Bob vs. Instep

We are double jogger junkies in this house. It's a complete necessity to us and it's used almost daily. So you should consider this opinion completely and totally correct, as I always am:)

When my 2nd child was born, we were walkers and bought a Schwinn double jogger. It was a base model that fit our base budget at the time. NO bells or whistles, but it did the job.

5 years later I gave that stroller away and upgraded. Big time!

I bought the BOB...The Bob is the Cadillac of double joggers. So I thought. I thought this because it costs about as much as a Cadillac. I assumed a $600 stroller would be loaded with bells and whistles.
I pushed that stroller all summer long. Up huge hills, paths along the golf course, trails up the canyon, walkways in gardens, and even Disneyland. I spent all summer being disappointed. Let me tell you what I dislike about the Bob:
1. There's no locking mechanism for when it's closed. You're supposed to wrap the leash around the whole thing and velcro it. PAIN!
2. To close it there is a 2 step process- fold the top part down with one latch and pull another to collapse the rest of it (and every time I did step 2, I thought I was going to break it. It was so sketchy)
3. Because of the 2 step fold and no lock, you have to pick it up just right (and with 2 hands! If I have a DOUBLE stroller do you think I ever have 2 hands free?) or it will come back open
4. There's no "roller coaster bar" (named by me). You know that bar you hold onto when you ride a roller coaster? The one that lowers down to your lap and you look around to make sure yours isn't the only fat squishing out. Only me? Ok, so there's not that bar that goes over the lap of the rider, which I find unsafe. Plus, if you have a newborn in a carseat, you can't lock it onto the stoller (although you can buy one that is a pain to install and costs $80, which makes this a $680 stroller!)
5. You have to manually lock the front swivel wheel (which means climbing under the stroller and fiddling blindly with a latch, then ultimately making your riders climb out so you can flip the darn thing over to lock it. By then your heart rate has dropped and you don't want to run any more, so you have to unlock in the same way)
6. There's no cup holder for the pusher
7. The lower basket is small and hard to access
8. When going at top speeds (I'm a rockin' rollerblader), the Bob does NOT perform better than a less expensive stroller

In no way did I find the Bob superior to any other double stroller.

My sister has this Instep Safari Grand double jogger and has loved it, so I thought I'd give it a try. Let me tell you what I like about it so far:
1. Roller coaster bar is a tray and cup holder for riders
2. There's also a cup holder and tray for the pusher
3. Pushing bar adjusts for height and comfort
4. Lower basket is easily accessible and much bigger
5. Folds in one easy step
6. Locking mechanism keeps it closed when it's folded (one handed pick up- I AM WOMAN!)
7. A trigger on the push bar locks and unlocks the swivel front wheel
Thank goodness I was smart enough to buy the Bob from REI, who has a return policy like Costco, so they took it right back and refunded all my money. I pocketed $480 (yes, I bought the roller coaster bar) and spent $200 on the Instep. I feel much better about this purchase and will update you in a while on it's long term performance.

That's really how I feel about it.