Affordable Running Strollers: Save on Used BOB and Thule

I have been on the hunt for the perfect jogging / all-terrain (most important aspect for me) stroller.

After months of researching strollers online, I had the opportunity to go to a store that had them all to check them out - It was CONFUSING that it went so differently than I anticipated.

BEFORE testing & based solely on internet research I ranked my top options to be:

1. Bugaboo Fox / Donkey (On this list as people said it does really well on rougher surfaces and seemed premium for features, easy to grow with, and highly rated)
2. Bumbleride Era / Indie
3. BOB All-terrain Pro (impressive longevity, suspension, and praised as the holy grail of off-road)
4. Thule Urban Glide 3 (well loved for jogging)
5. Veer Switch & Jog
6. Guava Roam
7. Uppababy Ridge

I got the chance to see / push the following and here is what I found/noted:

• Bugaboo: Wasn’t as amazed as I thought I would be. Seems like good quality, but pushes and fairs only average compared to the other jogging oriented strollers. Seems like an overpriced luxe brand IMO. I liked the following strollers much more in general.

• Bumbleride: I REALLY wanted to love this the most, but didn’t at all. Only got the chance to see the Era. I thought the seat was very good quality and was nice to be able to flip around or lay flat. Comes with bumper bar. Pushed fairly nice. The cork handle didn’t feel very ergonomic compared to others. No hand brake. Didn’t feel as sturdy/stable as the rest. Maybe the Indie would maneuver better? I wasn’t blown away with this.

• BOB: Very solidly built stroller. DID NOT like the hand brake - found it hard / takes a lot of force to use. Pushed pretty smoothly, but not as well as the next 3. The harness was harder to click than the rest. Minor, but didn’t love the feel of the handle. Folds easier than the Thule.

• Thule: Pushes like a dream. Brake system is on point. LOVED the twist hand brake - so easy and effective. Big fan of the zip covered storage bottom. Seat seems about the same as the BOB - good. Harness is alright to use but not my favorite. This handlebar is the BEST of them all - very ergonomic, comfortable design, comfortable material, and adjustable too. Similar fold to the BOB, but not quite as smooth as you have to note the locking mechanism - only VERY minorly more work than the BOB, not enough to matter much.

• Uppababy Ridge: A pleasant surprise - wasn’t expecting to be so impressed. Pushed GREAT - better than the BOB, not quite as smooth as the Thule. Feels bigger and handle feels higher than the others but very sturdy. Hand brake worked excellently. Covered storage basked very nice. The front wheel lock is just a push button on top that glows green (I think when it was locked). The dual foot brakes (one red and green) felt a little gimmicky/ unnecessary. Harness clicked beautifully easily - one of the easiest. Seat seemed nice and roomy. Husband thought the disc brake design wasn’t the best idea and was tacky. I wish it had air instead of foam tires.

• Baby Jogger Summit X3: A PLEASANT SURPRISE - wasn’t even on my list, but glad we saw it!! Solidly built. Suspension seemed awesome. Pushed great! Maybe not as smooth as Thule, but on par with the Uppababy Ridge and slightly better than BOB. Nice seat. Harness was the easiest to click and unclick, brakes worked great, EASIEST fold, front wheel lock is on the side of the stroller so no need to go to the front, handlebar a little odd texture but not bad and preferred it over the BOB. This stroller had me second guessing everything, but the online reviews are only so-so, and the wheel shook a little (felt like a touch off/bump), but wondering if it’s because the wheels were kind of flat? However, I do see some reviews with the same complaint. If I knew that weren’t a problem that stroller seemed elite.

• Veer Switch& : Unfortunately didn’t get to see this, but did find the seat itself in person and the seat looked VERY well built, but maybe a little on the smaller/narrow side?

I just wanted to share my experience / thoughts, as I know most people don’t get a chance to try multiple different strollers!

Has anyone else tried multiple of these? Any experiences / thoughts?

As I know many here did, I got a running stroller as soon as my son was old enough for it. Wondering what advice those of you who have put hundreds of hours into them would give?

For instance I found this study from 10 years ago that says two-handed grip was the one that altered speed and stride length the least. that says a two-handed grip alters speed and stride length the least. But I hadn't even thought of pushing it with two hands, with the exception of a couple of steep uphills.

Also, I'm wondering if anyone has tried interval sessions, obviously adjusting the pace for the additional effort. Personally, I'm holding off until I see how the different mechanics affect my legs, but I don't see much risk in trying some longer threshold intervals that are still at a safe pace for the baby.

Then we have what's likely the most kid-dependent thing, which is the length of runs. What's the longest you've managed to do with some consitency, and how did you manage to 'sell' this to your little one?

For what it's worth, my own experience so far:

So far I've used it (Thule Urban Glide 2) three times and my baby (7 months) doesn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, it's me stopping every 15-ish minutes to give him water and check that he's alright, as he spends more than half the time dozing off lol. I still find it a bit scary on the bumpier trails, which are nothing crazy but you never know...

With regards to my running itself, it's been exclusively easy runs in the 45m to 1h range, so I just adjust the pace by feel and HR. So far it's been around 20-30 seconds/km slower, and I feel a bit of a novel soreness in the hips the morning after that ends up fading away at some point during the day

sorry but you need to compromise on what you actually want because proper joggers are literally the largest stroller category and travel strollers are the smallest, think about what u want and if u can’t compromise just buy two strollers, you can buy a used jogger but i recommend u buy a travel stroller new due to wear of small wheels

Might be worth checking out Facebook marketplace! A woman was selling a bob for $150 near me last week. Sadly I was too late to snag it.

FTM and I want to make sure I get a good stroller so I can run with by baby. There’s so many options I hate it hahah. So far this is what I am thinking of getting but none of the reviews directly mention running. Does anyone have experience with this brand or good recommendations?

Hi expecting and about to send the registry out to people. I have been back and forth over strollers. I feel silly asking for a $700 stroller just to know i may not like it. So looking for advice and experience from you all! Thanks for your time!

Im looking to get back into running and would love recommendations for a good jogging stroller. I keep seeing brands like Thule, BOB, Uppababy Ridge, etc., but I’d really love honest pros/cons from people who actually run with them.

Thule. If you actually run, do not hesitate. Spend less on coffee, get all hand me down clothes…whatever it takes to justify the purchase (although we got ours on MDW sale and you’ll surely see a similar sale before you deliver or can run with baby-at least 6 months old).

If you don’t plan to run a lot with it, I would get something else. It’s expensive because the mechanics are amazing and it barely feels harder than running alone, on flat ground! It’s also hard to get in and out of doorways but that’s every running stroller.

I owned both a BOB single and a Thule double jogging stroller, and honestly, the Thule was the best stroller I ever had. I’ll admit, I was a total stroller snob. We had an Uppababy, Baby Jogger, BOB, Mountain Buggy, Chicco, and Thule, and the Thule was hands down superior to all of them. I could literally push it with one finger.

The best part was that when my kids finally outgrew it, I was able to sell it on Marketplace for about 75% of what I originally paid. It held its value incredibly well and still looked almost brand new.

My take - The stroller isn’t one to skimp out on. Personally bought Thule urban glide off my own registry stacking 25% cyber Monday promo with 15% registry discount using cash gift from family to bring cost down!

Would recommend a similar approach, Facebook marketplace, an open box retailer (Rebel, GoodBuyGear etc that also can be linked on registry), or putting “stroller fund” on the registry to get what you actually want instead of wasting money on something you later have to upgrade

I love our bob jogging stroller, which we got secondhand, but it may be hard to get comparisons because most people just have experience with one brand. It feels pretty low friction and provides a smooth ride.

I got a Thule urban glide - love it. Comparable to the Bob

Hi! i see plenty of recommendations for jogging strollers (Bob, thule etc)

What are some more budget conscious jogging stroller recommendations?!

I’m not saying the BOB jogging stroller is out of question, but I have noticed that so many hyped up baby products/strollers aren’t actually THAT great. I’ve been a mom for 14 months now and I’m incredibly happy with my purchases of non hyped up brands. I’ve actually returned a ton of popular baby items in the past. Anyways, I’m looking online and there’s alot of other good jogging stroller options but if the Bob is truly the best, I’ll get that one. Was just curious if others had different recs? The Chicco jogging stroller has superb reviews. I’ve always loved their products. I’m reading a ton of people saying the Bob has a really difficult brake and that doesn’t sound great.

So I’ve done the leg work on this one (no pun intended).

With my first I had a Graco. It was good but I constantly had issues with the front wheel shimmying if I even walked too fast.

Then with my second I got a Schwinn. It was VERY bouncy. I also didn’t love the handlebar. It was too wide.

I tested out a Thule and I didn’t care for how wide the back wheels were. It wouldn’t fit through a door if you ever took it somewhere.

With my third I got a BOB and absolutely love it. It’s smooth, easy to maneuver, comfortable adjustable handlebar. It folds up easily and fits in my trunk. The only con is you have to purchase the snack tray separately, which I think is BS at that price range.

TLDR: highly recommend BOB

I got a free Graco FastAction jogger off of Facebook Marketplace. Is it the best stroller out there? No. It's heavy to run with, and I know it will get heavier as my baby gets bigger. It does have a locking front wheel which is what I wanted. I can still crank out 10-11 minute miles with it, and little man doesn't have any complaints in it yet. He's also only 4 months old, so I know the complaints may come. We plan to have another baby, so I will invest in a nicer 2 child jogger once we have that baby. This one works for now.

I've recently started taking my baby on runs with me using my "normal" stroller (Uppababy Cruz) - and it definitely works as is, it certainly has enough suspension that the baby isn't being jostled around but it can definitely be a bit hard to steer and keep straight if I lose focus for even a little bit. Basically I can see there's room for improvement as far as running with it goes, but obviously $700+ for a purpose-built jogging stroller is a big investment, so I'm curious if anyone here has experience with them and can weigh in if they're worth the investment?

I like being able to take the kid with me on runs to get him extra outside time and give Mom a break, so I'm willing to spend the cash if needed, but don't wanna end up with an expensive stroller I don't use

I'm specifically looking at the Uppababy Ridge, to stay in the same ecosystem as my existing stroller, but I'm open to other suggestions as well

I got a Bob something from Facebook marketplace for $25 and it's really nice. Pushes easy, comfortable on the hands, secure feeling, folds for storage. Thule look nice too.

Jogging and compact don't go sadly.

Thule has a 'compact ' stroller but debatable on actually being small

Wondering if anyone has a jogging stroller they recommend that also travels well on a plane.

My husband wants to start running again and include baby, who is now nearly 8 months. We're travelling soon and I really do not want a different stroller for every task!

I’m a recreational jogger/trail walker, and my graco modes jogging stroller is pretty good. I’ve travelled with it. I don’t find it any more cumbersome than my friends who travel with their uppa. It’s the only stroller I ever use. I’ve flown with it. Take it to the mall.