When I decided to get a double stroller for my 1 year old and 3 year old, I had a few specific things I was looking for.

1) Weight and ease of use. I have tried out many front to back double strollers and found them very hard to use. The small wheels often get "confused" and adding 50 pounds of children didn't help the already heavy strollers manuver easily.

2) Cargo weight limit. Since my children were already a bit older- 1 year and 3 years- I wanted something that we would be able to use for at least another year or two so every pound counts.

3) Size when folded. Another thing that worried me about front to back doubles was their size when folded. My husband and I ruled out f-2-b's pretty early in the search because we didn't think one would fit in our van.

4) Function. While cute and frilly prams are nice, I was in the market for something that would utilize every square inch of stroller and do what I needed it to do on the road. Baskets on bottom, no wider than it need be, easy to fold up, a big canopy, big wheels, etc.

5) Price. We are a one income family so we always try to watch what we spend and get the best bang for our buck.

After ruling out front to back strollers, I started looking for an *affordable* side by side. I couldn't stomache the thought of spending $300, $400 or up to $500 for a side by side that looks and functions like a $20 single umbrella stroller. Many didn't look comfortable and I was worried that these "mall strollers" wouldn't be able to handle the roads since I often walk to pick up my oldest son from school.

I started looking at the Graco Duolite. It had great reviews, was definitely in my budget and had many of the features I was looking for. The only thing I was worried about was the front bar that stays in place. I really wanted something that the kids could get in and out of without having to be lifted, so this was an issue that I argued with myself about for a couple of weeks. In those two weeks, I started looking at joggers. I fell for the Dreamer Ditto first, but was nervous about spending almost $400 for it. Finally, I came across the Schwinn SC200 and it was exactly what I was looking for!

This jogger has EVERY quality I was looking for in a double and more. From the price tag to the storage and comfort, this is my best purchase of the year.

1) and 2) Weight, cargo limit and ease of use. This jogger is made out of aluminum so it's not only light (23 pounds) but it will not rust. It will hold 2 children up to 100 pounds. This meant that even my 50 pound, almost 6 year old could ride if needed. The SC200 is extremely easy to use. It was easy to assemble out of the box- even setting the brake was a breeze. Daily use is a snap, it folds in half and has a unique locking system that insures that it won't collapse. Pushing this jogger is easier than pushing a traditional stroller, in my opinion. The front wheel is locked in place at all times, but the way the weight is distributed makes it very easy to tilt back slightly to turn. You don't have to push hard or lower it until your children are upside down when turning, just a little pressure with your hand until the front wheel clears the ground.

3) Size when folded. The front wheel on the SC200 is easy to remove if you want to make this more compact for travel. It easily fits in the back of our van (standing up) with the front wheel removed. If you want it to be even more compact, you can remove the back wheels easily too.

4) Function. There is not a space on this jogger that is wasted. It's definitely utilitarian but at the same time it LOOKS amazing and is COMFORTABLE for the kids! I'll start at the top and work my way to the bottom. The pushbar has foam padding so it's very easy on the hands. The canopy has great coverage. I have noticed that the canopy on many joggers tends to stick up really high, defeating the purpose of blocking the sun from the child. This canopy has a low profile and I have never had sun in their eyes unless i'm walking towards the sun early in the morning. The canopy also contains the rain shield. It zips right out of the canopy so you always have it on hand without taking up storage space. On either side of the canopy is a small zippered pouch that is perfect for small items. I always put my keys and cell phone in one of these pockets. The seats have a removable cushioned seat that adds comfort for your child. 5 point harnesses keep them safe. There is a food rest for each child and a storage compartment with a drawstring on the back of each seat. On the left side of the jogger is a built in (but removable!) insulated cooler bag. This bag is great for storing a juice box, bottle of water or snacks for the family. Under the seats is a large storage basket. This basket with hold a lot! We once took our jogger out to a state park and packed everything we needed including a small cooler for drinks, diaper bag, picnic food bag and much more. The wheels on this stroller are my favorite feature. They are 16 inch "fat boy" wheels that make such a difference in the ride. They can be removed easily for storing the stroller or replacing the wheel (which I had to do recently, more on that later) and they make this a dream to push. While there is a caliper hand brake on the front wheel, the back wheels have a traditional foot brake on each wheel.

5) Price. This stroller was a STEAL. For all the features, the great customer service and more- I paid $239. I searched high and low and found the best deal on ebay (new from a bike dealer- check feedback!). This jogger is worth every penny I paid. Being the bargain hunter that I am, I can't stand spending a lot of money on something that isn't worth it. That's definitely not the case with this one! I registered my product and was glad I did so when one of the wheels broke. Two spokes of one of the rear wheels got loose and it messed the whole wheel up. I called Pacific Cycle who recently obtained InStep and they sent out a new wheel, no questions asked. I was disappointed to see that the wheel they sent had a small dinky tire. I assumed that this was just the replacement but I called them back to make sure. The customer service rep apologized and explained that my jogger has the fat boy tire, so she sent a new wheel and an extra tire out that day. I didn't have to return the broken wheel or the wrong one they sent, so now I have a "spare" tire just in case.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 239
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months