Jogging Strollers Reviews

Baby Bargains, an excellent book by Alan and Denise Fields, takes the top spot in our All Reviews chart for all-terrain and jogging strollers. The Fields consider parent feedback and hands-on tests, and they also conduct interviews with both retailers and manufacturers before assigning ratings. Consumer Reports' latest tests of standard strollers are lacking in scope, but its coverage of 16 all-terrain and jogging strollers is excellent. Consumer Reports relies on more scientific methodology for its ratings, while Baby Bargains' approach includes factors such as aesthetics and parent feedback. Both review sources are credible, and the two jogging stroller reports complement each other nicely.

No one really comes close to Baby Bargains and Consumer Reports in evaluating all-terrain and jogging strollers. We found some great evaluations at Baby-Gaga.com, but this site hasn't been updated with any 2007 or 2008 testing. There's a little coverage of jogging strollers here and there at Runner's World and About.com, but there's no evidence that these two sources tested the strollers they recommend. There are lots of parent-written reviews for three-wheeled strollers at Amazon.com, Epinions, BabyCenter.com, JoggingStroller.com and many others. However, while the individual reviews can be helpful, most jogging strollers earn similar average ratings.

The jogging segment of the stroller market has really expanded over the last few years, with many manufacturers taking the three-wheel look of classic jogging strollers and adapting it into sportier-looking all-terrain strollers. In this report, we cover true joggers -- those with aluminum frames and the 16- to 20-inch wheels recommended by experts. We also discuss three-wheeled all-terrain strollers that are not intended for running, but are suitable for off-road hikes, walking and general use.

The Quinny Zapp (*est. $200) receives a lot of buzz on parenting sites. It has a sling-like seat that's reminiscent of a jogging stroller, and while the European version has three wheels, the version that's sold in the U.S. has four wheels and is more of a standard stroller. We cover the four-wheeled U.S. version of the Quinny Zapp in our companion report on umbrella strollers . We have seen mixed reviews for the three-wheeled version, with Australia's Choice magazine calling it unstable on hills and prone to tipping over. The U.S. version gets mixed reviews from parents who say it's lightweight and maneuverable, but unfortunately vulnerable to tipping. If you're considering this stroller and looking for reviews, just be aware of whether you're looking at a review of the European three-wheeled version or the U.S. four-wheeled Quinny Zapp.

When it comes to inexpensive all-terrain strollers, we easily found the best reviews from parents and experts for the Baby Trend Expedition LX (*est. $130). The Jeep Liberty Limited Urban Terrain Stroller (*est. $190) doesn't enjoy the same high regard in reviews. Testers at Choice magazine found the Jeep Liberty all-terrain stroller (made by Kolcraft) to be too bulky to fit into a standard trunk, and it failed some safety and durability tests. Testers at Baby-Gaga.com confirm that when folded, they couldn't get the Jeep stroller to fit in their Ford Taurus. Parents are mixed on its stability; some say it can be tippy when turning corners. Durability is also a mixed bag in reviews. The Jeep Liberty stroller is certainly full-featured, with a large canopy, huge storage basket, air-filled wheels and a kiddie toy tray, but we found better reviews for the Baby Trend Expedition.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

We found good reviews for phil&teds' innovative strollers, which convert into narrow, maneuverable double strollers with an optional doubles kit. Several BOB strollers get high marks for fitness walkers and runners. The latest BOB joggers are the Ironman and the Revolution, though we also found good reviews for the older BOB Sport Utility Stroller as well. We found the best reviews for the Mountain Buggy Urban Single all-terrain stroller, even though it's expensive. The Mountain Buggy has a fully reclining seat, so it's appropriate for newborn infants -- but it's not recommended for jogging.

We saw fewer reviews this time around for jogging strollers with 20-inch wheels, which used to be recommended most often for serious runners. Reviewers now say that 16-inch pneumatic tires are also fine.