Double Stroller Shopping
Three years ago when I shopped for a single stroller I didn’t feel there was a lot of consumer information on which to base a purchase. Yet the dearth that there was (a scanty comparison by Consumer Reports, a decent comparison in Baby Bargains, and highly unreliable personal accounts online) came to seem a relative abundance when my husband and I began to research double strollers recently.
Most feedback favors the side by side instead of the inline style, both for maneuverability and so that both children can see. We first checked out the Combi Twin Savvy and the Maclaren Twin Traveller. Both seemed fine for light, mostly indoor use. I walk a lot, though, and one of the things I like about our neighborhood is that we’re within a mile of our grocery store and two libraries, so I need something that can go up and down curbs, over rough sidewalks, and through the snow. Neither the Combi nor the Maclaren looked up to this kind of travel, so we looked at jogging strollers instead.
The less expensive jogging strollers have a fixed front wheel. In order to change direction, you have to press down on the back wheels so the front one lifts up, then adjust the front. This would be fine if I were running in mostly a straight line.
Pivoting wheels on a double jogging stroller solve the maneuverability problem, but just about double the average price. While the Maclaren, Combi, and fixed-wheel models are priced between about $200 and $350, pivoting-front wheelers start at over $500. We found three models: the Bob Revolution Duallie, the Mountain Buggy Urban Double and the Phil and Ted Twin. Fortunately, we found a good local store, Baby Grand, that carried all three models so we could compare them in person, since information on the web was sometimes sketchy (Phil and Ted don’t even have info on the twin model on their website. Their E3 double is great in theory, and apparently the big thing in NYC, but we want Guppy to have a view other than that of Drake’s bum.)
The Bob has only a single front wheel, and is the least expensive at just over $500. The Mountain Buggy and the Phil and Ted have double front wheels, cost over $600, and are significantly (about 40 cm) shorter in length than the Bob. All three are comparable in width and fit through most doorways. The Bob has the best canopy coverage, and would not require anything additional for sunscreen. You could also access your kid through the back of the canopy, which could be very useful. Both the Mountain Buggy and the Phil and Ted have short, inadequate canopies that are most likely designed so that one also purchases the extended cover, at about $75, making them even more expensive. The Phil and Ted had a forward center of gravity, which made it harder to lift the front wheels than on the other two. We came very close to choosing the Bob, because of its price, its canopy and its overall function, but in the end went with the Mountain Buggy because the seats on the Bob don’t recline. The Bob is better for two children of the same age, or at least two older children, not one like our Guppy who’s only a few weeks old. The Bob also had a more detailed restraint. It was more a stroller for a true runner than for someone like me, who merely walks a lot in the city.
I’ve taken the Mountain Buggy out twice now, and it handles like a dream. Going up and down curbs is easy, and both boys enjoy the ride. We ordered a canopy extender rather than what Mountain Buggy offered, and while it annoys me to have to spend so much more when the Bob had such a great canopy included, I did appreciate that I could have Guppy sitting up, supported by a Snuzzler, or lying down when asleep, which I would not be able to do with the Bob.
November 2nd, 2006 at 4:34 pm
You’ve summarized my dilemma to a “T”! OMG, I HATE stroller shopping. My son will be two in February, and about a week later we are expecting a new bundle.
We’ve already bought four strollers for our son, because no one stroller is right for every occasion. Graco travel system for the mall (and b/c it was great when he was in the infant carrier. Jogging stroller for outdoor walks, because it has better tires - but ours kinda sucks, b/c the front wheel is stationary. An umbrella stroller for quick trips when you jsut want a small stroller. A second umbrella stroller (Jeep this time) because the first one’s handles were so low we had to walk all hunched.
I love the BOB dual stroller, but cringe at the idea of spending that much. I think I’m going to Bjorn the baby and put my son in the single stroller for as long as I can get away with it. Am I totally delusional?