Indoor rower

lmf1012 wrote: »

Concept2 is considered to be the go-to brand, that is what I got for my home gym.

Same. C2 or bust (usually literally).

Concept2 and it's not even close. Don't even consider the other "interactive" ones like Ergatta or Nordic Track. What people that see the Concept2 don't understand is there is an entire world of interactive apps that only work with the Concept2. Every single interactive thing pails in comparison to what you have available with a C2. People see a TV screen built onto a crap rower and pay $3000 for it. That's silly and uninformed.

The reason? Durability and every single real over the water rower only uses the Concept2. It's that good. It's also the reason you can't find one used. And if someone is (rarely) selling one used, it will go for nearly what they bought it for (during Covid, actually higher, because there was a wait list from Concept2 to get a new one). I've tried nearly every brand and they are hot garbage in comparison.

Ergatta is just a WaterRower with an inferior app. Nordic Track the same thing. There's an app called Asensai that is the same as what both of these offer and it's made by World Class Olympic rowers, not personal trainers. asensai is also putting up videos of rowing. And they help with training.

ErgData is a training app that auto loads your workouts onto a Concept2 logbook. It tracks improvements, stroke mechanics, history of workouts.

There's a new one called EXR Rowing. It's being developed to be the Zwift of Rowing. Plus, Zwift has rowing being developed for the Concept2 (not others).

You can buy a phone cradle or a tablet cradle to go right on your machine and Wa-lah, it's an interactive machine.

There's several more I'm not including (RowPro for virtual racing in real time) and LiveRowing, among others.

https://www.concept2.com/service/software/apps

The concept 2 has awesome ratings ladders where you can compare yourself to everyone else for age/weight/distance.
They also have huge Facebook followings. Plus daily WOD’s and a ton of YouTube workouts that are all free.
Plus the rower itself is bulletproof

I went shopping for a spin bike at a Fitness Depot (don’t know if they’re a chain but they had a huge selection, and I’m sure there’s similar places where you are. )

After talking to the sales people and being able to try several bikes, I came home with something totally unexpected and unplannned- a recumbent bike which I love and use daily. Ironically, I initially totally pooh’poohed the idea when the guy suggested it.

Moral of my story is go somewhere you can ask questions and try things out.

Motorsheen wrote: »

I own both the Concept 2 Rower and the Concept 2 Bike Erg.

The rower is fantastic.

The Bike Erg.... well, I really, really don't like the bike at all.

In fact, I'm looking to sell it and instead buy a trainer for one of my road bikes / zwift.

I own both, too. Wouldn't recommend the bike to someone on that specific machine's merits, either - there are better bike options. (There are reasons I chose it and keep it, but they're idiosyncratic.)

Motorsheen wrote: »

I own both the Concept 2 Rower and the Concept 2 Bike Erg.

The rower is fantastic.

The Bike Erg.... well, I really, really don't like the bike at all.

In fact, I'm looking to sell it and instead buy a trainer for one of my road bikes / zwift.

Oh, and some of the friends that I know that ride the thing a ton are experiencing noises that are hard to fix. While Customer Service has been super responsive to them, there are some mechanical issues that C2 hasn't quite seemed to work out with the Bike yet.

@Motorsheen - I would join a C2 online group on FB and sell it that way. I think you'd find takers. Yeah, that would kill me not being able to stand up and pedal. I can even do that (though it's not terribly comfortable to do it) on my AD Pro.

Motorsheen wrote: »

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Motorsheen wrote: »

I own both the Concept 2 Rower and the Concept 2 Bike Erg.

The rower is fantastic.

The Bike Erg.... well, I really, really don't like the bike at all.

In fact, I'm looking to sell it and instead buy a trainer for one of my road bikes / zwift.

Oh, and some of the friends that I know that ride the thing a ton are experiencing noises that are hard to fix. While Customer Service has been super responsive to them, there are some mechanical issues that C2 hasn't quite seemed to work out with the Bike yet.

I called customer service and was told "Those noises might be normal; can you record them and send those to us?"

..... and in regards to standing on the Bike Erg while pedaling ( spoiler alert: You Can't - the resistance simply slips away - this is the deal breaker for me.). I was told to "change my pedal stroke". Really? I've trained for decades on road bikes and know exactly what I'm doing. To change my pedal stroke to meet their inane recommendation was kind of insulting.

I purchased it online and before doing so, I called Concept 2 and asked if there was a Bike Erg anywhere in the state of Arizona that I could try out. You know, like maybe a Crossfit gym. I was told "No.".

I could go on and on about the poor ergonomics and design decisions on the Bike Erg. My problem is that I'm used to putting in the hours on a road bike and not 15 minute sessions while only seated. Comparing the two are like night and day. That's 100% on me for believing the reviews from the crossfit community and not riding the bike before it's purchase.

This thread has now convinced me to sell that (*&%@! thing online and invest in something far more worthwhile.
Thanks for keeping it alive.

I admit I usually indoor-bike at home seated, unlike at spin class, because (unlike rowing) I can multi-task and cycle, so usually use it for lower-intensity base work. My BikeErg has not, in my use of it, made weird noises (but I'm light, not a super-strong cyclist, which may make a difference, dunno). I've also not noticed the loss of resistance when standing, but I've only done small amounts of standing because of the niche it fits in my routine. I'll have to try that for longer next time (which will be a while, probably, as outdoor cycling - and more importantly rowing - season is here).

my husband got a cheap one on amazon, the sunny one that works for those with inseams up to 38". we don't expect it to last, but for now, he's been doing 30 to 45 minutes 6 days a week. if he continues to love it, we'll get him something better down the line, but he prefers rowing to pedaling, and he actually enjoys this rower for the time being. btw, he puts two feet on blocks to make a steeper angle to work legs more.