5 out of 5 in our review but it's only when you transform it to carry two children that you really see the beautiful simplicity that iCandy have applied to the age old problem of transporting two children, whilst still making it comfortable for all involved.

I don't imagine that many parents buy a double pushchair from the outset of their journey into parenthood. Most of us will start with a single and work up to a double, if and when a second child comes along. So the Blossom 2 convertion kit will generally be purchased as an add-on to the Peach 2 pushchair.

The Peach 2 pushchair costs £595 and comes with the chassis, main seat and raincover. The Blossom conversion kit costs £190 and comes with the lower seat, new Pip converter bars and raincover. Put the two together and you have the iCandy Peach Blossom 2. Although there aren't any discounts for taking the plunge and buying the whole lot in one bundle, I'm sure individual retailers will incentivise the full purchase if you're canny where you buy.

Peach Blossom 2 - Double pushchair

One of the main improvements to the Peach Blossom 2 has been made to the Blossom Pip converter bars that allow the chassis to accommodate a second seat/car seat. They are now slightly longer and sit a fraction wider to allow for the increased width of the new lower seat and the Blossom 2 carrycot. These changes not only improve the clearance between the main and lower seat unit but allow for a third upright position on the lower seat.

The beauty about the Peach Blossom 2 transformation, from single to double, is that you won't need degree level engineering to fathom out how it all goes together. It's so transparently easy that it takes little time to assemble, meaning that your time away from the house, in car or on foot, is hassle free.

Easy conversion

Starting from the naked chassis, take one of the L-shaped adaptors and insert the silver mounting peg into one of the sockets on the frame. It will become obvious when you attach it whether you have the right or left adaptor, because the lower part of the ‘L' clamps onto the top of the basket; if it doesn't, you are on the wrong side.

When clipped into place, the main seat unit drops into the new front socket, then the Blossom 2 seat drops into the lower socket. The lengthening of the converter means there is definitely more room for the rear passenger plus the changes made to the Blossom seat means that neither child is compromised on space.

No compromise on seating

The Blossom 2 seat has been increased in width from 285mm to 310mm and the leg rest increased from 160mm to 225mm with a 20% overall increase in size, plus it has a three position recline, surpassing the main seat which only has two. The Blossom seat is easy to recognize because the chrome frame doesn't extend to the bottom of the calf rest and the mounting pegs have a colour coded yellow tip to line up with the yellow interior of the lower socket.

The release and recline controls are found in the same place; at the grey hub, where the outer circle button will allow you to detach the seat and the central button will recline it. Unlike the previous version, the new Peach Blossom 2 seat doesn't have a bumper bar which allows much greater access to the seat as well as preventing any potential entrapment hazards.

Accessories

The new Blossom 2 carrycot has been enlarged and is now about the same size as the previous upper carrycot. It can be used in conjunction with a carseat, or toddler seat unit

The liners for both the main seat and the lower seat are now sold separately. Previously, many people mistook the seat to be too small because the liner was included; when removed, both seats are generous in size.

Now that the size of the lower seat has been brought into line with the main seat unit, the tailored footmuff for the lower seat has been abandoned in favour of using the same size on each seat. Once again, this eliminates the hassle factor of trying to fathom out which footmuff goes where when you are in a hurry.

Car seat adaptors are sold separately and can now accommodate the Maxi-Cosi Pebble. Unfortunately, you won't be able to use any existing car seat adaptors on the lower seat sockets of the converter because they have been widened to accommodate the new, wider, Blossom 2 seat, so you will have to purchase specific Peach Blossom 2 lower adaptors. To spot the difference, the new ones have grey coloured release buttons.

Conclusion

Without doubt, the benefits of having a double pushchair on a single seat wheelbase are obvious, plus all the problems of heavy steering and mounting kerbs seem more balanced through the repositioning of the second seat.

I have put the seats together in a variety of combinations and believe me, you don't need the instructions. I have been amazed how it becomes fast and familiar within such a short amount of time. The colour coding, the easy release mechanism and the lightweight units all contribute to this hassle-free, dream machine.

Yes, the iCandy Peach Blossom 2 is expensive, but never has ‘you get what you pay for' been so poignant. The fabrics are great quality and so are the mechanics; everything clicks properly, moves fluidly with the least possible resistance. Aesthetically it is beautiful to look at, the matching chrome edged canopies give it that ‘new' look for longer and the attention to detail, like the ‘iCandy' branding on the zip fobs, show the care taken to make it look this good.

The new Blossom adaptors have made all the difference to this pushchair; they give the rear passenger more space to enjoy their ride.