As mentioned last night, I was gonna get a few miles in this morning before work. My legs felt tired. I’m blaming it on not enough rest. I finished my run at about 9pm, so so that means less than 12 hrs of recovery.
I was excited about running today cause I was really going to get a chance to test a jogging stroller.
I’m a 1st time parent to an 8 month old boy named Sam (after my Dad). One of my major training hurdles lately is trying to make time for running. My wife’s work schedule is erratic to say the least. So any running would have to be done while she was home to be with Sam.
In order to combat this problem I started researching jogging strollers. GOOD LORD, there’s a ton of them, but whats the difference, besides several hundred dollars.
The most popular brand is B.O.B Gear, they came highly recommended from several runners I know. B.O.B joggers have a price tag between $300 & $400 dollars… Yikes
Next on the list was Schwinn, they run between $160 (on Amazon.com) & $330.. Ok more manageable.
Finally I found Baby Trend, Target.com has them between $100 & $200 (for a double).
I hit up a couple of stores to check some of these strollers out. First was the B.O.B. Revolution It felt pretty heavy duty, the the guy at the store said it came assembled which is nice and it had a front wheel that could be locked or swivel. But at $389 I can’t say I saw many features that warranted the cost, and I wasn’t able to try it out. However the people at B.O.B. did say I could watch demos online.
Then I looked at the Schwinn. I had high hopes based solely on the *Schwinn* name. The only one I could find in store was the Joy Rider Jogger. What hit me right away was the lack of a swivel wheel. I live in a 1.5 bed room condo, so maneuverability is a must. The Schwinn does not come assembled, and has larger wheels than the others. It does fold and I’m told they have other models available online. This will set you back $330.
And now the Baby Trend Expedition. It has a similar look to the B.O.B. I went to Target to get a closer look but it is a product that was only available online. I called Baby Trend to see where I could locate one. Locally they can be found at Babies R Us. The frame isn’t as heavy as the B.O.B, but it’s definitely not flimsy. It seems to have about the same amount of “features” including the lockable swivel wheel. It does NOT come assembled, but assembly took about 5 minutes. It’s foldable like the others too. $119 at Target.com… SOLD!!!
So to answer the question “What do I get in a $389 stroller that I don’t get in a $119 stroller?”
Answer: A lighter wallet.
I took my new Baby Trend along the lake path this morning and it was great. It rides smooth enough that Sam fell asleep of the back half of the run.
Finally having a jogging stroller will definitely make it easier to MAKE time to run instead of FINDING time to run!
Phil Castello 
I’ve been looking for a double stroller…and we LOVE Baby Trend. I”m going to check out their double jogger! Awesome!