We aren’t runners (or at least weren’t runners before babies), but boy do we love our jogging strollers! Specifically, we super heart BOB strollers.

C in BOB

Above: The Trikester chilling in his BOB Sport Utility.

With my first baby, I didn’t register for a jogging stroller, or even think I wanted one. My mother-in-law stumbled across a floor model of a BOB Sport Utility stroller at the Lands End outlet, and snatched it up as a shower present. At the time, I wasn’t all that pumped, but it proved to be the awesomest present ever. When baby #2 arrived, we used a generous monetary gift from my mom to purchase a second BOB – this time we got the Revolution Duallie which has done a fantastic job handling two kids.

Why Buy a Jogging Stroller?

I didn’t think I needed a jogging stroller because we weren’t runners, but I’ve discovered that jogging strollers are great for anyone that wants to exercise post-baby. Once you have kids, your ability to workout in traditional ways goes out the window. With limited child care, a fussy infant, and no gym membership, my best bet for exercising with the Trikester proved to be looong walks, and eventually a Couch to 5K program. A jogging stroller allowed me to burn calories and spend time with my baby. Obviously, if you’re a hard core athlete that loves to run you’ll make great use of a jogging stroller, too. My brother is an Ironman level competitor (I clearly did not get those genes), and a jogging stroller is a must in his house.

Jogging strollers are also a good bet for suburban and rural mamas who anticipate walking outdoors in a winter climate or on unpaved surfaces. Jogging strollers tend to have a suspension system and large, oversized tires, making them perfect off road activities.

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Winter Strollers

Above: The BOB Sport Utility rocks the road in all weather conditions. 

We’ve had experience with both the BOB Sport Utility and the BOB Revolution. Although each of them are considered jogging strollers, there are a few features that make them suited to different purposes.

BOB Sport Utility Features

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Above: BOB Sport Utility stroller

The Sport Utility has large, oversized tires and a fixed front wheel that can be removed relatively easily when stowing the stroller in a car. There’s a seriously heavy-duty suspension system with shocks and springs, and a hand brake that stops the front wheel when you apply pressure. The seat reclines and your child can be secured with a 5 point safety-harness. The canopy is generous and sturdy, and provides a good amount of shade.

As far as storage goes, there’s a roomy basket under the seat, and a mesh pocket across the back of the stroller. Inside the seat there are also a couple of small mesh pockets that your child can access when sitting down. The stroller does not come with snack trays or drink holders.The stroller collapses by lifting a lever and pulling a cord.

BOB Sport Utility PROS

  • The stroller is an easily controlled tank. You can hit all kinds of potholes, drive through three inches of slush or snow, and go off trail without worry. Between the fixed front wheel and the hand brake, I felt very secure pushing it down hill, even at high speeds.
  • The stroller glides beautifully. It’s a smooth, easy ride for both the pusher and pushee; on a flat surface, I can easily push and steer with one or two fingers while running.
  • It’s easy to collapse and fold. It’s not all that small once collapsed, but the process of making it a slightly more manageable size is a breeze.
  • The parking brake is really easy to engage with the toe of your sneaker and feels very, very secure.

BOB Sport Utility CONS

  • The fixed front wheel that makes it ideal for going off road and jogging makes it rather impractical for the mall or tight places. We did eventually take it to stores, and although the Trikester is super comfortable, it’s a tight squeeze down aisles and between racks. This stroller does not turn on a dime.
  • You have to pay extra for snack trays and cup holders. We didn’t upgrade with this stroller, but we did with our second because we missed them so much the first time around.
  • It’s not compact. Yes, it folds, and yes, I can fit it in the back of my Subaru Outback Wagon, but it’s heavy, and bulky, and if I had a smaller car I’d probably be out of luck.

BOB Revolution Duallie Features

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Above: BOB Revolution Duallie

Like the Sport Utility, the Revolution also has large, knobby tires, but they’re slightly less aggressive. Because it’s a Duallie, it has two seats – one for each kid. The suspension system is similar, but my model doesn’t have a hand brake. Another huge difference is the front wheel – the Revolution’s wheel can be set to either a fixed OR rotating position by moving a pin. It’s got the same well padded seats and five point harness, but the canopy is even more generous in size, opening in stages to get just the right amount of coverage (in the photo above the canopy is only half way open – when it’s fully expanded, only the tips of the Trikester’s toes peak out from underneath). Like the Sport Utility, the canopy has a clear plastic top that allows you to see you child sitting below.

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Above: The Trikester and Luigi trying out the new BOB Duallie in the living room

Revolution Duallie PROS

  • The flexible front wheel means I can run with it AND take it to the mall. Even though the stroller is large, it turns VERY easily. I can do a K-turn on our garden path with the stroller and it’s a narrow space less than three feet wide.
  • It’s huge, but it’s not really any bigger than the Sport Utility. Even though it’s a double jogger, I can still fit it in the back of the Outback without having to remove the front wheel.
  • The stroller isn’t light weight, but it still glides really, really well, even when loaded down with two kids.
  • I can attach my Chicco car seat. Yes, I had to pay extra for the adapter, but I’ve loved being able to snap the baby’s car seat onto one side and put the toddler on the other.

Revolution Duallie CONS

  • The stroller isn’t as stable as the Sport Utility. Even when the front wheel is locked, it feels less like a tank and a little more like a typical stroller. It can’t handle slushy, snowy, bumpy roads as well as the other model we have and I get nervous about it tipping if a tire goes off the curb. (To be fair, I’m comparing a double to a single, so it’s not necessarily an even playing field.)
  • It takes some muscle to keep the stroller in a straight line when pushing it on a road or sidewalk with the front wheel in the rotating position. It’s a big stroller — a big heavy stroller and I’m totally getting an arm workout when pushing both kids.
  • I miss the hand brake. The stroller is wider and heavier than the Sport Utility, but there’s no hand brake. When we’re going down a steep hill and I’ve got both kids in it, I worry about losing control. This stroller does have the same great parking brake, so once that’s engaged, I have more peace of mind.
  • We had to spring for expensive accessories like a snack tray and cup holders. This makes a pricey stroller even pricer.

Similar Strollers

I can’t make a fair comparison to other jogging strollers, as I’ve only ever used BOB models. Though, if we were to buy another stroller, I might consider one that converts between jogging stroller and bike chariot. My brother (the Ironman), has a Croozer jogger that switches to a bike trailer, which he really likes. The convertible models tend to totally enclose the child, which is a great option if you’re going to be outdoors in cold or wet conditions on a regular basis.

81TfUmoJJPL._SL1500_Do you love your BOB? What other jogging strollers should people consider?