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#1
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A question for the rowers out there:
How accurate are the results from this machine? Are they truly comparable across eras and environments? Is a 6:22 in London in 2017 comparable to a 6:22 in Miami in 1998? Even the best cycling powermeters claim accuracy of about +/- 1%. For a 2000m event, that would be 20m. I'm guessing most 2k races on the water are closer than 20m... |
#2
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well, I can't locate any numbers from concept2, but wouldn't the accuracy of an ergometer just be a function of the accuracy of the flywheel weight and rpm measurement? If that's the case, you could get pretty accurate.
edit: chain wear will effect efficiency too. Quote:
Last edited by crankles; 12-14-2017 at 05:09 PM. |
#3
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As long as nothing really nutty is going on (e.g. really bad bearings on the seat or a horrible chain) I bet most ergs are pretty consistent, and since all competitions are held on brand-new ergs, age or wear and tear shouldn't be an issue. Finally (because I was thinking of this very subject the other day) if one really wanted to compare the consistency of one erg to itself or to others you could build a test rig with a load cell to measure the force your test machine applies at the handle (repeatedly over time as your test machine simulates the motion of the human's hands). Using that and a few other test parameters you could compare the power and work your machine is applying to the erg to what the erg itself reports. That would be a fun project for a college engineering class. |
#4
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"Between each stroke, the PM measures how much your flywheel is slowing down to determine how sleek or slow your “boat” is. This rate of deceleration is called the drag factor. On your next stroke, the PM uses the drag factor to determine from the speed of the flywheel how much work you are doing. In this way, your true effort is calculated regardless of damper setting. This self-calibration is what allows us to compare scores from different indoor rowers, making things like indoor racing and the online world rankings possible. "Different indoor rowers can have different drag factor ranges. A damper setting of 3 on your home machine may feel like 4 on the machine at the gym. Differences in air temperature, elevation—even how much lint is caught in the flywheel housing—can all affect the drag factor from machine to machine. When using different machines, you may need to adjust the damper setting to achieve the drag factor and feel you prefer." http://www.concept2.com/service/moni...ng-drag-factor |
#5
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Yup - without having read that recently, that's what I was trying to describe.
A comment for all the newbie ergers out there: Don't just set the damper lever at 10 and row as hard as you can. That will be too hard and bad in a number of ways. Instead, put the lever around, 5 then in the "More Options" menu (or something like that) pick "Display Drag factor." Row a few strokes and the display will show the machine's current DF. Most folks use a DF in the 110-140 range. Unless you're a monster out to prove something, anything higher is unnecessary. Play around with it a bit and see what you like best. There is no one magic setting, and higher isn't necessarily better. |
#6
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Anecdotally, a damper setting around 3 is the load you would expect to feel in a reasonably well trained 8. That's where I would set mine for essentially all of my sessions unless told otherwise. The higher damper settings are useful for specific workouts - high load low rating for muscle recruitment and resistance training, but overuse injuries, particularly in the low back are common with those types of workouts. You need good base strength and form to avoid injury. Early winter training for us included frequent sessions of damper 10, 16-18spm, 100% effort every stroke for 60min. Brutal workouts. |
#7
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60 mins @16 SPM with 100% load sounds... miserable. |
#8
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#9
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I'm pretty sure ergs are banned in the Geneva Conventions. |
#10
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Have you ever rowed on a Gamut erg? I’ll never be able to get the sound out of my head: zzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiiiig, tick-a tick-a tick-a tick-a, zzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiiiig, tick-a tick-a tick-a tick-a, zzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiiiig, tick-a tick-a tick-a tick-a...
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#11
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I did...hated it. never felt normal....but this was one of the 1st gens...never tried the one with the concept2 flywheel.
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#12
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First gen is what we had as well for technique work. The one with the little weights you would put on the balance pan to change resistance and a giant timer that looked like it came from a darkroom. Closest thing to a medieval torture device I've used while training.
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#13
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That being said, my daughters HS rowing program today was as intense as my Ivy freshman lightweight program in the 80s. I can't image that Wiggins would be able to optimize his body or learn the necessary technique to get close to Olympic caliber. |
#14
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The newer version attached to a C2 flywheel doesn't look to be as daunting. |
#15
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i think i'd be just a bit miffed if he somehow ended up on the team for publicity when it's clear that where he's at he doesn't deserve that spot. that's the main point of contention for me. either he doesn't realize that he's nowhere close, or some nonsense in selection happens. also i don't really understand this "he's doing it now, you used to" logic. if i did a 2k this morning, or a 10k, or a 20k, does that make my analysis any more valid than if i didn't? |
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