Stroller Baby Jogger

The Strollers
The biggest change since the last time we reviewed jogging strollers (in 2002) is the swivel-option front wheel. In the past, jogging strollers were for just that: jogging (or running, as we Americans tend to call it). So a family generally had to own a "regular" stroller and one used for running. Most major brands of jogging strollers now provide parents an option to get 2-in-1 with a front wheel that can be locked into place for running or turned loose and allowed to swivel, making the stroller much nicer to use for walking. The result is that while your stroller garage now requires only one parking place, the stroller has gotten more complicated as companies try to satisfy the needs of users in more situations. It is conceivable that parents who don't run at all would purchase one of these strollers since the big wheels and comfortable handles tend to make them much easier to push than the ones with the small plastic wheels.

The other big change since our last review is that the wheels, as a general rule, have gotten much smaller. The largest wheels in 2002 were 24 inches and many measured in around 20". In 2009, however, the largest wheel size, 16" was shared by several of the strollers and many were smaller.


Baby Jogger Summit 360$400

Stability and safety are the name of the game for the Summit 360. And it is probably a very nice stroller to push along for the runner as well, so long as you are tall enough for the handlebar. I found that my 5'6" height was a bit short for the stroller, and the handlebar does not adjust down. The manufacturer did not think that an adjustable handlebar could withstand the constant pressure that running would inflict on the handlebar. That said, this stroller would be a top pick from the rider's point of view. The harness is easy to use and didn't impede Oscar's ability to move or turn his head. The seat, which is set deeply between the frame, the wide wheel base and the aggressive shocks on the rear wheels provide a stable, secure and protected ride.

The front wheel does have a swivel option to make it easier to maneuver in small spaces; however, the swivel wheel can't do anything about the large size of the stroller. We were surprised how easily the stroller rolled, and it would be great for walking, but the high handle and stable wheel base made it difficult to maneuver while on the run.
RECOMMENDED FOR: The tall, safety-first kind of parent.
BOB Ironman
$349

When I first started testing the jogging strollers, the cute little hand brakes made me giggle. It seemed like a vestigial appendage. Before long, though, I found myself reaching for one of the strollers with this attribute when I was heading out on a run more often than not. In the West Virginia mountains, where the roads are steep and decidedly not straight, any significant downhill must be run in a braking motion to keep the stroller from getting out of control. Unless, that is, the stroller was equipped with a front hand brake, in which case I could simply squeeze the brake and continue running down the hill as I normally would. Among other things, the Ironman has this going for it.

The Ironman is a solid, lightweight, well-made piece of equipment that almost seems to roll forward on its own. It collapses easily in two simple steps and can be opened and ready to roll with one jerk of one hand.

The Ironman is designed purely as a runner's stroller. Therefore the front wheel is fixed, with no swivel option, there is a hand brake and all the wheels are the larger, 16-inch size. The stroller is weighted slightly towards the rear, which makes maneuvering it, even with the fixed wheel, a breeze when running and walking. This shift of weight meant that I didn't have to slow my pace to make it around tight corners. The handle is not adjustable but was a fine height for my 5-foot 6-inch frame. We found the sun shade wasn't as adjustable as we'd have liked so invariably when running in the evening, Oscar got a face full of sunshine at some point in the run, which would make him squirm.
RECOMMENDED FOR: The hip, fit parent who wants to take her kid on lots of long training runs.
Mountain Buggy Terrain
$499

With the Terrain model, Mountain Buggy has created a winner of a baby jogger. This buggy covers all the bases -- it is stable enough for walking, has an easily adjustable handlebar, slim profile, handbrake and is easy to collapse. It appears to be extremely comfortable for the rider (Oscar loves it above all the others) and runner (it's lightweight, rolls easily and covers rough terrain with ease). Plenty of storage space is available in the zippered bottom basket for "running" errands and the sunshade does a great job of living up to it's name.

The 5-point harness unclips in two locations so you can completely release your child without having to thread arms through loops, or you can leave the shoulder straps clipped in so the child who is excited to ride in the Terrain can be strapped up in one smooth step.

The biggest technological leap in this model is that when the wheel is in the fixed position for running, it still has a very slight amount of give to it. This small change means that while it is "fixed" and safe for running, you have some amount of steering ability, without having to lift the front wheel off the ground. This fine-tune control allows you to easily avoid potholes, rocks, bumps and go around slight turns with one hand on the handlebar and without even really thinking about it. Brilliant.

We'd say that Adam and Kara Goucher chose well when they picked this Mountain Buggy as their jogging stroller after the birth of their son.
RECOMMENDED FOR: We can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like this buggy.
Schwinn Free Rider
$219

The Schwinn was the other stroller in our review that came equipped with a hand brake. It is also the other stroller that doesn't have the front wheel swivel option. In fact, the Schwinn is your basic, everyday running stroller, and it fills that niche very nicely.

As the least expensive stroller in this review, it is purely functional and sufficient in every way. The simple harness can secure babies of all sizes, and the sun visor can be adjusted to shade the baby from sun coming from any angle.

The stroller has great appeal to the more practical among us. It has everything you need, and none of the frills. It collapses simply and effectively. We were able to fit it in the car along with all our other gear for a weekend camping trip. It can be pulled apart and set back up properly with one arm. The handlebar adjusts up or down to fit runners of all sizes.

The only thing we didn't like about this stroller was that the foot brake had no locked up position, so it would tend to fall down, especially on rougher terrain, and make an annoying clatter where it rubbed on the axle.
RECOMMENDED FOR: The practical, budget-conscious runner.
Phil and Ted's Sport
$449

Note: Manufacturer states that the phil&teds Sport buggy is not designed specifically for jogging. Its 3 wheel design provides extra maneuverability with it's inline configuration, both as a single and a double stroller.

The options this stroller provides are endless. The seat can lay flat so you can take your newborn infant for a walk or you can sit him up and give him a handlebar to hold on to when he gets older. You can snap on an extra seat and make it an insta-double stroller that can carry up to 88 pounds of child between the two seats. The stroller has a narrow wheel base, which makes it invaluable for trucking around town and through crowded areas, and as a double stroller it is equally as narrow and not much longer. The handlebar is adjustable for different heights, and the safety harness is nice to use because it snaps together in the middle so you don't have to wrestle your child's hands through a strap, which they often don't enjoy.

This stroller isn't as smooth as the others over rough terrain and the weight is well centered, making it more difficult to maneuver when it is in the fixed wheel position, but it really was fun to use on roads and rail trails. Oscar fell asleep in short order, and I found it easy to push and fun to use. It felt like a small, loaded sports car next to the larger strollers we reviewed.

Phil and Ted's have made some breakthrough changes with this stroller that we expect we'll start seeing creep into other manufacturers' products, but some of the features that make this stroller so practical make it a bit difficult to use in other ways. This was the most complicated stroller to assemble out of the box. There were lots of parts to put together and the provided directions consisted of small square diagrams depicting each step of the process. It was also tricky to collapse for storage or stowing in the car, and equally confusing to set back up again.

This stroller's place as the most expensive single stroller in the review is misleading. The Phil & Ted's Sport can be easily used while you workout, shop, walk and travel and since it can adapt to holding two kids, you won't find yourself in the market for yet another stroller when your family increases the second time around. It is more of an investment up front, but for the right person, the investment will pay off in the end.
RECOMMENDED FOR: The sometimes-runner who never wants to buy another stroller.

BOB Revolution
$389

BOB strollers tend towards the more expensive side. But they look and feel the part; in this case, you are really getting the quality that you pay for. The BOB Revolution is the stroller that Michael Wardian used when (along with his son Pierce) he set the still-standing world record of 2:42:21 for a marathon run with a jogging stroller. Wardian's take on the Revolution? "It is a money stroller."

Obviously, it is amenable to smooth riding, even at fast paces, and the swivel-wheel option makes it versatile for non-running uses as well.

The Revolution uses the same simple collapse and set-up mechanism as the Ironman and because it has smaller wheels, is a bit smaller still when it is in the collapsed position. The handlebar is not adjustable, but its horizontal orientation makes it work for many heights. If you're particularly short or tall, you might have trouble with the handlebar height, but it seems to work just fine for most runners. The BOB strollers have the nicest parking brake mechanism of any of the strollers we looked at. The spring-loaded foot brake is easy to engage and disengage, and stays solidly where it should when in use and not in use.
Recommended for: The hip, fit parent who isn't comfortable using a fixed-wheel stroller for other tasks around town.
Kelty Speedster Swivel Deluxe

The two features I noticed first about the Kelty were the narrow profile and the bell. Both of these features lend the stroller towards use in crowded areas but even in the rural area where we live, they were appreciated. The narrow stroller made it easier to crowd to the side of the road when a car was passing, and what kid doesn't like playing games with the bell?

The sun canopy was fully adjustable -- we could shield Oscar's toes from the sun if we wanted to, and the adjustable handlebar and runner's water bottle holder make this a great stroller to use for runners of all sizes on long runs. The padded harness is comfortable when adjusted properly, but difficult to use for smaller or younger children.

The stroller breaks down easily and intuitively, and it's possible to set it back up with one hand, but much quicker and easier with two. The Kelty has a unique parking brake mechanism with a separate brake for each wheel, so for a quick stop, you can easily punch the brake onto one back wheel and for longer or hillier stops, two jabs of the foot are needed.

The Kelty's 85-pound weight capacity is the largest of any of the single strollers we reviewed. It does have the swivel wheel option for non-running activities.
RECOMMENDED FOR: City runners who want to take their kid on long runs for many years.