Fast and Affordable Jogger
for Serious Runners on a Budget
This stroller has almost no rolling resistance – it goes so easily. Schwinn Arrow is the lightest (20,5lbs) jogger on the market. This one is among the few that has an adjustable handle – a deciding factor for serious runners and taller parents! Schwinn Instep Arrow mirrors much higher-priced strollers but with less expensive materials. It’s great if you want a functional running stroller for a lower price!
Walkingmama says: this is right for joggers who need high performance with a functional stroller, but who don’t want to break the bank. Schwinn Arrow – a great basic jogger that has everything for a good run and maximum baby comfort. It’s actually a very nice stroller for the price.
Table of Contents
SUMMARY: Schwinn/Instep Arrow Stroller
After analyzing consumer reports, I have concluded that Schwinn Arrow is a great jogger for a very good price. Parents whose are not spoiled by high priced strollers are just as happy and love Schwinn/Instep Arrow. I rate it as a highly recommended jogging stroller that is especially recommended for first-time running stroller parents.
Personally, I had an XLander XRun stroller that is essentially a copy of Schwinn Arrow: I used it loads over 4 years, and have done over 5000 miles with it – I just can’t get enough of it!
What I like about Schwinn Arrow is that it doesn’t compromise on the adjustable handle, which is a must for serious runners. As for me, this makes Schwinn/Instep Arrow preferable to even BOB Ironman, because it allows me to regulate the handle height for serious running. I can also do my Invisible Stroller Fitness Exercises only with an adjustable handle.
My review is based on two benchmarks: sports performance (running, walking, off-road, rollerblading) and daily life usage (ease of use, child’s comfort, storage space etc)
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Is Schwinn/Instep Arrow stroller good for sports?
I measure a jogger on several sports criteria: performance, alignment, durability and safety.
- High Performance Jogger – Schwinn Arrow works well at high speeds. It rides easily as the aluminum construction makes it lightweight – benchmark no. 1 for any decent jogging stroller. Smooth ride – Schwinn Arrow is equipped with 16-inch pneumatic tires with aluminum wheels and shock absorbers for a light ride. It is very easy to push and steer.
- Alignment – it takes almost no adjustment to get it to go in a straight line. However, some reports say that alignment is a weak point for Schwinn, as it needs to be adjusted from time to time. However, with a tracking adjustment lever on the front wheel excentre – it’s quite easy to regulate the roll if the stroller goes left or right. The construction is sturdy and lightweight, and is also rust free, which is important for humid conditions.
- Durable stroller – According to the reviews, it lasts a long time and doesn’t need to be replaced. The rubber handle is comfortable and slip resistant, and won’t deteriorate with sweat or moisture. BOB uses another material that deteriorates over time.
- It’s a safe stroller – it’s very well-balanced, as its gravity center is further forward, which prevents it from tipping backwards easily. Schwinn has a hand brake, parking brakes and a safety wrist strap – so you don’t lose control of the stroller while skating. One disadvantage – there is no reflective tape on the canopy so this needs to be put on separately.
Is the Instep/Schwinn Arrow suitable for Walkingmama Stroller Fitness?
Yes. It’s the only stroller that allows you to adjust the handle to fit your height, or in the case of Invisible Stroller Fitness exercises, direct the workload to different groups of muscles.
The adjustable handle is the moment of truth for serious runners: people are of different heights, so a handle that allows you to run comfortably could be the deciding factor in choosing your stroller.
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Is this stroller good for real life?
Does it pass the real life test? The benchmarks here are ease of use, child’s comfort and extra storage.
Schwinn/Instep Arrow Single stroller is a thoroughly thought out, functional stroller, it was designed for your baby’s comfort, with safety in mind. And they also didn’t forget about a parent’s need for ease and functionality.
Ease of use – includes folding the stroller, using the harness, adjusting.
- Easy folding – Dual Trigger Easy Folding can be performed with two hands. It’s easy to fold it and it has a folding lock to keep it fixed when folded. Schwinn Arrow fits into just about any trunk, although you would need to remove the rear wheels for sedans. It only takes a few seconds and just one click to put them back.
- Adjustable seat – reclines easily into a semi-horizontal position. A reclining seat is a top condition when considering purchasing a stroller. Parents should be able to jog any time, in any place without needing to co-ordinate sports time with the baby’s sleeping schedule.
- Harnesses – 5-points, wide, well-padded. No reflective tape.
Child’s comfort – includes shock absorbers, sun canopy, quality of fabric and any other extras that make the ride comfortable for the baby.
- Shock absorbers – Schwinn Arrow has a rear suspension system – for bumpy roads, off-road, cobblestone streets, etc – however, this jogger has a bit of a rough ride, unlike the more expensive models. I should mention that my old XLander had no shock absorbers at all – I just needed to pad my child well before rollerblading or going off-road, which didn’t prevent my son from falling asleep every time I ran or walked.
- The canopy is not the biggest. For complete sun coverage you’d have to buy (or make) an extra sunshade cover. But the cabin is well-ventilated and allows you to see your child through the top.
- Seat width – A 14.5 inch seat is roomy enough to accommodate even pre-schoolers.
- Medium-grade fabric – the quality of fabric in the canopy isn’t the best. It’s a bit thin and noisy.
- Extra accessories are MP3 speakers that are included with the stroller but don’t provide a good sound experience (according to consumer reviews the volume is very low)
Storage space – a large underneath storage basket to store everything needed for a whole day outdoors, and shopping on your way back home. Just one thing to point out here – the basket is placed too close to the stroller’s bar which makes it difficult to place bulky items in it.
Parent extras: a sun shield and cup holder come with the stroller.
Dimensions:
COMPATIBILITY:
not car seat compatible
Are there any weaknesses?
This stroller has some minor issues, although, none of them are deal-breakers. Since Schwinn Arrow mirrors strollers of a much higher price with less expensive materials, it has only basic suspension and medium-grade fabric. The alignment could be better and the shopping basket could also be improved.
Alignment problems – the front wheel on the Schwinn is adjustable, but has a strong tendency to veer to one side or the other. This comment appears in several reviews, which in fact, can’t be ignored, as even the company gives recommendations on how to fix the front tire. I’ve had the same problem with another stroller – you just need to adjust the front wheel excentre.
The under seat basket – it’s large but the space between the sides of the basket and the frame is only 3 inches – too narrow to put in and take out items. Besides this, the basket is placed too close to the ground – it gets wet very easily when it rains. Also the bottom storage space drags on the ground when you put too much in it.
Medium-grade material – thin, stiff and a bit noisy.
The speakers are too quiet – you pretty much can’t hear them at all, which means that even if you turn the speakers all the way up, they are just blasting your kids’ ears.
This stroller isn’t as supportive as a car seat – it needs extra padding for the child.
In my opinion, it’s a great stroller for the money. It has everything you need for an uncompromising run, your baby’s comfort and for everyday life.
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What age of child is it suitable for?
My strong recommendation is a child should be at least 6 month old to be ready for the ride in a jogging stroller. A child must be able to sit without an assistance to be ready for such types of activities like running, intense walking and especially rollerblading.
Instep/Schwinn’s Stance on Safety states 6 month as well. Other producers state even 8-9 month. You can easily do a weight loss walking with any 4-wheels baby pram before your child reaches 6 month. Read my weight loss walking post here
Can this stroller fit into the trunk of a sedan? Do wheels need to be removed? Does it fold easily?
Great site!
Hi Hannah,
Schwinn/Instep Arrow absolutely fits into a sedan’s trunk.
Folded Dimensions: 35.5’L x 22.5’W x 20.5’H.
You just perhaps would need to remove the rear wheels. It’s a matter of a second, from my experience with the similar wheels. You just press a button on the center of a wheel and pull to remove it from the bracket.Putting wheels back – with just one click.
Folding is quite easy, using both hands – the upper half folds into the lower half.
Here is a link to see how does it look folded – just click on the picture to change an image. There’s a user’s manual as well – to see the details.
https://www.instep.net/Product/Schwinn/Detail/239_Arrow_Fixed_Wheel_Jogger_-_Single_13-SC112/
Hope it helps – let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks for your help! Just ordered this stroller based on your recommendation. I am a new jogger/runner and can’t always leave baby at home. I am excited to start running with baby!
I hope you’ll be satisfied with this stroller. To my opinion, it’s good choice for the new runners, lightweight and at a great price.
Perhaps, would you share your experience when start using it? That would be great! So happy running for now!
I am a serious runner and was considering getting a more expensive stroller, but after reading your review, I think this might be the stroller for me. One question…can the child sit pretty much straight up in the highest position? I ask because my toddler wants to look around and see things and I find that some of the strollers are still pretty reclined in the highest position and my son has the tendency to want to pull himself forward. I haven’t seen this stroller in any stores, and it is hard to tell this by just looking at pictures.
Hi Kelly,
Schwinn Instep is a good choice if it’s your first jogging stroller and you’re not spoiled with more expensive models. Has suspensions+adjustable handle bar. just few things: I can’t guarantee the good alignment (might pull right or left, however, it’s easy to fix just on the go) and also the fabrics is a bit noisy.
About the recline: I checked one video and to me it seems like it has a certain 80 degree recline. Also the seat reclines using a strap – which from my experience mean that you will be able to make it quite vertical.
Check this video – I hope it helps!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvRvQzxXN04
If you need further assistance – will be happy to help. You might use the JUST ASK form in the top of the site!
Wish you a good purchase!
Hi Lena, I just took up roller skating – I have done ice skating, so I am quite stable on the inlines just need to learn how to stop safely. I am planning on getting the instep stroller. Do you have any words of advice how to roller-blade with the stroller?
Hi Paula! Thank you for your question!
First of all – how to stop safely on the inlines (when strolling) – actually, it’s easier than without the stroller! You have the hand brake – so when you want to stop, just break with it. If it’s not enough, use your right rollerblade’s brake at the same time. You’ll stop at most of the cases – smoothly and very safely.
There might happen a moment of an emergency stop (I had one when a dog on a leash suddenly crossed my way). Then the safest way is to make a 180 degree turn with your stroller – tip the stroller backwards to get it only on the rare wheels and make a fast turn. You will stop quite smoothly not hurting anyone. Just don’t do it at high-speed:-)
Now – about fast speed – while skating with the stroller – forget about it. A moderate speed is something you’ll be up to for some period (check Youtube videos for walkingmama fitness rollerblading – so that’s my max speed I do (and a truck is empty). First of all – it’s safer, and, secondly, moderate speed doesn’t shake and bounce your child’s head.
To make fitness out of such a slow walking – try the stroller skating exercises (I’ll send a reply with the link to your mail) – you’ll be sweating even on a slow ride.
I have a post dedicated to safe stroller skating – tips on child’s age and a proper padding for child’s head.
I plan to make tutorial videos as well – so if you’re interested, will share a link with you when those are ready.
Hope it helps. In case you need any further help or tips on stroller rollerblading – I’ll be happy to help! Just drop me a line to Lena at walkingmama.net.
Enjoy the rollerblading and freedom of being mom!
Hi Elena- your review made me confident to purchase the Schwinn Arrow- thanks!! Just a few questions: you say that the canopy can adjust all the way down to the seat… I haven’t figured out how to do that yet, does something need to un-velcro or un-button from the fabric to rotate down that far? Also, where can I find instructions to correct the front wheel aligment (mine veers slightly left when walking or jogging straight).
And one last question- as a beginning jogging stroller mom, the fixed wheel does make corners a bit awkward. Is it typical to lift up the front wheel in order to maintain speed and get the turn smooth or am I missing some other way to do corners?
Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews!!!
Hi Grace,
Thanks for your question!
Canopy – you just made me confused: I was pretty sure Schwinn’s canopy can be pulled down to the seat – at least when I was making my reviews – just on the back two buttons holding together the canopy and the seat back. I don’t have this stroller anymore so I can’t check it myself. Just send a question to Schwinn customer support – if they will answer me – not – than I have to correct this in my review!
Alignment – The first thing: check your jogger stroller tires for air pressure balance. The main causes of a stroller veering toward one direction was that the rear tires are not inflated to the same pressure. If this doesn’t help, loosen or tighten the front wheel (using a front quick release lever). Turn the wheel slightly in the opposite direction that it is pulling, and then tighten again.
Often times, the alignment is straightened out when you take off the front wheel and flip it, then reinstall.
Making corners – yep, it’s front wheel fixed strollers:-) It is really typically to lift up the front wheel to get the smooth turn. Soon you’ll master it and will be lifting it up really just a bit.
So try to make the canopy rotating:-) and let me know if you succeed. Otherwise I have to correct my review..
How do you feel with Schwinn otherwise? Curious to know your opinion!
Many thanks for your help!
Best,
Elena
Hi Lena- thanks for your quick response!! I took a thorough look at the jogger and it does not appear to unbutton to rotate down to the seat, it is held back by a metal bar with metal screws (I’d be happy to send you a photo if you’d like). Not a big issue, I might make a little screen for the extra sunny days or put sunglasses on my baby girl 🙂
Alignment is 1000% better- my husband checked the air pressure and it was only 1psi, supposed to be 35! Thank you for the tips, they were very helpful!
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the Schwinn. I’ve never used any other joggers to compare, but I love the look of it, adjustable handles, baby Ella looks very comfortable in her seat (she usually falls asleep for the duration of my run/walk), and it’s compact enough to fit in the back of my small SUV. This jogger I think is the best value performance for the price. Thanks Lena!
Grace
Hi! First of all, i would like to say thanks for your site, it has been a huge help to me. I’ve been researching every single site for reviews and advice on what jogging stroller to purchase. I plan on rollerblading with it and would like something that’s comfortable and supports my baby well. I was also contemplating the jeep overland stroller. However, was wondering what you would suggest, as the shwinn and joovy ats are also on my list.
Hello Janelle,
Thanks for posting a comment! Let’s try to help you out:
Rollerblading requires good suspension – but it really matters only if your child is a little baby (like up to 1 1/2 y.o). For the older kids, a suspension is, of course, good thing, but not so hugely important.
Good news – Jeep, Schwinn and Joovy ATS do have a pretty nice suspension.
A height: how tall are you and your child:
Jeep – good sized stroller, suites for the taller kids. Adjustable handle makes it good for the parents of any height.
Schwinn – less roomy than Jeep, but enough for 3-4 y.olds. Adjustable handle.
Joovy – very roomy, accommodates even a 5 y.olds. The only thing: if you’re a petite person, you might find difficult to rollerblade with the Joovy, because it is a beautiful and big stroller, you know.. with a fixed handle bar placed 42′ from the ground. On the other hand, with the rollerblades on – we are taller than normally.
I love Joovy. Just to bear in mind – it’s 3 pounds heavier than Schwinn and it’s quite a workout to rollerblade with it. Me personally – I don’t mind an extra workout really:-)
If chosing between three: I’d definitely go either for Schwinn or for Joovy ATS. Jeep is not so good for the speedy exercises such as rollerblading.
Just in case: there’s another nice stroller for rollerblading with the tiny babies – a Tike Tech X3 Sports. My review is almost ready and I must say – a suspension is great for skating specially with the tiny babies. A bad thing is that this stroller is heavier to maneuvre and push. Also it’s look is..hm..bulky:-) – but you can’t have it all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BFMN3Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002BFMN3Y&linkCode=as2&tag=walkingmama0e-20
Hope it helps and have a good purchase!
Lena
Hey Lena!
Thanks so much for your help. I guess I shouldve given more detail in my first post to help you get a better idea of what I need. Sorry about that!
My daughter is 9 months old. She’s pretty petite but long! Really, my primary concern is her comfort and safety. I saw the Tike Tech X3 online while doing my obsessive research and I love it, but the only prob is I’m worried about the leg drop and no real footrest (I should add she’s a wild one!). What do you think? I cant wait for your review!
As for me, I am about 5’5″ and suppose the rollerblades would add another couple inches to that. I also have back probs so maybe I should go with a lighter stroller…??? This is my first time trying this out, as I am a first time mom and have no idea where to start with rollerblading with a stroller! So anything you can comment on a suggest would be a HUGE help! Would you say the Joovy ATS is hard to push when on a certain terrain or is it on all kinds just because of the weight? I would mostly be using it to rollerblade on a paved path, and otherwise rarely for walking at beach etc.
Again, thank you soooo much for all your help =) I really appreciate it!!! I am definitely suggesting your site to other moms!
Thank you for your detailed review of the Schwinn Instep jogging stroller. While I’m not a walking mama, I am a running daddy and one of my most pressing concerns for buying a jogging stroller is the adjustable height. Being 6’4″, some of the other joggers just didn’t seem a good match for my height and I was worried about it causing me lower back pain as a result. (I’ve suffered from lower back pain and needed rehab/physical therapy twice in the past because of it)
So, I thank you. I can’t wait to take my oldest (a daughter of two) with me on my next run. My order should arrive within the next week. I think she’s going to enjoy the run just as much as me.
Hi Jeffrey,
Big thanks for the kind words! I think you’ll truly enjoy your rolling gear:-)
Schwinn is very nice stroller and I hope you’ll be making long miles with it!
Looking forward to your comments, I’d really appreciate your feedback!
Have a great day!
Lena
p.s. you have a nice blog BTW:-)
Hello, Your website is so useful and interesting :). Such a pity in France most of these strollers are not available, and to import them from the USA it doubles the cost….
Hello Aurelie,
What you should have in France is Baby Jogger FIT – I’m pretty sure about that, as Baby Jogger has a European distribution. FIT is very good jogging stroller – I used it when living in Barcelona.
Also what I can recommend is – XLander model XRun – it’s a polish jogging stroller, very affordable, very good. I used it for all my sports during four years. Checkhttp://www.xlander.pl/
Hi I just wanted to provide some feedback on this stroller. I purchased it last year after reading the recommendations on this site and I really can’t be happier. This stroller is SO easy to run with, it pretty much self-propels and is very easy to push/steer with one arm while pumping the other. Yes, the quality of the materials is not the greatest and it is a bit noisy (of course that could have to do with my skills at putting it together!) but for the price you can’t beat it.
Hi Mel,
Thank you so much for the feedback! I’m so glad that you’re happy with the Schwinn! It’s a good good stroller, that’s true!
My apologies that I answer only now, but it looks like something went wrong on my site with the comments notifications, so I’m finding some unanswered comments only now..
Yes, Schwinn cam be recommended – that’s for sure!
Hi Lena,
I am trying to decide between the BOB sport utility or the Schwinn. I’ll be primarily using it for jogging, but we do a lot of hiking and would like something that can manage off road and in the woods. I have a regular stroller for daily errands so I’m not concerned about that. I was sold on the BOB Sport Utility, but I’m concerned that the low canopy and footrest may end up shortening my ability to use it. My son is eight months old, but already on the tall side. Do you think the Schwinn can handle some off-roading? I’m also wondering about the recline.My son likes to sit up and look around and these both seem somewhat horizontal. Any advice would be appreciated. I want to make the right choice as this is a big investment for us. I’m eager to start jogging with him.
Hi Marisa,
Schwinn is a good choice for hiking, as it has pretty good suspension (Baby Jogger has almost none)
Re:BOB -yes it can get too short pretty soon, although if not this fact, I’d recommend to take BOB
Regarding your concern about the Schwinn’s recline: when upright, it is pretty vertical.
No problem with that-you can look at the pictures in this blog to make sure http://kyleyleger.com/tag/jogging-stroller/
The strap that reclines the seat can be tied up to make the seat even more vertical. Hiking is good with that because this stroller is very lightweight
I like schwinn for the price as well
So I’d tell you to go for it – there’s more pros for Schwinn in your case!
Thanks for sharing this!
I agree that this Schwinn stroller is definite a bargain in terms of jogging strollers and has a very attractive price point. I personally have a BOB stroller but had I known, I probably would’ve gone with the Schwinn stroller here as my first jogging stroller.
Oh well, at least now my readers at http://www.MommyStroller.com know.
Cheers and happy holidays!
Evelyn
I am About the spokes . They look like they could rust and I wondered if they wer alluminum or not. We had issues with a jogger with ruste stokes because wee live near the beach.