RedSuedeShoes
04-10-2009, 11:29 AM
OK, we are expecting our 3rd child any day and, as my husband says, we are swimming in strollers over here! We have never been preoccupied with strollers before these last few months, so this is all new to us. With our first (8.5 years ago), we bought a Combi Travel Savvy for ~$80 which served us well for everyday use w/ or w/o infant carseat as well as for cross-country travel. With our second (nearly 4 years ago), we added a jogger (maybe an InStep?) when we bumped into a great deal...$60 or so.
A few months ago, I thought maybe we'd just replace the Combi for this baby, since the steering is crappy, the rubber on the handles is cracked, and there are just much cooler-looking options out now! So I've spent the last few months lurking on this board and researching (mostly online) and obsessing about this. I've also bought three strollers...a Mac Volo at TJMaxx for $80, a used (but newer than ours) Combi I found on craigslist for $15, and a Bob Rev. AW I bought a few weeks ago to take advantage of the REI coupon before it expired. And a neighbor gave us her Kolcraft UCSC, too.
Here's what we need: something to keep in the van that doesn't take up the whole trunk (now that we are using the third row all the time we have less space back there) and that we can pop the carseat onto, at least for the first few months. Something for travel (we have LOVED having a stroller we can plop the carseat - infant or convertible - onto for that as well, and we could save our Combi just for travel if needed). And something for "power" walking (but not jogging) on sidewalks and paved paths in parks.
After trying out all these strollers, we've discovered that the Combis and the Bob are not options to keep in the van all the time because they take up the whole trunk space.
I think the BJCM could potentially meet all our needs and replace all the strollers we have sitting around (except maybe the Volo for later) if it folds up small enough (ie, smaller than the Bob Rev AW with the wheels still on...I am not taking muddy, etc. wheels off every time I put my stroller in the car no matter how quick that release is) and if it can actually handle all sidewalks (even bumpy or uneven ones) with ease and without breaking my stride. But I can't find any place to try out the BJCM in person. And after having the Bob around for a week, it's hard to imagine replacing it with something that doesn't handle as well.
So...that is my question for all of you stroller experts. Does the BJCM only handle smooth sidewalks well? Am I going to have to lift it over bumps in the sidewalk?
Thanks!
A few months ago, I thought maybe we'd just replace the Combi for this baby, since the steering is crappy, the rubber on the handles is cracked, and there are just much cooler-looking options out now! So I've spent the last few months lurking on this board and researching (mostly online) and obsessing about this. I've also bought three strollers...a Mac Volo at TJMaxx for $80, a used (but newer than ours) Combi I found on craigslist for $15, and a Bob Rev. AW I bought a few weeks ago to take advantage of the REI coupon before it expired. And a neighbor gave us her Kolcraft UCSC, too.
Here's what we need: something to keep in the van that doesn't take up the whole trunk (now that we are using the third row all the time we have less space back there) and that we can pop the carseat onto, at least for the first few months. Something for travel (we have LOVED having a stroller we can plop the carseat - infant or convertible - onto for that as well, and we could save our Combi just for travel if needed). And something for "power" walking (but not jogging) on sidewalks and paved paths in parks.
After trying out all these strollers, we've discovered that the Combis and the Bob are not options to keep in the van all the time because they take up the whole trunk space.
I think the BJCM could potentially meet all our needs and replace all the strollers we have sitting around (except maybe the Volo for later) if it folds up small enough (ie, smaller than the Bob Rev AW with the wheels still on...I am not taking muddy, etc. wheels off every time I put my stroller in the car no matter how quick that release is) and if it can actually handle all sidewalks (even bumpy or uneven ones) with ease and without breaking my stride. But I can't find any place to try out the BJCM in person. And after having the Bob around for a week, it's hard to imagine replacing it with something that doesn't handle as well.
So...that is my question for all of you stroller experts. Does the BJCM only handle smooth sidewalks well? Am I going to have to lift it over bumps in the sidewalk?
Thanks!