running/jogging stroller n Canada

[TAK]

Hi there.
My daughter is almost 6 mos and I really want to buy a jogging stroller. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

I made the mistake of ordering one on-line from Tike Tech Canada and am still fighting with them to get my $$$ back. It was broken when it arrived to me - so obviously the quality is no there and to be honest I am also pretty upset about the customer service so far.

We then bought one from Costco and while it had a lot of good features, it is way too big to use for a small 6 month old.

Any recs you have are welcome.

[hipmaman]

Sorry to hear about your trouble with Tike Tech. And about jogger...

Why do you think the one from Costco is too big for your 6 month old? Is it because it can't be recline fully or are there other reasons that make you think so? Also, when buying I think you should think about longevity of gear simply because babies do grow fast and these gear cost money so to buy just to fit for short-term might not be the best investment. As for size, the one from Costco is pretty much the same size as most joggers out there. But I'll wait to hear from you first though.

While I have your attention, would you mind elaborate if you plan to actually run/jog with this jogger or would you just want something with bigger/all terrain tires to tackle the different terrains? Anything more on what you are looking in a jogger would help to recommend. What price range are you looking to spend? Do you/dh bike and wouldn't mind something like a Chariot trailer that is convertable to a jogging stroller?

[TAK]

I definitely want to use it for running.

The problem with the Costco one which I have not seen in others is that the 5 point harness straps were way too high - as in the top of the shoulder straps were higher than the top of her head. A lot of strollers I have seen have some of mechanism where you can adjust the height of the shoulder straps.
I am thinking of buying one from the Running Room - have you heard anything about it?

THe other requirement that I have is adjustable handlebars as my husband is 6 foot five and the handlebars on a lot of strollers are way too low for him.

IN terms of $$$ less is better - the Chariot seems pretty pricey. I could possibly cross the border to buy something though would prefer to buy it here.
Thanks for your posting.
TAK

[laurel]

We also have the jogging stroller from Costco (I assume you mean the silver/grey Infinity stroller). While I did find it a little big for my daughter for a few months, there are several features I really like about it:
For the first several months we used her infant carrier carseat inside the jogging stroller. This was for walking/hiking, not jogging obviously, but I really liked that the Costco stroller was wide enough to accept her baby seat. It fit in very snugly, and we weren't going at any great speed so we didn't strap it in, but thought we easily could with a bungee cord if we needed to.
Secondly, I love the weather shield and winter boot that come with the stroller. We live in Winnipeg, so these features are KEY to making the stroller useful at this time of year!

All that being said, there was a period of time when my daughter was about 6 months old that the stroller did seem to big. She wasn't happy in her infant seat, but the harness didn't adjust quite small enough to keep her secure sitting in it facing forward. What I ended up doing was placing a folded fleece blanket behind her to take up a bit of the space in the seat, then putting the straps on her. That worked well for that period of time, and she fits nicely in it now at 11 months. Hope that helps!

Laurel

[bubbaray]

The Running Room jogger is made by Chariot, but is somewhat different from the Chariot Cavalier.

Chariot also used to make the Trek joggers.

Melissa
Mom to Maya http://www.mothering.com/discussions...lies/binky.gif & Dog Mom to Bubba http://www.mothering.com/discussions...milies/dog.gif

http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtic...9.birthday.png

[saharamama]

I have a Chariot Cavalier and have to say it's an AWESOME jogger!!!

[hipmaman]

Isn't the one from the Running Room a Chariot Cavalier? They used to carry the Baby Jogger, Dreamer Design (aka Fitness First about 5 yrs ago) and at one point carried something closely resembling the Tike Tech (although I didn't really check)

But I thought the Running Room now carries a Chariot Cavalier with perhaps the RR logo. Anyway, the Cavalier is just strictly a jogging stroller (2 models: single or double). Chariot does have the bike trailers converted to joggers and such. But those are more expensive than the Cavalier.

Anyway, if you want to buy local and quality, the Cavalier gives you lots of bangs for your bucks. It's Canadian made (in Calgary), good quality, lots of comfort, convenient and safety features that you don't get in the 'cheaper' brands/models like Costco/PriceClub, Baby Trend, etc. The Cavalier is not as expensive as the BJ, Kelty or Kool Stride (and you can't get the DD in Canada) but the Cavalier still give you lots of value. And the resale value for it would be good too vs. something like the Cosco or Baby Trend.

I'm almost sure it has the 'adjustable' handle for 2 position but it's not the typical adjustable handle with the push button.

You might want to check the Cavalier out either at RR or a local bike shop. Then shop around by calling pretty much all the retailers listed on www.chariotcarriers.com site in your area to see who would have what on sale. This might be the perfect time to buy last year model as new ones are coming out now. I think the only different in years is the red one is new and the blue one is older.

Hope that helps.

[bubbaray]

There are some minor differences between the RR stroller and the Cavalier.

The Cavalier has a coolmax seat (which makes it worth the extra money IMHO). It also has the drink holders and the foot brake (which the '04 RR models didn't have, but I think the '05s now do).

And, honestly, I would pay extra money just to NOT have the Running Room logo on the stroller, but that's a whole different vent, LOL!

Yes, the CAvalier has an "adjustable handle", but like Tam says, not a button one -- it is 2 levers on either side of the stroller and can be difficult to use. It takes both my DH and I to do it on our CAvalier.

The jogger at my local Costco is OK if you aren't really jogging with it. It has a short seatback too, so if your child is tall or has a long torso, it won't work for long.

HTH
Melissa
Mom to Maya http://www.mothering.com/discussions...lies/binky.gif & Dog Mom to Bubba http://www.mothering.com/discussions...milies/dog.gif

http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtic...9.birthday.png

[JJ2]

Hi there:

I am in the same situation - looking for a good quality jogger that won't break the bank since I already have 2 other strollers.

I was considering the Tike Tech as it got really good reviews on the joggingstroller.com website. I have not seen it IRL although if I travel into Toronto there is a bike shop that sells them. Can you tell me when it was fully reclined, did it seem as if the canopy was not covering where the baby's head would be located? I saw some photos on their website and it looked as if the baby would be exposed to the elements. Does anyone know of anyone who has had any good experiences with Tike Tech?

I have looked at the RR stroller IRL and I think I was shown the 05 model - there is no foot/rear break only the hand/front break which has a pin to lock in place. The manager called Chariot to get the weight of the stroller for me and it was 19 pounds. The double RR stroller has the cup holder, extra extension on the canopy (for extra sun protection) and the foot/rear brake. (Why they didn't put these as standard features on the single stroller is beyond me). A woman I know has one of the RR singles and she says she loves it. Anyhow the Chariot Cavalier I also saw IRL and it is much more expensive. I was given several different prices from different retailers. The Baby Shack (wouldn't buy from them!) had it for $399 I think (cash or debit) and about $459 if you want to use a credit card. One bike shop emailed me and I think their price was about $459 as well which is quite a bit more than the $299 from the RR.

JJ

Mom to Emma 6 1/2 years
Eliza 9 months

[TAK]

Hi there
TT SUCKS!!! I bought a stroller from them directly on-linefor 299 and I spent an extra 70 on a sun canopy with taxes, delivery etc the total was $420! The stroller arrived in Feb in a few pieces totally unusable - it is a piece of **** and their service sucks too. TT claims they have a quality product and that it broke in shipping - the shipper claimed that Tike tech (TT) failed to pack it properly. Needless to say I have spent MANY hours trying to get my money back from TT - and two months later I am still out the money and they have had the stroller back for at least a month now. I bought the RR one and am quite happy - its true that it has no back break but it has two side tethers which are not as convenient but easy to use. The price is right and you can buy a rain canopy for $15 from jolly jumper and I am trying to find a sun canopy. I don't find it heavy at all and it is made by Chariot though at a better price from the RR at 299!