IRONMAN DUALLIE: Solid Smooth Road Warrier

First of all, I have the DUALLIE, double stroller version. I'm reviewing the single, as there was no double on Epinions.com. As I understand it, the single & double are interchangeable but for the second seat.

It's called the Ironman because the Ironman triathlon people endorse this stroller. This is probably the stroller for you if you're a hardcore runner. Some hardcore friends of ours use it on their marathon runs.

This is a GREAT stroller. It glides along as you go. I'm not a runner, though I want to be, but I take the stroller out daily for a long hour long walk with the dog. It allows me to take long strides without tripping over a center wheel. It is smooth and fast. I'm sure runners would fly along with this baby.

We chose the Ironman version of the BOB Duallie for one reason, the hand brake. Living on a steep hill, I constantly use the hand brake - - though we are having trouble adjusting it. The stroller seems to still go down the hill even at full brake. It never comes to a complete halt. The foot brake accomplishes this satisfactorily when needed. It has a wrist harness to keep the stroller under your control at all times.

The Duallie has a 100 lb limit/ 50 lbs/kid so they can get pretty big before they outgrow it.

There is a 5-point harness that closes at the crotch and has a chest latch. This keeps the kids in the seats safely. They can't crawl or wiggle their way out. The seat recline quite far back and each seat reclines independently. This allows comfortable napping for the kids on our walks. The padded seats are comfy and help keep them warm.

The canopy covers quite low, keeping the sun and breeze out of their faces. It is even safe for a light rain. I don't have the rain cover yet, but the canopies have kept the kids dry. I also will carefully angle an umbrella. The under storage is spacious allowing for a mini-diaper bag, dog supplies, toys, and mommy supplies.

The suspension is great and helps us go over the curbs we must hop on a daily basis. The kids don't even notice or wake from their naps. As opposed to the other BOBS, this one has aluminum rims with stainless steel spokes and is lighter that the other BOBS. It's road style tires make you go fast & smooth.

It fits almost anywhere any double stroller would go. It goes through the standard doorways I've taken it through and squeezes through a tree planter and wall I must cross daily. Barely, but it makes it. A turning front wheel would help.

The down side is that the front wheel doesn't turn. You have to drag it left/right to adjust your trajectory or to turn. You can also tilt it up to make a turn. It's pretty agile for its size. There is some wear showing on the wheels after about 6 months of use.

I would also love some sort of a 'boot'/foot cover. I've rigged the foot bags from my McLaren onto the BOB to keep my kids warm on chilly mornings. It works OK, but I'd love something designed for the BOB.

It's also cumbersome & bulky to fold up and take places. I have a second stroller (McLaren double) for that. It lives in the garage in full open position. It's too much of a bother to fold for storage. As we use it daily, it's also too much of a bother. When folded, it also remains a little big. It doesn't really get too much smaller. I've only folded it once. So I can't really describe in detail how to do it, but it was hard to figure out, hard to work and not very instinctive. I really avoid it at all costs.

It also is rather bulky. We have a 2 car garage, with 2 mid-size (Explorer/Pathfinder) cars. We're squeezed in within an inch of our lives and must squeeze around the stroller to get to our cars. This is trickier carrying 2 babies or take-out food.

The other problem is when the seats are in full recline, they tend to tilt towards the center and the kids roll towards the center.

MANUFACTURER WEBSITE:

http://www.bobgear.com/strollers/stroller.php?product_id=9