[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have a "standard" stroller that I love and have been going on daily 3+ mile walks every day for the past few months. I have often wondered if a jogging stroller would benefit us on these walks, so I was thrilled when I received the Ridge V2 as part of the Stellar Product Testing Panel. I am reviewing this stroller as someone who doesn't run, and won't run, but still walks as exercise and uses the stroller for approx. one hour at a time.
When unboxing the jogger, I was really impressed. It's a very slick looking jogger — it's looks slim, the pearl canopy makes it feel very sporty, and it has fun lime green zipper accents. I was in awe of the basket storage (an area my current stroller is lacking) and thought (key word) the pockets in-seat were a great idea. I was excited to test it out!
The jogger itself folds down quite easily, but it is pretty bulky. Not unexpected from a full size stroller, but worth noting if this is something you are wanting to keep in your trunk at all times. I am a bit bummed my toddler can't get into the seat on his own and am hoping he will figure it out with some practice — it's higher than our other stroller.
The ride was smooth, quite a bit smoother than my other stroller, although I found the stroller a little hard to keep "straight" if pushing with one hand. The hand break seems to only lock the right wheel, so when testing the break going down hill, the stroller pulls to one side. I opt to not use it, as we really aren't moving that fast.
The handlebar is very easy to adjust! But unfortunately, it is one of the pain points I have with this stroller. The bar is curved slightly, so the placement of where your hands go is at an angle. In my opinion, it feels a bit unnatural and I can never quite get "comfy" with it. I also don't love the handlebar material. It's some sort of rubberized foam. On cooler days it didn't bother me much, but on warm days and my hands were sweating it caused more friction than I'd like. My hands also smell like rubber at the end of our walk.
Functionally, I really do not like the cup holder and how it's angled. It feels a bit awkward to grab my water bottle and put it back while moving. Sometimes I like to take a more leisurely walk with an open cup and the only way I can do that is by placing it in a caddy — It would have been nice if the standard cup holder was upright closer to the handle bar. Not the end of the world because I already use a caddy, but the hand break is in the way of quickly grabbing things. It's really not a big deal, but when you're vibing with a mom walk and you have to look down instead of a head to grab something that's right in front of you, it just messes with your groove. Hopefully something that will seem like it's not there once muscle memory kicks in.
My toddler seemed comfortable and I like that he rides higher up, but there's not a lot of room to help keep him entertained. In comparison to the stroller we normally use, the seat doesn't seem as deep, it it seemed hard for him to keep his snack container and water bottle in his lap. The side pockets next to him are great, except he isn't able to access them (he is 18 months, so maybe a skill he hasn't acquired). I can only imagine this would be harder to hang onto if we were actually running, especially through terrain. I see you can purchase a snack tray to add to the jogger, but we don't have one on our other stroller and haven't had any issues. I also wish the stroller had a cross bar to secure small toys to or use as a prop for books.
The harness support seemed like it'd be really comfy and hold him in well, but you can see in the pic of him from above, the straps don't stay on his shoulders. Sometimes by the time we get home his whole arm is out. I've tightened and adjusted and can't quite figure out how to keep them tight and secure — again, I would be more concerned about this if I was an actual runner, but we go at a pace I'm not worried about him falling out.
My favorite feature is how large the basket is. We have a park opening up at the end of our neighborhood and I am excited to be able to walk there but have been trying to figure out how to bring everything we need in my current stroller. In the jogger basket, I currently have two blankets, a spare jacket for the toddler and myself, as well as a few toys for entertainment if he gets antsy. There's still room to bring lunches for both of us, a picnic blanket, and summer supplies. It will be wonderful for hauling things around this summer!
I really want to love this stroller because of the extra storage it gives us, but I don't think the benefits of extra storage and a smoother ride outweigh the convenience of having all my walking necessities easily accessible and my toddler's things fitting comfortably on his lap. I will continue to use it for a few more weeks and hope I grow to like it.