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Jogging Stroller Basics

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Why are you looking for a jogging stroller? Are you a dedicated runner, an occasional jogger, or a suburban walker? This will help you narrow down your choices of jogging strollers. The type of terrain is also a factor when selecting a jogging stroller.

Fixed Versus Swivel Wheel Strollers

Swivel front wheels are great for strolling at the mall, around on city streets, festivals and zoos, any place where you need to weave through lots of people and objects. Swivel wheels let you turn on a dime. To turn fixed front wheel strollers, you need to push down on the handle bar to lift the front wheel off the ground and pivot on the rear wheels. This may be easy to do while you are jogging, but it does not work well in tight places or crowded situations.

Wheels sink in a bit on soft ground and terrain, such as sand or snow. Swivel wheels offer less leverage than fixed wheels. This makes it harder for you to push the stroller and it can throw you off.

Some jogging strollers offer a compromise. The front wheels can be locked into a fixed position for jogging, and unlocked into a swivel position when you need to navigate the malls. With the exception of high end models, locking wheels will begin to wobble at higher speeds. If you are a fast runner, this could be a problem for you.

Wheel Size

The common wheel sizes on jogging strollers are 12" front and 16" rear, 12" front and 12" rear and 6" front and 12" rear. The wheel size choice is partly dependent on whether or not you decide on a fixed wheel jogging stroller or a swivel wheel one. There are no swivel wheel strollers with wheels larger than 12".

The other thing you need to consider about wheel size is how fast you run and the terrain where you run or walk. In general, the more aggressive you are in running and/or terrain, the larger the wheel size.

Any strollers with with a 6" wheel do not work well for jogging. Even if the stroller is advertised for jogging, do not even try it.

The minimum wheel size of a jogging stroller is 12". A stroller with 12" wheels all around with locking front swivel wheels can be used for light jogging or speed walking.

For higher performance, choose a fixed wheel stroller with 16" or 20" wheels. You will not find many jogging strollers with 20" wheels, but if you're hard-core about your running routine, you will want one. They perform well and hold up to prolonged use.