Advice on running buggies.

Pacing Mule

Hi guys,

Myself and Mrs messiah are expecting a new arrival in March and we're looking to get a buggy travel system that would be suitable for doing some light running / jogging with. She has been told that a 3 wheeler would be best and has looked at this buggy / travel system.

Has anyone here any advice or experience with running and buggies ?

rom

http://www.babyjogger.co.uk/performance.html as safety is number 1. You need big wheels for it to be safe. Trying to get something that ticks all the boxes you ain't going to get it. As a new born has to be flat I believe you could not use one of these for a while.

RayCun

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/bodyandsole/2012/09/24/when-you-make-the-decision-to-invest-in-a-jogging-pram-especially-if-you-are-male-you-need-to-be-brave-or-use-it-in-such-remote-locations-that-nobody-will-see-you/

madon

There is some conflicting advice but here's what I gather from what I've read (and I could be way off the mark on some bits!)
-Baby needs to be 6 months before you run with them- even though a lot of the buggies are advertised as from birth.
-The wheels need to be at least 16 inchs if you are going to be on bumpy ground and it seems that a fixed front wheel is far better.
-Proper running buggies, I don't think could also be used as a day to day buggy- they seem to be bulkier and bigger when folded they also seem to be longer so probably more awkward to wheel around shops.
- A lot of buggies that are advertised as jogging buggies and have mad looking suspension etc etc are not designed for jogging at all! (unless you are running on a straight road thats perfectly flat)
- Keep an eye on ebay (especially the uk) I seen a couple of these
http://mountainbuggy.com/en/component/content/article/103
for very little- however a lot of the uk sellers will only post in the uk.
-if you win the lotto I would go with this one:
http://worldsfastestjogger.com/

Congratulations by the way!

rom

The one I was recommending is the one Paula Radcliffe used. Safety is the number priority and anyone that reduces that for convenience is not worth getting in my book. If it is able to do sub 80 mins half marathons then it would be the one I'd be getting => http://corkrunning.blogspot.ie/2012/09/results-of-charleville-half-marathonsun.html
I have asked him about this buggy and he says that it folds up easily enough and fits into a seat ibza. he also said that it dismantles in seconds. three wheels come of and it folds down. shipped 400 pound from UK. Regarding paying 900 euro for one. Its a bit expensive but people spend that on threadmils they don't ever use. Pushing one into the wind is supposed to be a drawback really. Personally I would think that unless you are doing higher mileage like 70+ miles a week they you are better off organizing your life around so your significant other can run and you mind the child.

We (including myself ) buy load of stuff we never needed when we could have just played it by ear. My wife is small so it was most important than any buggy didn't weigh a ton so we got the bugaboo bee. Her two friends got two 'jogging buggies' like the one in the mandon's link' and both are now not using them after 6 months even though they cost well over a grand each. Some people get buggies so big that they have no where to put them but leave them in the car all the time. You can't run with the bugaboo bee but you can sure walk fast which is a great workout in it self. You also need to consider that your partner may not be able to run up to 6 weeks after giving birth which is very common too. If you want one then, you can get one as a loan for a week or two and see if you want it etc. You will probably need some other travel system too.

huskerdu

I can't give personal experience of running buggies but the general advice on travel systems is relevant here and has been already said by a few others.

You need a buggy that the baby can lie flat in and is warm and comfortable for the first 6 months.

By then, you will be royally sick of this huge monstrosity that takes up the entire boot of the car or fills the hall when its not in use and you will be delighted to get rid of it and buy a much smaller buggy that folds up neat, but you will be bitter that is cost you so much money and you got so little use out of it.

The moral of the story - dont buy an even more expensive one now because the brochure says you can jog with it.

Don't buy a jogging buggy yet. Wait until you actually want to use one and buy one then.
See if you can borrow one to try or spy on people in your local park using one before you commit.
You might get one second hand if you are lucky,

If you buy the right one, when the baby is a bit older, you have a better chance of getting use
out of it.

BTW, Congratulations.

ThePiedPiper

Congrats Pageant Messiah. I've used our Phil and Ted Dash a lot for running over the past 18 months. We only bought it when we had our 2nd, as it's a great double buggy. It's suitable for newborn upwards. I've ran 10 miles with the two kids in it, done a 13 miler with just the one, and only on the steepest downhills do I either have to slow to a walk or else run like crazy when its freewheeling. Also, if you were to follow up with a second within a couple of years, all you'd have to do would be to buy the second seat for €70 or so. It's not an out and out running buggy like some of those others, but if you only intend doing occassional running with it, it'd be more than adequate.

ThePiedPiper

Congrats Pageant Messiah. I've used our Phil and Ted Dash a lot for running over the past 18 months. We only bought it when we had our 2nd, as it's a great double buggy. It's suitable for newborn upwards. I've ran 10 miles with the two kids in it, done a 13 miler with just the one, and only on the steepest downhills do I either have to slow to a walk or else run like crazy when its freewheeling. Also, if you were to follow up with a second within a couple of years, all you'd have to do would be to buy the second seat for €70 or so. It's not an out and out running buggy like some of those others, but if you only intend doing occassional running with it, it'd be more than adequate.

sconhome

RunForestRun wrote: »

Congrats Pageant Messiah. I've used our Phil and Ted Dash a lot for running over the past 18 months. We only bought it when we had our 2nd, as it's a great double buggy. It's suitable for newborn upwards. I've ran 10 miles with the two kids in it, done a 13 miler with just the one, and only on the steepest downhills do I either have to slow to a walk or else run like crazy when its freewheeling. Also, if you were to follow up with a second within a couple of years, all you'd have to do would be to buy the second seat for €70 or so. It's not an out and out running buggy like some of those others, but if you only intend doing occassional running with it, it'd be more than adequate.

+1

I have to agree with RFR on this one. We looked at loads of jogging buggies and settled on the Phil & Teds as being a happy medium. Solid and stable enough for running yet practical enough for day to day use.

Generally when running I ensured the tyres were pumped up and the front wheel was locked out straight, made it roll much smoother too. There is another thread on buggys somewhere else from last year, I think.

& congratulations too on the impending arrival!!

rom

Phil & Teds are the brand that my wife's two friends bought and not longer use after a few months buy bought lighter cheaper ones. If your significant other can lift it because there is a fair weight in it then fine but one of my wife's friends has back problems maybe due to dragging it in and out of the car at hard angles. Also note that most buggies are free for air travel like up to 2 years but over that you have to pay for them I believe. Going to the shop a big buggy is fine to have in the car but not if you are going on holidays unless you have people carrier or something like that. One of my wife's friends is like 6 foot 2 and strong but hates her phil and teds. Those kind of buggies are needed though if you live in the country side. A buggy that you can open and lift with one hand is what our needs required. There should be a lot more info on this subject over on weddingsonline.ie

ThePiedPiper

Travelled on Ryanair with the P&T with the extra seat there recently, no extra charge or hassle. Yeah, it's a bit heavier than a McLaren or something, but a hell of a lot handier than some of the things I see some people using. We use an older, lighter, cheaper buggy if we're just in and about town with the young fella. But P&T the only man for running.

rom

RunForestRun wrote: »

Travelled on Ryanair with the P&T with the extra seat there recently, no extra charge or hassle. Yeah, it's a bit heavier than a McLaren or something, but a hell of a lot handier than some of the things I see some people using. We use an older, lighter, cheaper buggy if we're just in and about town with the young fella. But P&T the only man for running.

As I was saying very hard to get a buggy to tick all the boxes.

lackabane

madon wrote: »

There is some conflicting advice but here's what I gather from what I've read (and I could be way off the mark on some bits!)
-Baby needs to be 6 months before you run with them- even though a lot of the buggies are advertised as from birth.
-The wheels need to be at least 16 inchs if you are going to be on bumpy ground and it seems that a fixed front wheel is far better.
-Proper running buggies, I don't think could also be used as a day to day buggy- they seem to be bulkier and bigger when folded they also seem to be longer so probably more awkward to wheel around shops.
- A lot of buggies that are advertised as jogging buggies and have mad looking suspension etc etc are not designed for jogging at all! (unless you are running on a straight road thats perfectly flat)
- Keep an eye on ebay (especially the uk) I seen a couple of these
http://mountainbuggy.com/en/component/content/article/103
for very little- however a lot of the uk sellers will only post in the uk.
-if you win the lotto I would go with this one:
http://worldsfastestjogger.com/

Congratulations by the way!

Correct on almost all of this.
- The minimum age depends on the baby's neck strength, you can try at younger than six months but if they wobble all over the place, stop and wait a few weeks.
- You definitely need large wheels.
- You even more definitely need a fixed front wheel. Any play at all in the front wheel makes life very tough.
- Running buggies don't double as town buggies, at all. They are too long, large, and the fixed front wheel isn't suitable for town/shops/corners. You need a running buggy for running and a town buggy for town.
- Suspension depends on what you need it for. This is a road buggy > http://corkrunning.blogspot.ie/2012/09/results-of-charleville-half-marathonsun.html, some are more rugged for off-road use.
- Overall a good buggy is easy enough to run with, unless you are off-road. On windy days you can be unlucky and the buggy acts as a sail which makes things tough, but thats reasonably rare.

I have this one - http://www.bobgear.com/sportutilitystroller, and love it (so does the kid). We do races, trail running and park orienteering in this, 5k - 7miles, use it all the time and it has been well worth it. Very smooth and well sprung, folds up pretty small as the wheels all come off quickly. €295 in the US.

Gringo78

RunForestRun wrote: »

Travelled on Ryanair with the P&T with the extra seat there recently, no extra charge or hassle. Yeah, it's a bit heavier than a McLaren or something, but a hell of a lot handier than some of the things I see some people using. We use an older, lighter, cheaper buggy if we're just in and about town with the young fella. But P&T the only man for running.

+1 on the phil & ted. Have run with baby flat in it from 1month old and now with 3 yr old and 6 month old. No probs flying with it.

Gringo78

lackabane wrote: »

- You even more definitely need a fixed front wheel. Any play at all in the front wheel makes life very tough.
- Running buggies don't double as town buggies, at all. They are too long, large, and the fixed front wheel isn't suitable for town/shops/corners..

Phil & Ted has a front wheel which can be made fixed or swivel.

Larry Brent

Experience with 3....

Quinny Buzz - not bought with running in mind whatsoever, was just first buggy bought. When baby was about 1 I occasionally ran with it for 15mins or so to creche then carried on to work without buggy. Was surprisingly easy to run with.

When no.2 arrived got a Phil and Ted. I think it was Dash, I remember there were a few different types doing the same thing so we went for the lightest. 12kg I think. Neither I nor the wife had any difficulty lifting it in and out of boot. But having to detach and reattach the 2nd seat became a bit tiresome even though it only takes a few seconds. I found running with this okay - only comment would be the lower seat could occasionally hit off your knee, but once I realised this I just kept the buggy far enough in front that this wouldn't happen. For walking around this was exceptional, due to its narrowness. Very, very easy to manoeuver around shops and that. A problem with this buggy is that the baby can never face you. If the baby could face you we'd probably have gotten this as a first buggy (can be used as a single also). With a lot of the other (single) buggies e.g. Quinny, Bugaboo, the child can face you for the first 6 months.

Now using the Chariot http://www.chariotcarriers.com/en/CA This is designed for running and cycling - the front wheel of the buggy can be very easily removed and the buggy attaches to the back wheel of your bike. Only used it for running so far. Pros are that the kids can sit next to each other. They love it, entertain each other. Downside is it's wide (the double) compared to Phil and Ted. Saying that is is designed to fit all wheelchair accessible doors. It also comes in a single which is much narrower and neater. The handlebars are good as you can either have your hands high or low. There is a handbrake also so can be used for going down steep hills. You can also get small wheels which take the place of the large front wheel for walking around shops and that. The front wheel is fixed so that it only goes in a straight line - you get round corners by lifting the front wheel a tad off the ground - very easy due to the design. So this is great for jogging. Can fold up and go in the car, but the double in any case is quite wide, so takes up a lot of space. So we just keep the Phil and Ted in the car now and use when shopping etc. and keep the Chariot in the garage for running or walking.

I've found whichever buggy I run with a shoulder can occasionally get a bit achey (as arms can't swing back and forth like normal). The Chariot is probably the best for this as there are options for where to put your hands so you can change around a bit, and it can also be used one handed.

A final thing to consider is the rain cover. The Quinny and Phil and Ted had separate rain covers so if you forgot to bring this and it started to rain, the kids weren't too happy. And if you did bring it it took up most of the storage space. With the Chariot the rain cover/sun shield is always attached to the buggy, but roll up very neatly so you wouldn't know it was there till you need it.

Best of luck.

average_runner

rom wrote: »

RunForestRun wrote: »

Travelled on Ryanair with the P&T with the extra seat there recently, no extra charge or hassle. Yeah, it's a bit heavier than a McLaren or something, but a hell of a lot handier than some of the things I see some people using. We use an older, lighter, cheaper buggy if we're just in and about town with the young fella. But P&T the only man for running.

As I was saying very hard to get a buggy to tick all the boxes.

Used the Phil and Ted myself. It's great.