In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Chicco TRE Review

Requires excessive wrestling to run straight, making it a no go for us
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chicco tre jogging stroller review
The Chicco TRE is a locking swivel wheel jogger that did not do well in our performance metrics
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Price:  $400 List
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Manufacturer:   Chicco
By Juliet Spurrier, MD & Carrie Vickers  ⋅  Dec 4, 2021
50
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#11 of 11
  • Run-ability - 35% 3.5
  • Ease of Use - 25% 5.9
  • Maneuverability - 20% 5.8
  • Quality - 10% 6.2
  • Weight/Folded Size - 10% 5.6

The Skinny

The Chicco TRE doesn't offer much for the serious runner. This relatively expensive stroller makes you think you'll be getting something with the same caliber of performance or quality as the BOB Revolution Flex 3.0 or the Thule Urban Glide 2, but unfortunately, it doesn't measure up. This stroller scored poorly in our tests for run-ability and it failed to earn any scores above average no matter what the test metric. All of this makes the TRE a stroller we do not recommend.
REASONS TO BUY
Grippable Handlebar
Deceleration capabilities
REASONS TO AVOID
Uncomfortable seating and hard to run with
Editor's Note: This gear review was updated on December 5, 2021, and includes more details to help you in your buying decision.

Compare to Similar Products

 
chicco tre jogging stroller review
This Product
Chicco TRE
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Best Value Award   
Price $400 List
$399.99 at Amazon
$550 List
$549.99 at Amazon
$150 List$340 List
Check Price at Amazon
$550 List
$384.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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79
65
62
57
Star Rating
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Bottom Line Exhausting to run with and keep on track making it a poor option for dedicated runnersImpressive all-terrain jogger good for errands and regular running and hikingReally nice stroller for the price but not great for avid runnersLack of adjustable tracking left us with a jogger that was hard to keep on trackDisappointing runner that is hard to use and carry
Rating Categories Chicco TRE BOB Revolution Flex... Baby Trend Expedition Joovy Zoom 360 Ultr... Baby Jogger Summit X3
Run-ability (35%)
3.5
8.0
5.2
5.4
4.1
Ease of Use (25%)
5.9
7.4
6.8
5.3
5.9
Maneuverability (20%)
5.8
8.3
8.3
7.6
6.9
Quality (10%)
6.2
8.9
6.1
7.0
7.2
Weight/Folded Size (10%)
5.6
6.7
7.2
7.2
7.1
Specs Chicco TRE BOB Revolution Flex... Baby Trend Expedition Joovy Zoom 360 Ultr... Baby Jogger Summit X3
Measured Weight 30.2 lbs 27.3 lbs 23.6 lbs 25.9 lbs 28.1 lbs
Rolling Resistance Test 103 Feet 145 Feet 124 Feet 120 Feet 98 Feet
Folded Dimensions 26.5"W x 15.5"H x 38.5"L 25.5"W x 15.3"H x 37.8"L 23.5"W x 16.75"H x 33.75"L 25.7"W x 16"H x 35.3"L 25.75"W x15"H x 34.5"L
Capacity Limits Minimum:
Walk Only: Infant Car Seat: 0 - 6 mo.
Stroller Seat: 6 - 12 mo.
Jogging & Off Road:12 mo.+
Maximum:
50 lbs
Minimum:
Walk Only:
Infant Car Seat: 0 - 8 wk.
Stroller Seat: 8 wk. - 8 mo.
Jogging & Off-Road: 8 mo. - 5 yr.
Maximum: 75 lbs/44"
Minimum: 6 mo.
Maximum: 50 lbs./42"
Minimum: 3 mo.
Maximum: 75 lbs
Minimum: Birth Maximum: 75 lbs./44"
Included Car Seat Compatibility Chicco
KeyFit 30
None Baby Trend
Any Baby Trend car seat
None None
Click-in Car Seat Adapters None None None Chicco
KeyFit 30
Cybex
Aton, Aton 2, Aton Q
Graco
Snugride Click Connect 35, 40
Maxi-Cosi
Mico NXT
Peg Perego
Primo Viaggio 4-35
UPPAbaby
Mesa
Britax
B-Safe, B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite
BOB
B-Safe
Strap-in Car Seat Adapters None Britax/BOB
Britax® Chaperone®, B-Safe®, B-Safe® 35, B-Safe® 35 Elite, Endeavours™, B-Safe® 35 Ultra, BOB® B-Safe®, BOB® B-Safe® 35
Chicco
Fit2, KeyFit, KeyFit 30
Cybex
Cybex® Aton 2, Aton Q, Cloud Q
Graco
SnugRide­ Click Connect 30, 30LX, 35, 35LX, 40, SnugRide­ Classic Connect, SnugRide ­Classic Connect 30, 32, 35, SafeSeat
Maxi Cosi
Maxi Cosi® Mico 30, Mico Max 30, Mico AP
Nuna
Nuna® Pipa, Pipa Lite
Peg Perego
Primo Viaggio 4-35, SIP, SIP 30/30
Baby Trend
Any Baby Trend Car Seat
None Baby Jogger
City GO
Graco
SnugRide Click Connect 30, 35, 35 LX, 40
Peg Perego
Primo Viaggio 4-35, Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30
Chicco
KeyFit, KeyFit 30
Cybex
Aton, Aton 3S, Aton Q
Maxi Cosi
Mico AP, Mico Max 30
One-handed Fold Yes No No No Yes
Locking Fold Auto Manual Manual Auto Manual
Self-standing Fold Yes No Yes No No
Handlebar Height - Min/Max 40"/44.5" 34.5"/48" 41" 41" 40.5"
Fixed/Swivel Wheel Swivel Swivel Swivel Swivel Swivel
Sandal-friendly Brake Yes Yes No No No
Included Accessories None None None Tire Pump None
Setup Time 12:27 min:sec 4:26 min:sec 6:30 min:sec 5:51 min:sec 8:39 min:sec

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Italian company Chicco (KEE-ko) has over 30 years of experience in the juvenile product field. The company found success and popularity in the United States with their best infant car seats and parent favorite full-size strollers. In 1958, a pharmaceutical device inventor committed himself to make products for babies after he had his first child. The company also offers lesser-known products, like portable high chairs, and gear that appears in the best bottle warmer and the best bassinet review.

Performance Comparison


chicco tre jogging stroller review - the chicco tre offers adjustable suspension
The Chicco TRE offers adjustable suspension
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Run-ability


The Chicco earned one of the lowest scores for run-ability in our tests. The Chicco has an adjustable handlebar creating better biomechanics. There is no adjustable tracking feature, and serious runners will consider this to be a deal-breaker, but it does have suspension. Our runner felt it didn't have much glide and is less of a running stroller than the competition.

The handbrake isn't great and is poorly placed for running. The brake is a puzzle to activate, and it doesn't provide much deceleration.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - without adjustable tracking the chicco seemed to wander more than...
Without adjustable tracking the Chicco seemed to wander more than the strollers that offered it
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

The stroller seems stable while running, but it wanders significantly when you travel off the beaten path and we missed the adjustable tracking. If we apply uneven pressure to the handlebar, it veers, and if it goes too far, we end up stepping on or kicking the wheel. Even the Baby Trend Expedition is easier to run with and it costs less than a third the price of the Tre. It is hard to tip the stroller back to turn (a necessary move when running), but you only have to do this for sharper turns because the play in the front wheel allows for smaller corrections. This stroller fails to be good at the one thing it was designed for, running.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the belly bar might be good for attaching toys for younger children...
The belly bar might be good for attaching toys for younger children, but not much else
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Ease of Use


The TRE is average for ease of use, tying with several other products.

Fold and Unfold


The TRE is an easy-to-operate one-hand fold that auto locks and self-stands. It might take a little practice to be able to fold and unfold it gracefully, but it isn't difficult, just awkward.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the deceleration hand brake doesn't actually slow the stroller down...
The deceleration hand brake doesn't actually slow the stroller down and it makes for a complicated parking brake parents might think has been set when it hasn't
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Brakes


The Chicco has single-action brakes with a process that is not intuitive and includes the complicated handbrake system we loathe. It consists of pulling the brake and moving the locking lever. It is easy to think you've activated the brake when it isn't, so we encourage double-checking. While the handbrake is also a deceleration brake, we find it doesn't do this as well as options like the BOB Alterrain Pro and is hard to pull and located in an awkward place.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the storage bin is large enough for a large diaper bag, but it isn't...
The storage bin is large enough for a large diaper bag, but it isn't as large as some of the competition or as easy to fit items in
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Storage


The large storage bin holds up to 10 lbs and works with our large diaper bag, but we wish it had a cover like the one found on the Thule Urban Glide 2. The bin is easy to access and can be used from the back, sides, and front. The basket is a little shallow and a little further back with a solid bar in the back.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the canvas parent console of the chicco tre is too shallow for...
The canvas parent console of the Chicco TRE is too shallow for taller cups and too shapeless to keep items in place at speed
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

The parent console is canvas and appears to be a weak attempt at reproducing the BOB's parent console. It has 3 mesh pockets that are too shallow and loose to hold water bottles. The canvas bag has a heavy wire frame that hangs from the handlebar and keeps the bag open.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the peek-a-boo window on the tre is vinyl on one side and mesh when...
The peek-a-boo window on the TRE is vinyl on one side and mesh when you flip the cover over. This means you either leave baby exposed to sun or wind and rain. There is no way to cover both at once
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Sunshade


The TRE has one of the largest sunshades with good ventilation and a medium, vinyl peek-a-boo window. It has magnetic closures for the window cover and the back portion of the canopy zips up to make a smaller canopy. Closing the zipper deprives you of the mesh ventilation, but the canopy comes down low in the front.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the clasps on the tre harness are easy to depress, but the...
The clasps on the TRE harness are easy to depress, but the adjustment is a pain with too much strap padding hiding the adjustment points
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Harness


The harness is a 5-point and easy to get on, but not the best for adjusting. The thicker straps and extra stitching make it tricky to get them through the connectors and the padding gets in the way. Also, it is the only product that lacks an adjustable crotch strap and the strap provided is so long it reaches up to smaller babies' shoulders; this makes the harness hard to fit on smaller riders.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - this is the under side of the hard plastic seat of the chicco tre...
This is the under side of the hard plastic seat of the Chicco Tre. This hard bottom can be significantly harder on baby than the sling seat because each bump causes baby to hit on the board. This could lead to a cranky baby who quickly decides running is no fun.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Seat


The seat is a strange shape, and the bottom is hard plastic. The edge of the seat has a strange transition to the leg rest that doesn't feel very cozy. The seatback reclines easily with one hand into four positions. It has no ventilation inside the seat unless you unzip the back of the canopy, which disconnects it from the rest of the stroller.

Ease of Setup




It took about 12:30 minutes to get this stroller rolling. Overall, it has double the amount of assembly required, but it doesn't require tools and is relatively easy. The handbrake on our stroller was loose and required tightening. It has a two-language manual that is straightforward with good illustrations.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the front swivel wheel can be locked in place using this locking...
The front swivel wheel can be locked in place using this locking lever located on the handlebar. We liked that parents won't need to touch a potentially dirty wheel to lock it in place
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Maneuverability


The Chicco has a swivel front wheel that locks in place for running. The locking mechanism is located high on the frame instead of at the wheel. This prevents touching a dirty wheel, but we wonder if this mechanism is why the front wheel is wobbly when locked. Our runner feels it is a little heavy and harder to maneuver than it should be.

Inherently, the Chicco is easier to turn and push than the fixed wheels strollers, as the front wheel swivels when not locked. However, it is harder to push on flat ground due to size, and turning it is also difficult. The frame flexes and is less responsive when you turn it, which makes the process more difficult.

It performs about as well off-road on grass and gravel as it did on flat surfaces. It isn't as easy to turn on grass as some of the competition, and it got tippy on the side hill requiring us to wrestle it upright, but it did perform well in deep gravel.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - this is a photo of the chicco tre in a compact fold with the front...
This is a photo of the Chicco TRE in a compact fold with the front wheel removed. If you leave the front wheel on, something we think most parents would rather do, it is significantly larger and might not fit in some smaller trunks
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Weight and Folded Size


The Chicco weighs about 30 lbs and is over 15,800 cubic inches when folded. If you remove the wheels, it folds more compactly, but we assume most parents will be too overwhelmed to bother.

Quality


The quality of the Chicco looks nice and is similar to other strollers they offer. The fabric is a coarser weave, and it looks like it will collect more crud due to the way the fabric is folded and stitched, but it didn't snag in our tests, so we think it will at least stay in one piece.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - children might enjoy the more upright design on the tre, but it...
Children might enjoy the more upright design on the TRE, but it isn't the best shape for the runner
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

The seat and stroller have an upright appearance that reminds us of high-end wheelchairs designed for daily life activities, not running. The final fit and finish are above average, and we can see why parents might be drawn to the flashy color contrast and unique look of this stroller.

The wheels look aluminum with pneumatic tires that have a smooth tread. It has the tightest set of spokes of any product with spokes, and the frame is sturdy aluminum with clean lines and a little flex. The adjustable handlebar isn't as tight as the competition, but it has a foam-covered handle with a slight arch that is softer to the touch than competing foam.

chicco tre jogging stroller review - the ill placed hand brake on the chicco tre had us grabbing the...
The ill placed hand brake on the Chicco TRE had us grabbing the cable when we didn't want to and made it hard for smaller hands to reach the brake itself
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

We don't like the placement of the handbrake because we kept inadvertently grabbing the cable when reaching for the bar, and the brake is not close enough to grip while holding the handle. We regularly rubbed the back of our hand on the brake while holding the bar. While it sounds like the brake is too far away and not far enough at the same time, we had none of these issues with other handbrakes, so we conclude that Chicco needs to change the design in some way.

The ride comfort is average, and we suspect little ones will grow uncomfortable with the seat of hard plastic. Despite some extra padding is not as comfortable or shock-absorbing as sling-style seats. The TRE has adjustable suspension, but the manual suggests putting it on the stiffest setting when running, so we doubt it will do much to help comfort.

Should You Buy the Chicco Tre?


Given the lack of adjustability and the difficulty we had running with this stroller, we don't think it is a good buy for serious joggers, no matter what your goals are. Perhaps if this option came with adjustable tracking, it would have been less of a fatigue-inducing experience, but as it was our stroller was not an option anyone enjoyed running with during testing.

What Other Jogging Stroller Should You Consider?


Given the higher price of the Tre, there are other options that score better in most metrics and overall than this Chicco that also sport a similar or cheaper price. The BOB Revolution Flex 3.0 is a good option that is highly runnable and comes with features and functionality you can use as an everyday stroller as well as for jogging. If price is a consideration, and you only jog occasionally, then the Baby Trend Expedition is one to consider with its straight tracking and comfy seat.

Manufacturer Video



Juliet Spurrier, MD & Carrie Vickers