In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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The Burley Solstice earned a Top Pick award for ease of use, coming in 4th place overall. It implements a yellow color coding of adjustable features that make the Burley intuitive to use and highly functional. Compared to the similar BOB Revolution Flex, the Solstice is much easier to fold, and it self-stands and can be pulled from behind on its wheels to transport instead of picking it up like the BOB requires. This stroller also scored well for quality and earned a 2nd place rank for run-ability, making it a good option for the serious or casual runner. The similarly priced, but higher overall scoring Thule Urban Glide 2, earned a top score for run-ability making it arguably a better option if you value run-ability over ease of use. However, if ease of use is your main priority the Burley is a cool option, and we can see why it is gaining traction as a parent favorite.
REASONS TO BUY
Top score for ease of use
Simple fold
Large storage
Runs straight
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavier weight
Bulky fold
Difficult to lift and stow
Update — April 2019
Burley has narrowed down its products to only include multifunctioning bike trailers, and the Burley Solstice has been discontinued. It is still available from various retailers in the meantime.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Adjustable tracking helped the Burley Solstice earn a 7 out of 10 for run-ability.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Since its humble beginnings near Eugene, Oregon, the Burley brand has been making bike products since 1978. Naming the company after his wife “Burley Bev”, the founder, Alan Scholz, made his first bike trailer to transport goods into town to sell at the Saturday Market. The Solstice is Burley's only dedicated jogging stroller so far, but its first leap is a fairly impressive one.
Performance Comparison
This chart shows a comparison of each jogging stroller and their overall scores, with the Burley Solstice (shown in blue) earning a 4th place rank. Its high ease of use score helped it earn the Top Pick award for Ease of Use.
The sections below outline the details of how the Burley performed during our tests for each metric. Scores from metric testing are combined to determine the overall scores with weight being given to run-ability and ease of use.
Adjusting the tracking on the Burley Solstice is very easy with a larger than most adjustment knob. The tracking helps keep the Burley running true and on course without veering.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Run-Ability
The Burley earned a 7 of 10 score for run-ability, which is the second highest score in the metric. The similar Thule Urban Glide 2 and the BOB Revolution Flex both earned 9s, and also sport swivel front wheels like the Solstice. Interestingly the swivel wheel strollers scored higher on average for run-ability (with the wheel locked) than the fixed wheel competition that had historically been considered a better bet for serious runners.
The Burley has a locking swivel front wheel with adjustable tracking that is easy to use thanks to large, finger-friendly, yellow knobs. The Solstice runs true on pneumatic rubber tires, and there is no annoying wrestling to keep it from veering off course. When the front wheel is locked, the stroller is easy to tip back and turn going around wide corners, something required of all serious running products. However, it has enough give in the locked wheel that you can gradually round wide corners without much back tipping if you want to.
The Burley has a height adjustable handlebar that is easy to use but has a limited range (about 3 in) that may not work for pushers over 6 ft tall. We do like how the handlebar is covered in dense foam and curves off on each side creating a comfortable, more ergonomic place to rest hands, but the short right-sided safety wrist strap will be hard for lefties to use, and you'll always be holding the bar with the right hand if you utilize the strap.
Ease of Use
With the highest score of 9 of 10 for ease of use, the Solstice took home a Top Pick award. With thoughtfully designed features like yellow adjustment points and impressive functionality like an easy fold, the Solstice offers parents and passengers a product that is both intuitive and useful. This will come in handy if alternate caregivers take little ones for a stroll.
In this metric, the Thule Urban Glide 2 comes in second place, but in our opinion, it lacks the intuitive edge found in the Burley.
The Solstice fold is initiated by sliding the yellow button on the front of the handlebar and squeezing the yellow button on the back.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Fold and Unfold
The one-handed fold on the Burley takes almost no effort at all and scored very well compared to the competition. It is the only option in the top 5 strollers that folds in one fluid motion and self-stands. To fold the Solstice, you use the yellow highlighted buttons to slide, squeeze, and rotate the handle forward, making it effortless and direct.
The Solstice self-stands leaving you hands free if it needs to be folded for public transportation.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The stroller folds in half smoothly and sits on its wheels, which keeps it clean. It also auto-locks, self-stands, and rolls like luggage.
Brakes
The brakes are single action brakes that are easy to set and release without the stiffness found in some of the competition. However, these brakes are pretty painful to use if you're wearing sandals.
The Burley Solstice storage bin is extra-large, holds up to 15 lbs, and has easy access from the back and sides. While not the largest in the review, nor covered, the Solstice bin is super easy to use.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Storage
The storage bin under the seat is extra-large and holds a maximum weight of 15 lbs, the second highest allowance in the group. It has access from the sides and rear, and it fit our extra-large diaper bag inside with no problems. The Burley also has a large mesh pocket on the back of the seat where you can store a water bottle or cell phone and keys, and mesh pockets inside the seat that are similar in design and looks to the BOB and Thule passenger pockets.
The canopy on the Burley looks smaller, but covers the same amount of real estate as the impressive canopies on the BOB strollers.
The peek-a-boo window on the Solstice is in a good location, large enough to see baby easily, and has a magnetic closure on the cover for silent peeking.
Sunshade
The Solstice has a large sunshade (above left) with added ventilation and a medium size peek-a-boo window made of vinyl. The canopy is easy to use, and while it looks smaller than those on the BOB strollers, it has a similar amount of coverage and looks sharp when open instead of rumpled like the BOB Revolution Flex. The window is easy to see through and has a magnetic closure for quiet peeking (above right), which is better than the Velcro closure found on much of the competition. The canopy also has a zippered extension and a pop out visor for added protection.
The Solstice has Burley's patented SIT harness system that keeps the straps up and out of the way so it is easier to put baby in the seat and buckled.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Harness
The Burley has a unique 5-point harness that has what Burley calls Spring Integrated Technology (SIT). This harness pops open and stays open, without fumbling for straps under the baby. Adjusting the harness height is also easy, as is the crotch strap, giving enough variation in harness size for almost any size child. The straps are easy to insert in the buckle, and they eject on their own when the buckle is pressed, making it a one-handed operation to open.
Unlike much of the competition, the Solstice has an easy to operate one hand recline adjustment.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Seat
Overall, the Solstice seat is reasonably comfortable and functional with a sling style seat and nice padding that extends to the leg rest. However, without an adjustable leg rest or flatter recline angle, the seat might not be great for napping. This stroller also has one of the easiest to use one-handed adjustment toggle for reclining the seat back.
Ease of Setup
The Burley is easy to set up and requires no tools. It took us a little over 5 minutes to assemble and the manual has helpful information.
The Burley Solstice earned a higher than average score for maneuverability, but the Thule Urban Glide and BOB Revolution Flex earned higher scores.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Maneuverability
The Burley earned a 7 of 10 for maneuverability. The Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Revolution Flex once again earned higher scores, putting the Burley in 3rd place for this metric. Maneuverability is important because it concerns movement and turning over various terrain; if you don't like pushing a stroller, you aren't likely to enjoy anything else about it.
Pushing and turning the Burley on flat surfaces is relatively smooth going, with good navigation of tight spaces, even if it could be more responsive. You probably could manage this stroller with only one hand while strolling, if the bar didn't have a part of the folding mechanism in the middle that makes the center harder to hold. The Burley impresses when you take it off-road with similar capabilities and responsiveness over grass and gravel that we experienced on smooth surfaces. The off-road capabilities make it a good choice for trail running or playground outings, where the terrain could change at a moment's notice.
The Burley has nice suspension, but it would be better if it were adjustable like the BOB strollers' shocks.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Solstice has rear suspension, rubber air-filled tires and padded sling style seat that combine to create a comfortable ride. Going up and down curbs isn't difficult, but the coil spring suspension gives the stroller a little bit of a bouncy jump, so you'll need to exercise extra caution and use two hands.
The Burley Solstice has one of the easiest folds in the group with a one-handed operation that also self-stands or sits on its wheels to keep the stroller cleaner. However, the final package is still on the large side compared to some of the competition.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Weight and Folded Size
The Burley is the second heaviest stroller in the review with a weight of 27.4 lbs. This makes it harder to lift or arrange into a trunk. In comparison, the Thule Urban Glide 2 is only 22.6 lbs, about 5 lbs lighter, which can make a big difference for many parents when it comes to lifting and carrying it.
The folded Burley is 23,138 cubic inches of bulkiness, making it the second largest folded stroller in the group. So depending on the size of your trunk or SUV, this could be a deal breaker. Sure, you can remove the wheels with the easy to use quick release function to make it slightly smaller, but that is an additional step and doesn't really decrease the size enough for most parents to bother.
The Solstice earned a 8 for quality. However, the seat back does not recline as flat as some of the competition.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Quality
The Burley earned an 8 of 10 for quality with attention to detail and higher quality components and materials than much of the competition. Both the BOB Revolution Flex and the Thule Urban Glide 2 scored slightly higher in this metric with 9s.
The Solstice has heavy canvas material with smooth, consistent stitching. The fabric fits the frame nicely, and both have a sleek finished look not found in every stroller. The aluminum alloy frame has a simple, clean shape and only flexes slightly under pressure. The overall look has few exposed fasteners and is pleasing to the eye. The Burley wheels are dense plastic, similar to those on the BOB Revolution Flex, with rubber pneumatic tires, sealed cartridge bearings, and quick release mechanisms.
