In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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The Thule Urban Glide 2 is a favorite full-size stroller cross-over product that is more of a traditional jogging stroller. This swivel front wheel jogger with rubber, pneumatic tires is an excellent option for those who are looking for a one-and-done option but want to jog or head off the beaten path with their child. The Thule is a high-quality option that is easy to fold, has covered storage, and offers an adjustable handlebar and tracking. We think there is much to love about the Urban Glide 2. On the downside, this option only holds 10 lbs in the basket, which might not be enough if you want to get groceries. It is also heavy and large, which might impact your ability to fit it in your car or store in your home. Despite these minor flaws, common in joggers, we think it is a great choice for those who run or those who often head off-road.
REASONS TO BUY
Moves easily over all surfaces
Sleek
Excellent storage features
REASONS TO AVOID
Feels long and wide
Curbs can be harder
Thule Urban Glide 3
As sometimes happens, Thule released the Urban Glide 3 after our review was completed. We look forward to testing it soon in an update to the full-size stroller review. We think there are significant similarities in this review of the Urban Glide 2, and we believe there is still value in our test results.
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Cybex (All) Maxi Cosi Mico 30, Maxi Cosi Mico Max, Maxi Cosi Coral XP Nuna Pipa lite
Chicco KeyFit/KeyFit 30 Evenflo SafeMax, LiteMax Graco all with SnugRide, SnugLock 30/35 Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35
Baby Trend (All)
Wheel Type
Pneumatic
Foam Filled Plastic
Foam Filled Plastic
Foam Filled Plastic
Pneumatic
Brake Type
Single
Single
Single
Single
Double
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Thule (Too-La) was founded by Erik Thulin in Sweden. The company started in 1942, making gear for fishermen. As the years passed, they began making products for outdoor lovers and their families. The goal of the products was to improve adventures by making it easier to transport outdoor gear. Thule continues to increase its product lineup with over 70 years of experience and knowledge to draw from, including some strollers, roof racks, luggage boxes, and racks, bike seats for kids, bike racks, and bike trailers for kids.
This image includes the Thule Urban Glide 2 (left) and the new Thule Urban Glide 3 (right).
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Urban Glide 2 vs. Urban Glide 3
While similar in functionality, the new Urban Glide 3 looks to have some fine upgrades like a larger canopy, deeper storage bin, deeper recline angle, and a new brake pedal design.
Performance Comparison
The Urban Glide 2 is easy to push, turn, and use.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Ease of Use
The Urban Glide 2 has easy-to-use features that are designed with the user in mind and frequently ignore standard design choices in favor of better innovation.
The Urban Glide 2 has one of the easiest one-handed folds in the group.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Fold and Unfold
The folding process of the Thule is quick with a twist and slide handle under the leg rest of the stroller. It can be done with one hand, and if the handlebar is adjusted “just right,” you can even balance it in a standing position.
The Urban Glide 2 is not as bulky or awkward for a jogging stroller to lift into a car.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
If you need something smaller, the back wheels can quickly be removed. If you leave them on, you can roll it like wheeled luggage.
The Urban Glide 2 has a mesh pocket on the back for quick access items like a phone or keys.
The Urban Glide 2 storage basket is a triangular shape that can make fitting a square bag inside a little more of a challenge.
Storage
The Thule has a covered storage bin under the seat. We love a covered bin to avoid items falling out or items getting dirty (especially off-road where dirt and mud are more likely).
The Urban Glide 2 storage bin has a back pocket and zippered cover to keep items clean and safe.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The zippered cover works well, and it runs smoothly. The triangle shape of the bin makes it more challenging to fit larger bags, but you can still manage it but might not be able to close the top. Its 10 lb weight limit is good for kid supplies but might not be enough for groceries or errands.
The Urban Glide 2 has a pocket on the back of the storage bin with a zipper to keep items safe from falling out.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
It has additional storage of up to 4 lbs through a zippered pocket on the back of the storage bin, a mesh pocket on the back of the seat, and passenger stow pockets inside the seat.
The Urban Glide 2 buckle works smoothly and releases the straps to pop open.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Harness
The Urban Glide 2 harness has softer webbing than an average harness with easy sliding shoulder height adjustments.
The Urban Glide 2 buckle and harness are easy to use, and the padding makes them more comfortable for the passenger.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The shoulder and waist straps are attached, making it a step up from nesting buckles with more convoluted systems. It has a lot of comfortable padding for the straps.
The central brake pedal on the Urban Glide 2 is easy to set.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Brakes
The Urban Glide 2 has single-action parking brakes and a slowing hand brake for use when running or downhills. The pedal is easier to set than release, but neither is hard.
The handbrake on the Urban Glide 2 is a twisting motion on the center of the handlebar.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The surface area to press the brake is wide enough and easy to press. Once pressed to set, the edge you have to lift with the top of your foot is smaller, making it somewhat harder. The handbrake is a twisting brake, making it unique compared to other lever handbrakes we see in competing joggers.
Car Seat Compatibility
The Urban Glide is not compatible with any infant car seat as it comes. However, there are adapters available for purchase for some seats from popular brands, including BOB, Britax, Chicco, Combi, Evenflo, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Peg Perego, Safety 1st, and UPPAbaby.
The Urban Glide 2 comes largely assembled, though ours had a front-end problem that required more adjustment than it should have.
Credit: Graham Faulknor
Ease of Setup
The Thule takes 5-10 minutes to assemble with no tools. You only need to add the rear wheels. The manual has multiple languages, and the illustrations are clear and straightforward. There are some confusing instructions on removing the front wheel, and we wish it were clear that this is not part of the assembly instructions. The instructions are only illustrations without writing, similar to Ikea's instructions. This can be frustrating for those less comfortable with assembling things.
The Urban Glide 2 is easy to push and turn on most surfaces with larger rubber wheels.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Maneuverability
The Urban Glide 2 is a top-mover with better maneuverability results than most.
The Urban Glide 2 traverses variations in surfaces with ease.
The 3 wheel design of the Urban Glide 2 incorporates larger rubber tires for a stroller that rolls over just about everything.
Thanks to large rubber, air-filled tires, and a 3-wheel design with a swivel front wheel, the Urban Glide 2 is nimble for a larger stroller and easily moves over flat hard surfaces. This includes thresholds and cords without a hiccup.
It is, however, the widest option for the group, and you can feel it when pushing one after another. When you combine the width and length of the stroller and handle, it can take more effort to turn corners and navigate tighter spots. It is still something you can manage with a single hand.
The front wheel on the Urban Glide 2 can lock in place for running and moving over uneven surfaces.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Moving off-road over uneven surfaces is where the Thule shines with significantly less effort to move over grass and gravel and the competition. The larger wheels in the front and back make it easy to surmount almost any object you come across. Curbs are nothing for this stroller, and it easily pops up and over.
Despite being somewhat big and heavy, the Urban Glide 2 is still fairly flat outside of the wheels, and it is easy enough to pick up and put in a compact SUV.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Transporting and Storing
While the Urban Glide 2 is a jogging stroller and, therefore, larger and heavier by design, the Thule is still not too bad for transporting and storing.
However, it is still below average for a group that is often lighter and smaller when folded.
The Thule is 26.19 lbs, which is heavy for this group but average for a jogger. This weight could be manageable to lift into a car but might be prohibitive to carry for any distance.
If you need the Urban Glide 2 to be smaller when folded, you can remove the back wheels to make things easier to fit in tight spaces.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Thule is 15,388 cubic inches when folded, making it one of the bigger full-size options, but there are a handful of options in the book that are bigger or similar in size. If you need a smaller folded package for storing in a trunk or at home, the back wheels pop off quickly.
The Urban Glide 2 has an aluminum frame with components that attach in a seamless, attractive manner.
The adjustable handlebar on the Urban Glide 2 is a thoughtful detail not seen in all of the competition.
Quality
The Urban Glide 2 is an impressive stroller with higher-quality materials that are put together well, for the most part. However, our stroller came with the front steering not installed properly.
What does this mean for quality? Hard to say. But it is our fourth Urban Glide 2 purchase and the only time this has happened to us. We've also purchased several other strollers from Thule with no problem of this kind. We think this is a one-off.
The lightweight wheels and rubber tires on the Urban Glide 2 are of higher quality, with attention to details like the easier-to-access tire stem.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The sling seat and canopy are made of ripstop material with a heavier version for the canopy, storage basket, and leg rest. It has a medium amount of padding and relies somewhat on the seat style for comfort instead. The fabric is easy to wipe clean and feels durable.
The larger wheels have pneumatic rubber tires and dense plastic centers. They are lightweight for running, run smoothly, and have a solid connection to the frame. The front swivel wheel locks in place for running or uneven surfaces. Our front steering pivot was installed too tight, and we had to rebuild it.
The frame is lightweight and stiff, with minimal movement. It is sleek-looking, and everything is clean, tight, and well-fitted. There are very few exposed fasteners, and the fabric tucks in a groove to give an ultra-finished appearance.
The Urban Glide 2 has a large canopy with a peek-a-boo window and a zip-open panel with side mesh ventilation.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Kid's Comfort
The Urban Glide 2 earned a slightly above-average result for the features that impact kid comfort. The seat back has a deep recline with infinite possible recline positions.
The standard plastic toggle requires one hand to lower but two to raise because of the strap and toggle design. The upright position is still somewhat angled, like all joggers. The seat extends down a full-length, padded legrest with a plastic footrest. It is not adjustable but sits at a comfortable angle relative to the seat. However, there is nothing to contain legs, so they might dangle off the side when napping.
The Urban Glide 2 canopy is big enough for good sun coverage and gets larger with a zip-open mesh panel and pop-out visor.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Urban Glide 2 has a giant canopy with a vinyl peek-a-boo window that provides easy viewing of little passengers. There is a zip-open panel and a pop-out visor for extra coverage. The zip panel has side mesh windows, so it might be a trade-off of airflow vs. sun coverage. Moving the canopy is stiff, but it is taunt and stays in the position you choose.
The Urban Glide jogging stroller is easy to use and push with enough features to make it suitable for everyday outings.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Should You Buy the Thule Urban Glide 2?
There is much to love about the Urban Glide 2, and if you plan to move off the beaten path or run, then it is an excellent cross-over option with enough features for everyday use but offers versatility to move over grass and to run. We love the adventurous side of this stroller and think it could save some families money to use it for a full-size stroller and avoid purchasing two different options. The Thule is high quality, easy to fold, comfy for kids, and moves over just about everything, making it a stroller we definitely recommend.
What Other Full-Size Strollers Should You Consider?
If you don't plan to run or head off to uneven terrain, then the Urban Glide might be too much of a stroller for you. It might not be the best option with its bigger fold and heavier size. If that's you, then the UPPAbaby Cruz v2 could be the better full-size option that offers traditional styling and useful features like storage big enough for a grocery run. If you want to run, but the Urban Glide v2 is out of your price range, then the Baby Trend Expedition Race Tec could be a potential stand-in. While it is not the same level of quality and is not a high scorer, it can move over uneven terrain well, is good for occasional jogging, and can't be beaten for the price.
