My husband and I couldn't wait to receive and start using this stroller. We currently own the Free Wheeler single version, so we felt confident ordering the Free Wheeler Double. The product specifications states that the stroller supports 50 pounds per child.
When the stroller arrived, we quickly started putting it together. Our two year old immediately jumped in and wanted to go for a ride. My husband started pushing our two year old and four month old around the kitchen. I couldn't help but notice a HUGE problem right away. Our two year old's head was well over the steel frame of the seat back. It was resting, quite uncomfortably, at the base of his skull.
Our son's height is very average, not tall for his age at all, so this left us scratching our heads. Could the seat backs be raised? Nope. We turned and looked at our four month old. His head already reaches the very top of the seat back. If this stroller is designed for up to two 50 pound children, they must be very short and quite pudgy.
There was one other problem as well. Notice the really nice shoulder support pads sewn into the harness system? They are no longer a feature. This feature was important to us since our baby would need the extra support and padding. The packaging still displays this as an option as well.
I called the manufacturer of this stroller, Pacific Cycle, and spoke with Brenda regarding our findings. She was very unhelpful, rude, and pretty condescending. She stated that there had been a design change, and that we were out of luck with the shoulder harness. She also stated that all of their strollers, Schwinn, InStep...etc. have a standard 17.5 inch seat back. 17.5 inches? Is that a joke? They don't offer a stroller that has higher seats.
I measured the seat back on our year 2007 single model, and it measures a good 20 inches. A pretty significant difference. So, design changes have been made, but for the worse. The company is charging more, while saving money by cheapening their strollers. Bad move.
So now we are stuck trying to return the stroller, but nobody wants to claim responsibility for the problem. So, we are filing a report with American Express.
The good news? Yes, there is some. We found and purchased a GREAT stroller from REI. The staff at REI were all extremely helpful. We purchased a BOB Revolution Duallie Double Jogging stroller and we couldn't be happier. It is considerably more expensive but worth every penny. Our sons can actually use it for years to come. If you want a stroller for a child older than 6 months old, you will need to buy a BOB. Good Luck!!!