BOB Alterrain Pro vs Thule Urban Glide 2 (for Hiking and Off-Road Jogging)

Trying to decide between the Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Alterrain Pro?  Both are great strollers for off-road hiking and jogging.   When it comes to price and core features, the strollers are very similar – but there are some key differences which you should know.  Here’s a detailed comparison and which stroller is better.

 

Quick Verdict:

The main differences between the Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Alterrain Pro are the suspension systems, hand brakes and seating positions.

• Choose the Thule Urban Glide 2 if you go downhill often and need the better hand brake, and if you don’t mind that the seat doesn’t sit completely straight up.
• Choose BOB Alterrain Pro for its amazing suspension and handling on bumpy trails, fully-upright seating and full-coverage canopy. But, if you go on hills a lot, you’ll probably be disappointed with the hand brake.

Check prices at REI and Amazon

Also read: Best Off-Road Strollers for Hiking

 

Comparison Table

	Thule Urban Glide 2.0	BOB All Terrain Pro
Max child weight	49lbs	75lbs
Max weight in entire stroller	75lbs	75lbs
Stroller weight	25.3lbs	32.3lbs
Hand Brake	Yes	Yes
Tires	Air-filled	Air-filled
Front wheel size	12"	12.5"
Back wheel size	16"	16"
Lockable front wheel?	Yes	Yes
Handlebar heights	35.5-44"	31-48"
Folded Size	34.2”x27.2”x13.3”	39.3"x25.5"x17"
One-Handed Fold?	Yes	Yes
Unique Features	Twist hand brake for controlling speed; Universal car seat adapter	Insanely good suspension system and loads of features
Buy At	Amazon, REI	Amazon, REI

 

Videos

 

Thule Urban Glide 2 vs. BOB Alterrain Pro

Here’s a complete breakdown of the main differences between the two strollers.

 

Handling and Suspension

Both the Thule Urban Glide 2 and Alterrain Pro handle amazingly well.  They have mountain-bike style suspension systems which allow you to go off-road and on bumpy trails.  Of the two strollers, the BOB Alterrain Pro suspension is better.  If you aren’t going on insanely bumpy trails though, you probably won’t need this good of a suspension system.

As for jogging, with both strollers you can put the front wheel in locked position. Both strollers also have adjustable front wheel tracking. This allows you to fine tune the wheel alignment so the stroller so it goes straight.

The Thule Urban Glide 2 is more popular for jogging.  It’s lighter than the BOB, so it’s easier to run fast with it.  By contrast, the BOB is more popular for hiking.

 

Braking

The Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Alterrain Pro both have flip-flop friendly foot brakes.  They also both have hand breaks.  A hand brake is incredibly useful when going down hills! Most hiking strollers do not have this feature.

The difference between the brakes is this: The Thule hand break is twist-style.  The BOB hand brake is uses a lever.  Of the two, the Thule hand brake is much better.

The reason the Thule hand brake is better is because it connects to two cables (on for each wheel). By contrast, the BOB Alterrain Pro lever connects to one cable which then splits outwards to go to each wheel. This means you’ve got a lot of force going through one cable. That’s a lot for one lever to handle and the cables will get stretched out quickly.

People with small hands will also like the Thule break better – the BOB brake lever is set somewhat far back from the handlebar so can be a bit hard for people with small hands to squeeze.

One reviewer on Amazon actually completely modified the BOB Alterrain Pro brake to make it work. They said:

It’s a bad design. So I set out to fix it. First I ripped the existing hand brake lever and cables out. Then added two bike brake levers and all new housing and cables that go to each wheel’s drum brake. This way pulling both levers at the same time doubles the amount of brake force from stock. The bike brake levers are also longer that you get better leverage and smoothness. BOB really should have just used a quality bike brake lever instead of the “toy” quality brake they decided to go with.”

Note: The regular BOB Alterrain stroller doesn’t have a hand brake and costs considerably less.  If you are just going to modify the brake, you might as well buy the cheaper version of the stroller and have a bike mechanic add a (quality) braking system! Read about the difference between the regular and Pro here.

 

Handlebar

The Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Alterrain Pro both have adjustable handlebars.   Of the two, the BOB Alterrain Pro handlebar is better, especially for short or tall people, because it has more height positions.

Here are the handlebar heights:

• Urban Glide 2: 35.5-44 inches
• Alterrain Pro: 31-48 inches

 

Folding and Storage

Both the Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Alterrain Pro have one-handed folding.  The method is pretty much identical with each.  Unfortunately the one-handed folding means the strollers fold with the fabric outwards.  If this is a deal breaker for you, then you’ll prefer the BOB Revolution 3.0.

Once folded, the Thule Urban Glide 2 is more compact.  But it doesn’t stand upright.  The BOB Alterrain Pro is slightly bulkier, but it does stand upright.  Just note that it easily topples over, so don’t put a dirty stroller right next to a clean wall!

 

Size and Weight

When it comes to size, the BOB Alterrain Pro is slightly narrower.  Those few inches can make a big difference when it comes to fitting the open stroller through small elevator doors or narrow supermarket aisles!  It is also slightly more compact when folded with the wheels off.

But the Thule Urban Glide is much lighter.  If you have a bad back or are still recovering from a C-section, it will be easier to lift this stroller into your car.

Thule Urban Glide 2 Size/Weight:

• Weight: 25.3lbs
• Open: 41.1(L) x 40(H) x 27.2W inches
• Folded Wheels On: 35(L) x 18(H) x 27.2(W) inches
• Folded Wheels Off: 34.2(L) x 13.3(H) x 27.2(W) inches

BOB Alterrain Pro Size/Weight:

• Weight: 32.3lbs
• Open: 46(L) x 45.5(H) x 25.5(W) inches
• Folded Wheels On: 39.25(L) x 16(H) x 25.5(W) inches
• Folded Wheels Off: 33(L) x 13(H) x 21.5(W) inches

 

Comfort for Your Kid

Both strollers are going to give your child a very comfortable ride.  They both have features like:

• Near-flat recline
• One-hand recline adjustment
• Ventilated seatback and canopy
• UPF 50 canopy

However, if we want to be picky (and we do!), then the BOB Alterrain Pro is the more comfortable stroller for your child.

Reasons the BOB Alterrain Pro wins are:

• Fully upright seating
• Canopy goes down very low – keeps sun off your child while sleeping!
• Fully waterproof canopy (the Urban Glide 2 is just water resistant)

The fully upright seating feature is a big deal.  It might seem trivial but tons of parents complained that the Thule Urban Glide 2 doesn’t go fully upright.  Note that your child really should be slightly reclined when on very bumpy terrain (the position disperses shock better).  But, if you are using the stroller around town or want to do feedings in the stroller, you’ll really love the upright seating.

 

Age and Weight Limits

The BOB Alterrain Pro also has a wider seat than the Thule Urban Glide 2 (14.5 inches versus 12.4 inches), so you’ll get more use out of it.  It also has a higher max child weight (75lbs vs. 48.5lbs).  Note, however, both strollers have the same max weight limit of 75lbs for the entire stroller.  This weight limit includes anything you put in the basket.

Thule Urban Glide 2.0

• Seat width: 12.4 inches
• Seat height: 21 inches
• Child weight max: 48.5lbs
• Max weight in stroller: 75lbs
• Age limit:
  • From birth with car seat adapter (walk only)
    From 6 months in stroller seat (jogging)

BOB Alterrain Pro

• Seat width: 14.5 inches
• Seat height: 20 inches
• Child weight max: 75lbs
• Max weight in stroller: 75lbs
• Age limit:
  • From birth with car seat adapter (walk only)
  • From 8 weeks in stroller seat (walk only)
  • From 8 months in stroller seat (jogging/off-road)

 

Car Seat Compatibility

Thule Urban Glide 2.0 has a universal car seat adapter.  They also have a specific Nuna/Max-Cosi/Cybex adapter and a Chicco adapter, though the universal adapter works with those car seats.

By contrast, the BOB Alterrain Pro adapter only works with these car seats:

• Britax/BOB
• Chicco
• Graco
• Peg-Perego

 

Extra Features

Both strollers have some nice extra features, such as:

• Peek-a-boo window with magnetic closure
• Massive cargo basket with zip closure
• Reflective trim for visibility in the dark
• Lots of pockets (though the Alterrain Pro has more)

Note that Thule has a lot of accessories that you can get for the stroller, including a bassinet.  But these accessories are really expensive! You can save money by looking for generic-brand accessories which are compatible.

 

Price:

Both the Thule Urban Glide 2 and BOB Alterrain Pro are expensive strollers.  As of writing, the Alterrain Pro is more expensive (though saving approx. $50 probably doesn’t matter much when you are already spending so much on a stroller!).

The prices of these strollers can really vary though depending on sales and availability.  For example, I recently saw the green version of the Urban Glide on REI for $150 cheaper than the black version.

Check prices at REI and Amazon.