B.O.B. Revolution CE Review by Best Buggy

B.O.B. have a fantastic reputation for off road, all terrain pushchairs. We have always heard parents speak fondly of their B.O.B. pushchairs. At least three of our Best Buggy Focus Group have previously imported B.O.B. pushchairs because of the good reputation. One member still has hers, and another would now love a Duallie for two children. So with great reviews, we were very interested to learn more about B.O.B. pushchairs for ourselves.

There are 4 B.O.B. single pushchairs – the Revolution SE and CE, the Ironman and the Sport Utility. The Revolution SE, Ironman and Sport Utility also have double versions called Duallie’s. The Revolution pushchairs have front swivel wheels. The Ironman and Sport Utility have fixed front wheels.

Whilst the B.O.B. strollers will appeal to anyone who needs a pushchair to cope with every day life and that bit extra e.g. walks through the woods or on the beach, the B.O.B. pushchairs really are built with fitness and serious off road in mind. It should be fairly easy to choose a B.O.B. pushchair by your purpose. We chose the B.O.B. Revolution CE because we are largely urban pushchair users, thus the swivel front wheel is very useful in shops; but with countryside around us, and family by the beach, it seemed like the wheels would cope with these situations well.

First Impressions

The first thing that struck us was for a biggish off road pushchair, the B.O.B. Revolution CE is fairly light and easy to handle. There are natural holding places to make carrying comfortable. The fold is nearly as quick as a Baby Jogger pushchair, which was unexpected after having other Trifold pushchairs. The other obvious features are the huge seat and hood. Details such as the tracking and amazing adjustable suspension were also quickly noted – these are rarely seen on a pushchair; however as the B.O.B. pushchairs are suitable for jogging and skating with, then these are essentials.

Child Comfort

The B.O.B. Revolution CE seat is suitable from 6 months old. There is a carrycot available for use from birth. The seat is huge – one of the biggest we have seen here at BBHQ. Two of our BB team have B.O.B. pushchairs for school age children. The photos of our 4 and a half year old show that she had plenty of room in the seat, with good leg length and enough foot space for her huge size 12 feet. The seat is a hammock style which is well padded. One of my few negatives about the B.O.B. is that the fabric appears to be screwed to the chassis. I know this caused a headache for one family who needed to wash the seat. We would probably recommend using a liner.

The seat reclines using two straps / buckles – one on either side of the rear of the seat unit. Simply pull these and the seat drops down to any degree between upright and the maximum recline. Pushing the seat up really requires a push of the seat with one hand whilst the other hand tightens up the straps, although it is possible to pull one side up, and then the other, until the seat is upright. The seat does not lie flat enough for a newborn baby, but the recline is very good, and our son has slept comfortably in the seat.

The B.O.B. Revolution CE hood is massive. The hood offers great protection from the elements, whether sun, wind or rain. There is a large peekaboo window on top of the canopy. This is covered by a flap which can be tucked away into a thoughtfully provided mesh pocket. At either side of the window are two straps which when pulled draw the hood up. A small touch but very neat.
There is more attention to detail on the rear of the seat, where there is a storm flap covering an opening. The storm flap can be closed in winter, but in summer can be opened and secured neatly with Velcro onto the hood. This provides through ventilation for the child, plus the several inches of gap also means you and your child can communicate more clearly.

Harness

We love the Revolution CE harness. First of all the harness has an extra piece of padded fabric in the lumbar region which ‘wraps’ the waist harness straps around the waist of the child. The way this moves, means that it holds both smaller babies and older toddlers securely and comfortably. We LOVE how the waist straps can be adjusted extremely easily by simply hooking fingers through the red rings at either side and pulling tight. The crotch strap is well placed and is adjustable; however there is no padding on the crotch strap. The shoulder straps do have shoulder pads which close together using velcro. We liked how the height can be adjusted by sliding the shoulder straps up and down, plus there are velcro loops which can be quickly undone to alter the shoulder height settings, to keep them securely in position. The harness was simple to quickly adjust when we needed to swap the two children around. The harness and buckle were easy to fit together.

Handlebar

The handlebar on the B.O.B. Revolution CE is a fixed height. It is perfect for me at 5ft 6ins tall, however Mr BB finds the handle height too low for him to comfortably push. The handle is a comfortable thickness to hold and is covered in dense foam. There is a tether strap (to prevent the pushchair running away from you) situated off set from the centre of the handlebar. I like that this tether strap gap in the handlebar is not central, because I do push pushchairs one handed, and it was lovely not to have the gap under my hand (as other pushchairs do).

Wheels, Handling, Brake and Suspension

The B.O.B. Revolution CE is an all terrain pushchair. It handles brilliantly on all sorts of different surfaces. In every day life it pushed easily over tufty, long grass, through wood chip, gravel etc. We went off the beaten track just to try the B.O.B. Revolution CE out to see how it did. It handled the long, uneven, bumpy grass and hillocks fine. The bumpy, loose, stony hill path was no problem either. For use on all terrain, the small red knob above the front wheel locks or unlocks the front wheel. This simply flicks on or off. The front wheel locks straight in front of the pushchair instead of rearwards. This lengthens the wheel base thus making the B.O.B. easier to push when off road.

The B.O.B. Revolution CE has three 12″ air tyres with light alloy aluminium spoked wheels with sealed ball bearings. The wheels really are the main difference between the CE and the SE. The SE has larger 16″ polymer airfilled tyres at the rear, with a smaller 12″ wheel at the front. The bigger wheels of the SE make it more suitable for running with, or for more serious off roading. The bigger wheels also would allow for a greater stride. The CE front wheel is superb for swivelling – unlike many pushchairs with larger front wheels, the B.O.B. Revolution CE gives a continuous 360 degree swivel without the front wheel getting ‘stuck’ if you stop the pushchair off centre. This is a huge advantage in shops and tight spaces.

The B.O.B. Revolution CE front wheel has tracking on it which keeps the pushchair running straight if required. The tracking is adjusted by turning a small knob which turns above the front wheel.

B.O.B. strollers have a unique superb suspension system. The suspension on the Revolution CE is situated high on the frame. This provides excellent cushioning for the occupant from bumps and shocks. There are two different suspension settings which are altered using a ratchet slider on the side of the pushchair. The pin simply needs moving up or down to adjust for a light or heavier weight child.

The foot brake is situated between the back wheels. The red brake ‘button’ is really more of an indicator rather than a brake pedal, but its easy enough to flick the main brake bar on and off even with bare feet.

Storage, Raincover and Accessories

The B.O.B. Revolution CE has good storage. There is a generous basket and a large mesh pocket on the rear of the seat. There are also two mesh pockets inside the seat, either side of the child. These are perfect for drinks, small toys or for a small teddy to ride along too. My handbag easily fitted in the basket with plenty of space to spare. Although the basket gets more shallow near the front, the rear section is a good depth. There would be plenty of room for several lunchboxes and a rug for a picnic or day on the beach!

The B.O.B. Revolution CE does not come with a raincover. This is an additional £14.99. The raincover is a rather unusual grey fabric with a clear viewing window! There are some photos here on Best Buggy of the raincover on the B.O.B. Revolution SE. There is also an available sun shield cover.

It is possible to buy a snack tray for the B.O.B. pushchairs. However there is no bumper bar option. There is the option to buy a B.O.B. footmuff and a travel bag.

Travel System and Carrycot

The B.O.B. Revolution CE seat unit is suitable from 6 months of age. Therefore for a newborn baby, a carrycot or Britax car seat, plus an Infant Carrier Adaptor is required on the single B.O.B. Strollers. The B.O.B. Infant Carrier Adaptor is a shaped metal bar with Britax ‘Click and Go’ system adaptor sockets into which the car seat or carrycot clicks. The Infant Carrier Adaptor slots into the accessory brackets below the hood. The B.O.B Revolution CE can be folded with the Infant Carrier Adaptor left in situ.

The B.O.B. hard carrycot fits all the single strollers and easily attaches onto the B.O.B. Infant Carrier Adaptor. However you do not get an Infant Carrier Adaptor with a carryot – this has to be bought as an extra in order to add on the carrycot.

The Infant Carrier Adaptor and snack tray both fit into a brackets on either side of the seat. A small red button ‘pops’ out the blanking plates and the accessory can then be pushed into the sockets on each side.

Fold / Unfold

The B.O.B. Revolution CE fold really surprised us. Trifold pushchairs can often be more tricky to fold. However the B.O.B. blows that perception apart with a fold thats as quick as a Baby Jogger fold (based on the fact you dont have to walk around the front to do it!). Simply squeeze the triggers on the handlebar and flip the handlebar forwards so that the upper half is folded in half. Then reach down and grab the red coloured handle beneath the seat and pull. The Revolution CE easily slides closed in your hand. In fact, this ‘slide’ together is really quite lovely! There is a manual tether strap which does take a few seconds to put on – we found it easier to release the strap and tighten it everytime rather than to try to push the pushchair together to meet a tightened buckle.
B.O.B. Revolution CE is fairly flat when folded. However the wheels do add width and depth to the fold. The wheels are very simple to pop off – the front wheel takes a few seconds longer than the side wheels as it needs unscrewing. With the wheels removed the B.O.B. is a really neat package.

Unfolding the BOB is fairly easy. I have mainly been undoing the storage clip in the boot of the car and then allowing the B.O.B. wheels to open as it hits the floor. The top half of the pushchair then needs opening to upright and the pushchair all locks open. I have also been practising the ‘proper’ way to open the B.O.B. on the floor. This involves simply sliding the wheels apart by pushing the front wheel forwards until the chassis is open, and then lifting up the top half. The reasonably light weight of the B.O.B. has made opening and closing easy to do. I will admit I have found trifold pushchairs difficult in the past, but the B.O.B. really showed me that a trifold pushchair can be simple.

In Conclusion

The B.O.B. Revolution CE has pleasantly surprised us. It appears to be a big, heavy pushchair, but instead we have discovered a pushchair which has been easy to handle and has been light to carry and to push. For us the B.O.B. Revolution CE was a gentle introduction into the world of B.O.B. for our every day life. However, I can appreciate the benefits and uses of the B.O.B. pushchairs with the larger wheels, and I suspect it is fairly easy to choose a B.O.B. to suit your purpose.

The advantages of the B.O.B. Revolution CE are the huge comfortable seat combined with good leg length and foot room which makes this pushchair an excellent choice for an older child – possibly for a child with special needs who may be in a pushchair longer than most. However the B.O.B. Revolution CE  would be equally as suitable to see a baby through from birth to the end of their pushchair days. The front swivel wheel makes the B.O.B. Revolution CE a pleasure to push about town and in smaller shops. The B.O.B. Revolution CE also can take on most every day terrain with ease – so visits to the park, a walk on a woodland path, and bumpy paths should be no issue. The adjustable suspension and tracking add extra refinement to an already great all terrain pushchair. The main disadvantages could be the fixed handle height and screwed on fabric. However neither was an issue for us. The B.O.B. Revolution CE is an excellent all rounder of a pushchair!

Please note at the time we took these photos, our daughter was very sick. The B.O.B. Revolution CE was the perfect pushchair for her to ride in, and we were very glad this was here at BBHQ on test at the time.

With many thanks to Britax for helping us with this review.