OT: WaterRower or Concept2 Erg

[William]

Originally Posted by EliteVelo

Crewed for Temple while in college, and during the offseason we used Concept, hence my reason to buy one for home use. Bombproof.

Ditto, but at OSU and agree 100%. We had Model B's at the Boathouse and transitioned to C's. The coach let me take a Model A home for the summer to keep training on. Pulling a Model A is a bit of a trip and very noisy.






William

[EliteVelo]

Originally Posted by zlin

Any videos you’d recommend to learn a proper technique for anyone using one at the gym this winter?

Check out Correct Rowing Technique on YouTube Concept2Australia. Great video with emphasis on the 11-1 o'clock position, the drive, finish, recovery, and slide.
Best I've seen.

The drive, imo, starting with the legs is key. Staying relaxed thru the slide is important as well.....allows the body to recover in anticipation for the next stroke.

[Bentley]

I have one, it’s awesome. Complete body workout. Concept 2 is what real rowers use when they are not in the water. Water rower is an odd piece of equipment and does not give the same physical feedback that you get in a boat. More important, it’s bullet proof and parts are readily available

[schwa86]

I've had a concept 2 for about 20 years. It is basically ignored during prime cycling season, but gets a decent amount of use in the winter. Works as well today as the day I bought it. It stores pretty compactly (takes about 30 seconds) obviously not as aesthetically pleasing as the water rower. I have tried the water rowers, and agree they likely feel more consistent through the stroke if you are really trying to emulate the full experience of rowing on water. But if you are trying to get a good reliable workout on a durable machine, I thing I'd go with the c2.

[djg]

I'll talk to my son, if you want. He's caught the bug as a high school student -- pretty serious (finishing well at HS Nats, Club Nats, and Royal Canadian Henley), and into the minutiae. They have the C2s at his school, but he's probably up on the alternatives.

[11.4]

The WaterRower does indeed feel very natural, more like actually rowing. But I'd recommend the Concept for two reasons:

1. You can upgrade or repair it forever, and it holds its value for that reason like nobody's business. It almost doesn't make sense to buy used.

2. If you're interested in getting into rower competition, which is huge and a great way (like Strava) to compete against others, the competition is based on the C2.

[Duende]

Originally Posted by Chris

Doesn’t the water tank require regular treatment?

I put some chlorine tabs in the water when I first got it. Been a year or so, water is still fine. The manual says the you may need to rechlorinate regularly. So far that hasn’t been my experience.

[72gmc]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

In times like this I think, "what would Frank Underwood choose"?

Your forum name and commenting style are well paired!

[smontanaro]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

concept2 ... you can still buy parts for every model they made i think.

I tested this several (ten?) years ago. My wife and I were at an estate sale and noticed two old C2 machines out in the garage. One was a bit older than the other, but they were both intact. As you might imagine, they weren't attracting a ton of attention with the usual estate sale crowd. We piled them into the car and drove home. I don't recall where Ellen sat, but we had to fold down the rear seat and the front passenger seat to squeeze both in the car with the tailgate open.

I needed to buy a couple parts for one of them (can't remember what now), but it was no big deal. I wound up flipping both of them for a decent profit. (And you thought only bikes could be flipped. ) Kinda wish I'd kept one, but we've moved a couple times since, and moving all my bikes is difficult enough. I do use the C2 at the gym at work on occasion.

[mcteague]

What has been said already is true. I have a model B that is over 25 years old and, just last year, bought new parts to make it feel new again. Plus, those parts are really inexpensive.

Tim

[William]

Note the original bike connection...







William

[crownjewelwl]

i've had both...while the waterrower is pretty, i constantly needed to tighten the bolts which was pretty annoying

i sold both and now i have a concept2 skierg which i find a lot more enjoyable

[batman1425]

Originally Posted by William

Note the original bike connection...
William

You ever have the privilege of using a Model A and have one of the resistance cards let go? That'll keep you on your toes.

Can't say enough good about C2 after 100's of thousands of K's on them in the 15 some years I was a competitive rower. Built like tanks. The Model C my folks bought for me as a HS rower in 1999 is still going strong with only minimal maintenance.

My rec - don't buy one new. Too many well looked after ones out there to justify full price. Look around for a local college or club program. They turn them over relatively quickly, not because of wear, but for the features. Get a new handle (for cleanliness reasons), give it an overall clean and oil the chain and you are good to go. I'm partial to the Model C because it was the most commonly used version in the meat of my rowing days. The D and E's have a slightly softer catch transition (think Sram vs. Shimano in shifter feedback) which I don't prefer, but it doesn't change functionality at all. The computer units on the later models are nicer than the original ones, though this is less important for general fitness needs.

If you want to step up your game - look at a dynamic version of the C2, a Rowperfect, or get a set of sliders for a standard C2. You get a lot more core engagement with a dynamic erg but they take a lot more practice to master.

[William]

Originally Posted by batman1425

You ever have the privilege of using a Model A and have one of the resistance cards let go? That'll keep you on your toes.

Never had that happen, but it was loud enough with those cards that the neighbor downstairs would bang on the ceiling if I was rowing when he was home.






William

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

Believe it or not, the WaterRower is sold at MoMA Design Store: https://store.moma.org/home/health-r...43-110443.html.

anyone else think this looks like a rip-off of a La Vie Claire jersey:
https://store.moma.org/home/vases/mo...24-122524.html