Running with a Baby Part 2

Posted on 13/01/2014 Updated on 13/01/2014

Bell Scout Stroller 
My first running stroller was a Bell Scout, which was a very simple trike-style unit, with 16” pneumatic tires, and sling-style seat. It had virtually no rolling resistance, and I managed to put over 1000k on it. On the first run, there were a few things that caught my attention. It rattled, was noisy and didn’t track straight unless I painstakingly angled the wheel in the front drop-out. Regardless, we loved that unit. I even felt choked-up when I sold it last week.

I loved the hand brake, but constantly found myself wishing it had a footbrake. The canopy fell off in the first week, but I re-secured it with new hardware.

I bought a very thin Bedouin headscarf which I clipped to the sides to create a type of sunscreen. It worked and it was cheap.

Coolness:

• Light
• Simple
• Rigid front wheel

Lameness:

• Noisy
• Tracking adjustment
• Lack of footbrake
• No support in seat – non-reclining

Behold the Mountain Buggy Terrain

If the Bell Scout was the Toyota Tercel – simple and effective, the Mountain Buggy is the Range Rover; go-anywhere and look cool doing it.

The swivel wheel up front was the grand compromise with my wife. She wasn’t crazy navigating through crowds, unto the bus etc. with a long rigid stroller. Otherwise, I was really in the Market for the Bob Ironman.

Coolness:

• Adjustable handle (short and tall people can be happy)
• Shock absorbers
• Quiet running
• Huge canopy with sun protection
• Water bottle holders
• Lots of places to put gear
• Footbrake
• Padded, supported, reclining seat
• Easily adjustable wheel position.

Lameness:

• Heavy
• Doesn’t fold small
• Doesn’t run with the front-wheel locked in the forward position
• Despite being a “feature” I do not love the 5 degrees of play of the front wheel when in the locked position.

Conclusion:

After putting about 150 km of serious running on the Mountain Buggy Terrain over the past couple of months, I can safely say it’s an awesome stroller, fast, effective with tons of useful features.

My only real complaint is weight and the wheel position.

I hope to run a full marathon with the Budgie at the end of February and that will put the stroller through the paces, but I’m confident it can handle anything that comes its way.