I just read a story about a mother named Candice who is an avid jogger and power walker. Naturally she uses a jogging stroller now that her baby is old enough to enjoy the ride. However, Candice began feeling some pain and fatigue in her shoulders and arms upon returning home from her route. Sound familiar?
The likely cause is that your jogger stroller pulls toward one direction or the other, and when you’re constantly straightening it out during your run, that action is putting additional strain on your neck and shoulder muscles. By the time you’re finished with your route, you’re far more exhausted than you should be and your arm, neck and shoulder muscles are fatigued, and might even at risk for muscle strain. This is the last thing you need when you’re a parent who picks up your child countless times a day! So, what do you do?
CHECK AIR PRESSURE
The first thing you need to do is to check your jogger stroller tires for air pressure balance. I had a three wheeled stroller with my son, and one of the main causes of a stroller veering toward one direction was that the rear tires were not inflated to the same pressure.
By the time I got home from my three-mile walk, I was worn out. Often times I’d have to push mostly on one side of the handle bar just to keep the stroller going straight. This would happen most frequently when I’d have a slow air leak in one of the rear tires and I’d get it patched.
One quick and easy solution is to keep a small tire pump with you. Some all-terrain and jogging strollers come with a pump, which is very handy, but if yours does not, you should get one; they’re inexpensive and a must have with air filled tires.
However, if you find your tire is chronically deflating, another answer is to use Slime Tube Sealant. It comes in a plastic bottle and the liquid inside is green. It coats the inside of the stroller’s tube with the liquid film and you need just a little to do the job.
While you’re at it, make sure your front tire is inflated properly, too.
ADJUST THE TRACKING
If your stroller is still veering, you should next find a straight line to test the tracking, which adjusts your front tire so that your stroller rolls straight. You may find that aligning your jogger stroller to a line on the sidewalk is the easiest way to do this. Push your empty stroller away from you and see if the stroller naturally veers one way or another. If your stroller still heads in a direction other than straight, you need to adjust the front wheel alignment.
Often times, the alignment is straightened out when you take off the front wheel and flip it, then reinstall.
Another way to fix the tracking is to loosen the front wheel, either with the quick release lever, or by loosening the bolt with a wrench. Turn the wheel slightly in the opposite direction that it is pulling, and then tighten again.
If your stroller has adjustment knobs located on the right and left side of the front wheel’s center, turn the right knob clockwise if your stroller veers right; turn the left knob if your stroller goes toward the left.
A jogger stroller that rolls straight ahead frees you from having to even think about your stroller, which is ultimately a sign of high quality. Feelings of joy and freedom should be what we feel during exercise, not wresting with our baby gear to make it behave properly.
WHAT’S YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN?
Have you had any exceptionally good jogging strollers or some downright lousy ones that could never go in a straight line? What’s been your experience with your jogger? Your comments will help others who are considering the purchase of this important piece of baby gear.
Amy Tanathorn researches the best baby strollers at Stroller Envy, where you can find in-depth reviews and ratings, including video demonstrations. Get the right information you need on different stroller types, such as your next jogger stroller.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to