We bought this to use for power walks around the neighborhood and to take it onto hard-packed hiking trails. It has far exceeded my expectations. We may use it to replace the regular double stroller we keep in the back of the minivan.
Also, I don't have the problem with the wobbly front wheel some have complained about (read the tip below).
PRO's:
Extremely smooth operation
Kids LOVE to ride in it -especially when I run over bumps!
Seats seem very comfortable
Seats are adjustable from a slight recline to full recline by adjusting a pull strap (very easy to adjust), so kids can take a nap if needed
Each seat has a mesh side pocket for snacks, etc.
Seat belt harness is easy to clip on and very adjustable
Seat bottoms are tilted back a bit so the child sits comfortably cradled in the seat (unlike many other strollers and bike trailers)
Stroller folds over quickly and easily for storage/transportation
All wheels can be easily removed with quick release
Canopy is fully adjustable to block the sun, even if it's head-on
Canopy has an openable cover to reveal a peek-through sunroof so parents can see the kids while pushing
Assembly took 5 minutes -easiest assembly I've ever had for an item this size
Front wheel has a metal swivel lock pin (not just a plastic clip)
Plenty of storage under seats and behind seatbacks
Comfortable handle and a safety wrist strap
Two parent cup holders and a storage compartment
Plenty of toe clearance to the rear axle (you won't kick it while power walking)
CON's:
Underseat storage has a center divider, so it's two long skinny compartments -not good for a larger diaper bag
Even when fully upright, the seats are reclined a tiny bit more than I would like -not bad, but should have been able to go a bit more upright
Safety wrist strap seems a bit short (still need to test it out)
Doesn't have a DVD player... It's a joke! =-)
TIP:
For those that experience the wobbly front wheel, try this -There's a nut under the plastic footrest that fastens the front fork onto the frame. Tighten that bolt down a little bit so the front fork has a little resistance in turning -not too much so it prevents you from turning easily, but just enough so that it doesn't freely swivel.
While checking out the stroller at the store, I noticed the front wheel was wobbly, as some other reviewers commented. I bought the stroller anyway because it was still the best one I found. When I pulled the new stroller out of the box, I noticed that the front fork was a bit tighter than the one at the store, but it had no front wheel wobble. From a mechanical perspective, it makes sense that a little resistance in the swivel will prevent wobble.
Enjoy!
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I bought this stroller about six months ago when my two toddlers (now 2 and 3.5) outgrew the lightweight Peg Perego double we had been using. It was easily less than half the price of other high-end double jogging strollers.
My favorite thing about it is that it's SO easy to push, even with one hand and 70 pounds of kids inside. The large wheels run very smoothly. I've pushed both kids around for 10 hours at a time at Disneyland without any issues on my end.
It is a MUST to have the lock/unlock front wheel feature--there are times when you need to use one or the other. In general, I think the faster you push or the more unbalanced the two kids are in weight, the more you will need to lock the front wheel. Fantastic storage on three levels (upper, middle, lower) and I appreciate the two cup holders. The fact that the canopy can swivel all the way from top to bottom (unlike our Peg Perego's) is also a huge plus.
There are two reasons I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5:
1. I do not like having a stroller or carseat that has a covering which cannot be removed and washed in the washing machine. With two kids in this stroller every time it's used, it gets messy to the point where wiping it with a sponge is completely useless.
2. The wheel-to-wheel width seems to be just about 1/2 to 1 inch wider than a standard retail door frame. I've had to bypass certain stores simply because I couldn't get the stroller inside the door! If it was slightly less wide (like the width of a wheelchair?), it would be perfect.
All in all, this is our fourth stroller purchase (single or double) and it's right up there with our expensive Bugaboo Frog in terms of ease of use. We love it.
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I am very happy with our Baby Trend double jogging stroller. I haven't had anything break and it's a pleasure to push, easy to assemble and use. I had previously bought and returned the InStep Suburban Safari Double Stroller and I was not happy with it. I use the stroller everyday for long, fast walks. I have a long stride and I like that I don't kick the back axle of the Baby Trend (that's the main reason I returned the InStep). I also like that the back axle is metal not plastic (the InStep one was plastic) and that the back wheels are large. The front wheel can lock straight or can swivel. On my single stroller I always kept it straight for fast walking, but on this one I've been able to leave it on swivel and it still pushes very smoothly. The sun shade has a flap so you can see your children. It also is ratcheted and not sewn on to the seat so it can be moved to wherever the sun is which works great. The straps don't have pads, so if your child is small enough to need them you would have to add them. The stroller will fit out my front door but not doors inside my house, so I'm not sure how it would do if your main use is shopping. It does fold down easily and fits in the back of my mini van. The wheels can also be removed easily to make it flatter. Hope this helps!
Honest reviews on Baby Trend Expedition Double Jogging Stroller
I bought this stroller for use on a family vacation at Disneyland and to jog with later. I have a 4 1/2 year old and a soon to be 3 year old. We were looking for something that we could cart them around in and take it on a plane. Having been to Disney before, I knew that a swivel wheel would be a big advantage in the crowds. Both kids fit very well in it and one of the things that I was very impressed with was the sun shade. It is adjustable so that you can keep the sun off of your kids' faces no matter what time of day it is. That was a good selling point since most strollers' sun shades are very poor (I can't figure out why they don't make them to actually work). The wheels come off of the stroller very easily which was also a plus when flying. We have an expensive single jogger that had the wheels/frame damaged from careless baggage handlers. This time I took the wheels off and everything was fine. There is a lot of storage in this stroller and the handle's storage compartment is very nice. The stroller folds up easily.
The problem with this stroller is the front wheel. It wobbles so much that it was unusable in the swivel position. It will hsake the stroller excessively. I follwed the directions and took the action that they recommended but it did not help. We ended up having to lock the front wheel in place to use it. Unfortunately, when you jog with the wheel locked, it still wobbles too much. I spoke with customer service twice today and they are going to send me a new part to see if that corrects the problem. I hope that it does because this stroller has a lot of good features but it is worthless, in my opinion, if the front wheel continues to wobble so much. Be cautious when buying this stroller.
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I looked at all kinds of double strollers in the mid-range for price, both tandem and side-by-side style, and we finally decided on this particular one based on reviews and apparent functionality. We have not been disappointed! This stroller took me about 20 minutes to put the wheels on correctly and screw in the cupholder and fender (and that's probably only because I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant and had a 2 year old "helping" me), and when I popped it open and started checking everything out I was very impressed (oh, and the colors are really pretty too):
* Individually adjustable, padded seats which are great if you have an older child and an infant (yes, in the full upright position the seats are a little bit reclined, but they are padded and my 2 year old daughter seems really comfortable). In the fully reclined position she's a little tall (she's in the 75% for height so she's about 36" tall), but she seems to have plenty of room on the sides and lengthwise in a more upright position.
* Canopy shade tilts from a regular position all the way to in front of the children so you can always keep at least their faces in the shade (also has a peek-through window in case you need to check on anything without stopping and coming around to the front of the stroller)
* There is a tiny speaker with an mp3 jack built into the right side of the canopy, so you can plug your ipod in and jam to some tunes while you stroll my daughter loves to listen to Steve Martin's "King Tut" on rides now!
* The parent tray has 2 cupholders AND a covered compartment so if you do use the stroller to run a lot you can store your keys, phone, etc. there instead of having to wear clothes with pockets :)
* The under-seat storage does have a divider between it, which would make it difficult to put anything too big in there, but our medium-sized diaper bag fits fine and I'd say the storage is probably only a little less than what I have in my Graco single stroller (the quattro or whatever that has the infant seat that comes with it and whatnot). It also is decently easy to retrieve things from, unlike some other tandem and side-by-side strollers I've seen with storage baskets that are way under the seats and impossible to reach unless the kids are out of the stroller.
* There are 2 mesh pockets on the inside of the stroller seats for little ones to put drinks in or a snack or whatever, my 2 year old can put her water bottle in and take it out by herself so it works just fine.
* The front wheel can be either a swivel wheel for that light stroll to the park, or locked forward for a brisk jog
* All 3 wheels can be removed without tools in about 10 seconds if you need to fold the stroller really flat to fit it into a small trunk or back seat
The stroller is wide, but not as much as many other, more expensive side-by-sides, but I chose this over a tandem stroller simply because we will use it 90% of the time to go to the park or walk around the neighborhoods. And in snowy weather especially, bike wheels are much easier to get through uncleared sidewalks and over bumpy ice than flimsy little stroller wheels (I envisioned myself trying to tilt a tandem stroller back in order to lift the front wheels over a crack or something, and it didn't seem like a fun or easy thing to do). If your primary use is going to be for mall-walking or shopping, however, obviously you'll run into (literally) some doors that the stroller is too wide for.
to quickly address the issue of the wobbly wheel, which has come up quite frequently on this model's reviews:
our front wheel experienced a ridiculous shaky wobble when we took it out around the block for the first time, which I was wary about. The instructions suggest to tighten the nut that holds the front wheel fork in place if it wobbles, so I tightened it with a wrench a bit. This did not help. Then I used every bit of my wimpy upper-body preggo arm strength to tighten it as much as I physically could (and yes, I know it says not to "over-tighten" it in the directions) to the point where if I was a guy and tightened it further it may have damaged it. This worked completely! There is now NO wobble in the wheel, the stroller pushes with ease and is a dream to walk with!
So far, I love everything about this stroller, and I'm so happy I can get rid of the single jogger and single Graco strollers we had before!
p.s. this stroller is listed for the same price on Walmart, and since Amazon doesn't charge sales tax and has free shipping with Amazon Prime it was a lot cheaper here, hooray for Amazon!
