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Our Review of the Schwinn Free Wheeler AL 2 double stroller
The double model of the Free Wheeler AL, the Schwinn Free Wheeler AL Double Stroller takes walking with children from city streets to trail with ease thanks to a 12" swivel front wheel and 16" rear wheels. The swivel wheel locks in place with relative ease, allowing you to jog lightly or negotiate bumpy paths. The lightweight aluminum frame folds compactly for travel.
IS IT FOR YOU?
The Schwinn Free Wheeler AL Double is for parents of two children who intend their stroller to work for all situations - walks, the park, or the mall. More serious runners should consider a stroller with a larger 16" fixed front wheel.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE IT
Schwinn has thought of the effort pushing a stroller requires, and included a 12" front swivel wheel for easy maneuvering. A rear suspension system ensures a comfortable ride for baby, and smooth pushing for mom and dad. Take the Free Wheeler AL anywhere thanks to the easy-folding design, and put all your odds and ends in the extra large storage basket. The included zip-out weather shield makes this stroller good-to-go, rain or shine.
CONVENIENCE
Take this stroller anywhere, from city stroll to country walk ? the lightweight aluminum frame folds quickly for storage in closet or trunk. While jogging, keep everything you need nearby on the parent tray, and store everything else in the underseat basket. A parking brake keeps the stroller in place on slopes.
COMFORT
Moms and their taller spouses push the Schwinn Free Wheeler AL Double in comfort thanks to the adjustable height handle. The foam covered handle reduces pressure on hands while cell phones and snacks stay close at hand on the parent tray.
SAFETY
- 5-point harness offers a safe and secure ride
- Parking brake
- ASTM Certified
WHY BABY WILL LOVE IT
Neither rain nor sun shall keep baby from their daily ride thanks to the generous canopy and weather shield. Children sit comfortably on long and short rides thanks to the cushy seats, and they may just fall asleep with the seats reclined.
COMFORT
No matter a trail's conditions, the rear suspension system ensures a smooth comfortable ride every time, while generously proportioned wheels smoothly negotiate corners and bumps. Children feel secure bundled in the 5-point harness, and can nap in the reclining seat.
COMPARISON
For similar comfort and convenience, but with a 16" fixed front wheel more suitable for serious joggers, read our review of the Schwinn Free Runner 2 ST.
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- Blue/Green
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- Folded w/out wheels
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- Folded with wheels
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- With included weather shield
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- Red/Black
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- Folded w/out wheels
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- Folded with wheels
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Specs
- Capacity
- 2 Children
- Maximum Weight Capacity
- 100 lbs.
- Stroller Weight
- 31 lbs.
- Front Wheel Size
- 12"
Dimensions
- Width
- 31.5"
- Ground to Handle
- 29.5 - 44"
- Stroller Length
- 46"
- Seat Back
- 20"
- Hip to Knee
- 9"
- Knee to Foot
- 8.5"
- Folded Dimensions
- 33.75 x 31.8 x 22"
- Folded Dimensions w/out wheels
- 34 x 29 x 18"
- Aluminum frame
- Aluminum spoke wheel
- 12" Front Wheel
- 16" Rear Wheels
- Adjustable Handle
- Tether
- Parking Brake
- Foam Push Handle
- Rear Shocks
- Weather Shield
- Reclining Seat
Schwinn Free Wheeler AL 2 double stroller Reviews
All Customer Reviews
- Average Rating:
- Highest Rating:
- Lowest Rating:
- Number of Reviews:
- 11
Deisgn Flaws
Reviewer: Anonymous , Reston, VA
Date: June 13, 2008
This stroller gets four stars from me as a parent pushing it (but probably 2 from the child's perspective). It is easy to turn for walking or jogging. Everything you could ask for with ease of use, except there is no lock when you fold it. For the child, his/her legs stick straight out. The seats are too deep. A small baby could fit fine, and an older child of 3 might fit OK. But anyone in between will have his/her legs at an awkward angle. The seat back is very low for older kids, so you might need a pillow for better head support. This can, though, fit very tall kids that way as the sunshade is curved. The sunshade is large and very good. The storage basket is flimsy. There is no separation between the kids. I would go with the safari, except the handle on that was too low. On this one it goes up to 44 inches, so my husband and I (tall) can use it for jogging. If you are a short or average runner, the Safari is MUCH better designed. It even comes with infant head rests and pads on the straps. This one does not. I am annoyed that this is Schwinn's most expensive model, and the engineering for child comfort is so poor. Schwinn, did you actually put toddlers in this for testing? Didn't you notice they don't fit at this angle?
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LOVE this stroller!!
Reviewer: Anonymous , Effingham, IL
Date: March 14, 2008
I have so many good things to say about this stroller that I don't even know where to start! When shopping for a stroller, I knew I wanted a few features: swivel front wheel, side-by-side seats, an adjustable handle (my husband is a foot taller than me so this was a MUST!), be collapsible with one hand, 5 point harness system that would fit very young children to much older toddlers and a generous canopy. This stroller has all of that and more...I especially like the weather shield that is built into the canopy. I was a bit concerned that my 6 month old niece would not fit in the straps after reading some other reviews, since she is a bit small for her age -- but she did, and they are nowhere near as small as they could go. For the younger babies you do have to put the straps through the slots in the back of the seat like the owners manual shows. The parent console is a soft one, but is very generous in size -- I easily put 2 water bottles, 2 cell phones, and 2 sets of keys in it. The stroller does fit through standard sized doors too, which is a plus. It is also light enough that I can put it in my trunk on my own, and I'm 6 months pregnant. The wheels really ARE quick-release, as I can put all three of them on/off in under a minute! This stroller is so easy to push that it actually makes walking, even over rougher terrain, easier than not pushing any stroller. My walking partners and I knocked 5 minutes off our walk time the first time we used this stroller as compared to our two singles. I also didn't have an issue with the seats being too laid back like some of the reviews said - the seat backs sit almost straight up when you tighten them all the way, and both my tall-for-his-age 3 year-old son and small 6 mo. niece could see everything around them. Another bonus that wasn't mentioned anywhere online that I like is that there are little strap-type cup holders in the children's seat, so it is easy to stick a water bottle or sippy cup in there for the kids.
I think the only thing I would change about this stroller is to make the bottom storage box a little bit more sturdy, and put something on it to keep it in the closed position. However, I just use a piece of velcro to keep mine in the closed position. I might also add a second optional parent console...the one that comes with it works well for two people, but not for three, which is how many people I usually walk with.
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Great stroller for the price
Reviewer: Rachael , Boston, MA
Date: January 23, 2008
I have twin girls, now 14 months, and I have been using this stroller with them since about 5 months old. To be honest, I did not do a lot of research when I originally bought the stroller, but luckily am very happy with it. The stroller easily goes up and down curbs, over sidewalk bumps, and through dirt/mud/snow with no issues. The sun canopy is awesome and is much better than what I have on my other side-by-side (an Inglesina umbrella stroller). I've found that to fix it from falling down all the time, all you have to do is tighten the bolts where it attaches to the frame. The seats themselves are the major con - when my girls were littler, no problem, but now they are always trying to lean forward to see what's around them, b/c the natural angle of the seat keeps them far back. I put a folded up baby blanket under each seat and that seemed to help a lot. The storage area underneath easily fits a diaper bag, jacket, purse, and I've found you can store quite a bit of stuff in the pouches behind each seat when they are not in lying-down position. The parent console could and should be a lot bigger - there's a ton of room on the handlebar and the parent console is only about 5" wide. I've had no problems fitting into standard size doorways with this. The only other issue I've had with it is that the regular bike pump we have to fill the tires for some reason doesn't fit well onto the tire nozzles - the wheels are smaller than regular bike wheels, and it's a pain to get the nozzle in between the spokes. Overall, I think you're getting everything you need from this stroller and saving yourself hundreds of dollars.
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Great so far
Reviewer: Anonymous , Big Timber, MT
Date: October 25, 2007
So far, so good! The stroller was delivered today and it was only about a week ago that I ordered it. Very quick! I immediately decided to take my 21 month old and my 6 week old for a nice walk around town. The stroller is great for manuevering on the bumpy roads and sidewalks. It is so easy to push and I didn't notice it being off balance with the large difference in weight (28 lbs. versus 10 lbs. My 6 week old seemed to fit great in the straps, so I'm not sure why other mothers thought they were way too big. My 21 month old also fits well, but I do think the seats are too deep. Her legs stick straight out, but it didn't seem to bother her a bit. She isn't tall for her age, but it seems like she might grow out of the seat sooner than later with how tall she sat in the seat. I hope it isn't too soon! With the angle of the seats, even with the backs all the way up, I think it could be difficult for the child to look at stuff in front of the stroller....say at a zoo or something. But for me that is not an issue, as this will mostly be used just around town for leisurely walks. I am not a jogger, but I decided on this stroller for the ease of pushing on our rough roads. I really did enjoy pushing it. It was just so much easier that pushing a stroller with those chincy plastic wheels. So I think this is a great buy for price. I would recommend this stroller to others.
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Excellent performance
Reviewer: Anonymous , Vermont
Date: September 04, 2007
This stroller is light and agile and can't be beat for the money. We had Safari single before with steel frame and rims that pretty much crumbled after 3 years on Vermont salted side walks. The aluminum frame and rims are huge improvement and you definitely feel the difference pushing it and folding it away into the car.
The mechanical components are not quite top quality - to be expected at this price range. Our rear wheels are both wobbling like crazy due excessive play in the axle/hub. I am hoping Pacific Cycle will send new wheels under warranty - we'll see. The folding button wire also broke on one side, but it is easy to manually lift the plastic frame locking component to fold it up.
All in all a fabulous two seater vehicle that is amazing adaptable from city streets, to the beach, to jogging down the bike path.
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Great stroller but best for older/bigger kids
Reviewer: JJ , Chicago, IL
Date: July 30, 2007
After doing a fair amount of research, I chose the Schwinn Free Wheeler 2 expecting it to be a great value for the money, and in this respect it definitely did not disappoint. There are many pros to this stroller, including: 1) the weight - compared to many other swivel wheel doubles, this is a very lightweight stroller. I also own a Valco double and compared to that, this felt like pushing a feather! 2) The basket - nice and roomy - I could fit my Skip Hop bag in the bottom with no problem and there was still plenty of room for a few jackets, a shopping bag, or other cargo. One end of the basket does seem rather low, but the other end is nice and high so I'd just put anything that I was worried about falling out on that end. 3) The canopy - much better than many other strollers out there. Although several reviewers commented about problems with it falling down, it seems like (on mine anyway) that only happens if you swivel it too far forward past a certain point. It would be very easy to secure the canopy to the frame to avoid this happening using some velcro or string. 4) relatively easy to steer 5) very easy to collapse and quick-release wheels really ARE quick-release! 6) the website doesn't mention this, but it comes with a small soft handlebar console that could hold water bottles, keys, cell phone & other essentials, which is a nice bonus. 7) it also comes with seat inserts that are easily removable and machine washable - great for me since my kids often snack in the stroller. For me, the main con of this stroller is that it seems to have been designed with fairly big kids in mind. I have a smallish (15th %ile) 3 y.o. and a largish (90th %ile) 18 month old. The seats are so deep that my 3 y.o. could barely bend her knees over the edge of the frame and her younger brother's feet stuck out up in the air. Both kids were swimming in the shoulder straps, even when I adjusted them as small as they could go and crossed them. As a result, I'm returning this stroller and considering other options, but if you have older or larger kids, I'd highly recommend this stroller. I will likely consider re-purchasing it in a few years when my kids can fit in it comfortably.
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Best Stroller
Reviewer: Stephanie , Streator, IL
Date: May 27, 2007
I absolutely love this stroller. I bought it after reviewing a few different strollers. This stroller is light, and very easy to manuever. I have a 3 year old and a 4 month old. They both absolutey love the ride. I read other reviews where people said that the shoulder strap just won't fit an infant even on the shortest part. But I also found by reading the owner's manual that under the cushion of the the seat are two loops that you thread the shoulder straps thru and it makes them even shorter. That did work for my 4 month old. I would highly recommend this stroller to anyone. I bought this stroller so I could walk with both of my children and lose my pregnancy pounds. With this stroller it will be very easy and convienent to go for walks with the children.
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I love this stroller!
Reviewer: Krystle , Fort Campbell, KY
Date: May 01, 2007
I want to start by saying I use this mostly as a walking stroller, with only light jogging. But it has been wonderful for us.
So let me start with the cons. The shade could be better, I agree with a previous review that it is pointless to detach it. I also found the brake to be very hard to release at first. Now I have figured out if you release it on the side at an angle it is fine. The shoulder straps are WAY to big. My 3yr old is just now big enough for a good fit at the smallest size. A hand break probably would be best for avid jogging, or even downhill walking. But this hasn't been an issue for me. The bottom basket could have a better opening, because I do feel like things could fall out. It is a pain trying to get it into a car folded, that having been said it fit in the trunk of my malibu with the front wheel on.
Now on to the positives! While the seats seem unconfortable to me my kids love them, and have never complained. I love how adjustable they are. Plus you can just unsnap the clip for napping. The sunshade is really big, and has great coverage unless you are walking straight into a setting (or rising) sun. It has an adjustable hand bar which is great for sharing with Dh. My fave thing about is the swivel/locking front wheel. I like how it locks for walking and jogging, but I can have a swivel everywhere else. I have had this stroller nearly a year and the locking clip still works great. I also like the little snap on storage thing on the handle. It is big enough for two sippy's, a cell phone, keys, and a wallet. I wish it had room for a water bottle for me, but I just put mine in the pocket on the back of one of the seats.
So bottom line I take this everywhere! The mall, museum, hospital, zoo, park, walking, jogging, you name it. If you are looking for an affordable jogging stroller that can be used as your ONLY double stroller I HIGHLY recommend this! But if you are an avid jogger, looking only for a jogging stroller, I would probably get something else.
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Absolutely love, BUT...
Reviewer: Pamela , Dallas, Texas
Date: July 05, 2006
This is a great stroller -- I love it, BUT my 22 month old hates it. He will not ride in it longer than 20 minutes due to the angle of the seat which makes the bar at the edge of the seat hurt the back of his legs. It makes his legs go straight out with no support. My other son is only 6 weeks. I'm sooo disappointed because I think all the other features of the stroller (except the harnesses being too big) are fabulous!!! There is no sense in having a stroller I love but my kids won't ride in, so I had to return it. Note to the manufacturer, fix the problem with the frame (seat angle) & you have the perfect stroller!!! NO KIDDING!!!
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