Customer Reviews

Baby Trend Expedition LX Jogging Stroller, Vanilla Bean

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

We have had this stroller for 2 years and were really happy with it. We did a lot of walking and jogging, on and off pavement, since we live next to a nice trail. While it's true that the front wheel wobbles when jogging fast, this is actually a feature. Let me explain. A lot of jogging strollers, including the very expensive ones (more than 3-5 times the price) do not have a front wheel that can rotate. This can really limit the maneuverability of the stroller, forcing you to lift the front wheel to turn. If you read the instructions on the stroller, you are supposed to LOCK the front wheel when jogging, and this eliminates the wobble problem. Then you can unlock it when you are just walking around or shopping, and you can have the better maneuverability. All in all, for the price, this stroller is a great deal which has held up quite well. My only complaint is the front wheel had no protection between the rim and the tube, and eventually popped. We had to order a new tube from baby trends since it is a non-standard size. I just added some electrical tape between the tube and rim to fix this problem for the future. If you buy one, I would recommend doing this to save yourself the hassle later.

We purchased this stroller last fall. It looks good, and rolls wonderfully across northeast sidewalks, which can be a little rough. It was exactly what we wanted in a stroller for those roughly 2 miles we were able to use it.

This spring when we are ready to use it again, the second walk we take this spring and all of the sudden; the front wheel locks up and is leaning to the side, causing the stroller to not run straight. The fork bearing was shot. I contacted baby trend and the replacement part, while covered under warranty, is on back order. So, I have no stroller for the spring. I even volunteered to drive to Binghamton (40 miles) to return it to Toys R. Us. But the warranty only covers the replacement part, which they don't have in stock. So, I can suffer and spread the word. Or I can spread the word and buy another stroller and have two.

Sum it up as a nice looking model with nice features, but poorly built. It's a lot of money, put to far better use. Our similar stroller for the first child was an In Step. Used it 2.5 years and gave it to my sister who used it for 2 more. I'd have to say your money is better spent on a better brand.

Save yourself from the same fate as I.

(Edit to add: Still no response from Baby Trend, and no replacement bearing. I will do my best to keep this updated when/if I receive parts.)

About two months ago we bought the Expedition LX Jogger for our 2.5 year old son. It has been absolutely everything we had hoped for, inexpensive, smooth gliding, manuverable, and comfortable for our son. The wobble that you experience in the front wheel when jogging was fixed when I removed the plastic foot rest cover (4 screws from underneath) and tightened the "front wheel wobble adjustment nut." Most people don't even know that there is an adjustment for the front wheel, I didn't until I looked closely at the wheel. So this being said, here is the best part:

A few days ago, I accidently hiht a raised sidewalk while going pretty fast. No one was hurt, but the front wheel took a very hard hit. This hit caused the fork holding the front wheel to stop spinning smoothly. The stroller would pull and lock-up continually. So I took apart the front fork and found that the lower ball bearing had busted open and was now causing resistance instead of allowing the fork to move smoothly. I called the customer service number that was provided with the stroller information, fully expecting them to tell me that I caused the problem and it would cost a ton to purchase the replacement parts. Well, I called this morning and was greeted by a very pleasant young lady. She took down my information (model, ser #, manufacture date, etc) and looked up the parts. She told me they had them and that she would send them out at NO CHARGE to me because the stroller is still under warranty. I couldn't believe it when I said it, but I said to her, "wait, no charge? Even if it was my fault for hitting the raise sidewalk?" She plainly responded that these strollers are designed to be able to take a hit like that, and if the bearing broke because of this hit, it obviously was defective. And so they are shipping out TODAY a replacement set of bearings. YES, that is right the set of bearings, nnot just the bottom one that broke. She told me that the bearing are match from factory and that if the bottom one had a problem, the upper one would probably have the same problem. Better safe than sorry -- she literally said that!!!

Well, needless to say that we are now COMPLETELY sold on this stroller. It gave us everything we needed, and now we see that BABY TREND backs up their products with STELLAR customer service. You really can't ask for more that that.

Overall a nice stroller but the front wheel wobbles when I jog, even when the wheel is in the locked position. Not what you want in a jogging stroller. This is a known problem because the instructions say that if you experience wobble, tighten a nut over the front wheel. Well, it was already about as tight as you could get it. I tried tightening it more but it made no improvement. Not sure if others have had better luck.

Not my neighbor. He has an older model of the same stroller and it has the same wheel wobble problem.

For walking, it's a fine stroller. If you're planning to jog with it, though, you may be disappointed.

I bought this stroller twice! I was so excited when I bought it because I was really looking forward to having a durable stroller to use while loosing my "baby weight". After the first walk, the front wheel started wobbling and jerking, it was horrible for me and it was shaking my baby crazily. After trying to fix it I figured it was defective and took it back, I got another one and it did the same exact thing! How crappy for a jogging stroller to have a wobbly front wheel?? How can you jog that way???

**UPDATE: I have had used this stroller now for over a year and a half. We take it all over our bike paths and at least three days a week to the beach. It still performs beautifully. We did learn you have to Lock the front wheel in any kind of loose dirt or sand, especially thick sand, because the wheel will turn and stick sideways. Not a problem to remember to lock it! My son likes that he can climb in and out himself and he has his own cupholder and snack tray. I still recommend it highly - again, I am NOT a serious jogger, but I power walk at least 1.5 miles with it every day! :)



After reading the positives and negatives of this stroller, and testing one in a store, I bought this just before my son was born. We live at the beach and there are also a lot of bike paths, so we walk with our dogs a lot! The stroller was on sale here at Amazon, arrived quickly, and has been great!! So easy to push and turn. In 16 weeks of use, the front wheel has only come loose once and was very easy to tighten back up. I've learned when to lock it and when to let it spin - if you leave it to spin on too rough a terrain it does loosen up - but if you lock it on the same terrain it's no problem at all! I recommend this stroller and I am very satisfied with mine.

We purchased the entire Travel System and it works as advertised. The front wheel problems reported in earlier posts have been resolved with newer models.

Things we like:
- This system fits a wide range of children. Our son was 6 weeks early and fit into the carrier @ 5lbs. This was due to the three shoulder strap positions (versus two available positions found in other models).
- The stroller rolls easily over a variety of terrain. We have taken the stroller on gravel trails without any problems. We have also been able to roll across a loose sandy beach if we were careful.
- There is a safety strap to tether the stroller to your wrist. This makes going down hills safer.
- The stroller has been durable so far. We have taken it on multiple airplane trips and outdoor walks. So far the tires have shown little wear and no damage occurred with the baggage handlers.
- The triangle grip allows us to hold the carrier in multiple positions comfortably.
- This thing is a tank and will carry a lot of bags, coats, and toys.

Things needing improvement:
- If you are going to do serious jogging, you'll want something with a larger front wheel and some form of suspension. The front wheel of the Expedition doesn't roll up over every bump in the road. However, the Expedition is great for a fast walk around the neighborhood or local trail.
- The front wheel's valve stem can only be accessed with the included pump which is not that great. If you have a good bicycle pump then get a "Topeak Pressure-Rite Anti-Air Loss Connector" from Amazon. This adapter allows you to pump up the tires quickly and easily with a full sized pump. Topeak Pressure-Rite Anti-Air Loss Connector
- The little flap in the cover does not have velcro to hold it open (window to see the child when the cover is closed). We glued on a piece of velcro to solve the problem.
- The stroller base is heavy (as are all travel system bases). Baby trends makes an excellent lightweight base for smooth surfaces. My wife used this base exclusively for the first month as she recovered from child birth (not fun lifting heavy objects!). Baby Trend Snap N Go-Single Stroller

I bought this baby stroller and a few months after purchase, the wheels would vibrate and the whole stroller would wobble. There was an obvious problem with the rear wheels. I could not jog with the stroller let alone walk with it.

I contact the company by phone and email. I told them there was a problem with the rear wheels. They asked me to send them a video of the stroller when it was having a problem. After watching the video, they agreed there was a problem and sent me some, unrelated, replacement parts for the front wheel. I asked them why they would send me replacement parts for the front wheel when I specifically told them the problem was with the rear wheels. They refused to do anything further. I email them several times and they refused to respond.

Don't buy this companies products, they have very poor customer service and are not very accommodating. Check the web, there are others that feel the same way about this companies customer service. They have a bad reputation.

Got it before reading Amazon reviews and instantly regretted it. Same problem as the other reviews. Unfortunately the foot rest was already assembled so I did not see the big sticker sitting under it suggesting to tighten the screw. On my first and only walk with this stroller I lost the front wheel because it wasn't tighten. Did not consider opening 4 tiny screws attaching the foot rest first, as this was not mentioned in the manual. First the front wheel started to wobbly pretty bad, so I used the switch to put it on fix (not swivel), then after half a mile I lost the front wheel. Did not bring tools with me, so that was it. I had to walk back pushing my kid on the 2 back wheels. Very frustrating.
At home I used my tools and took a closer look. I wanted to give it a try, but after tightening the front wheel/swivel screw I figured, if you tighten it too much, it won't be flexible enough and loses part of the swivel radius. If you tighten it less, it starts to wobble pretty quick and you have tighten it again, detaching the foot rest with it's 4 tiny plastic screws every time to do so. So, I would say this is poorly constructed and even with replacement parts (on back order) not satisfying. I returned it. And would give it "0" stars, if I could.
But interesting enough, the same stroller in color "Skylar" gets great reviews. Wonder why... Vanilla bean seems to be avoided. Or Vanilla bean is bought by heavy duty users only?

For all those people that fault the stroller for shaking or the wheel falling off, you people need to assemble this stroller right and tighten the wheels! IF you use the stroller with a loose front wheel the bearings may break and cause permanent damage to those bearings! The wheel bearings allow for a SMOOTH ride and turns. So, DO NOT FAULT THE STROLLER, you are the problem!

Great stroller for a cheap price. Front wheel locks to a stationary position or it swivels. Great feature depending on what you are using this stroller for.

Stroller comes with a compact tire pump for free. Yes, the wheels inflate which makes the ride smoother, unlike the strollers with plastic wheels. Another great feature.