RowPro or No?

Maintenance, accessories, operation. Anything to do with making your erg work.
User avatar
Rockin Roland
5k Poster
Posts: 570
Joined: March 19th, 2006, 12:02 am
Location: Moving Flywheel

Post by Rockin Roland » January 25th, 2010, 10:10 pm

Rowpro is worth the extra expense if your looking for a bit of fun and some online companionship. However, there is nothing in Rowpro that will make you row better. I'm not aware of any elite OTW rowers that use Rowpro. It's more for the recreational rower wanting to make that horrible erg less painfull. It's also useful for recording and storing the data from your workouts.
PBs: 2K 6:13.4, 5K 16:32, 6K 19:55, 10K 33:49, 30min 8849m, 60min 17,309m
Caution: Static C2 ergs can ruin your technique and timing for rowing in a boat.
The best thing I ever did to improve my rowing was to sell my C2 and get a Rowperfect.

philwhite7
500m Poster
Posts: 60
Joined: October 3rd, 2008, 4:32 pm
Location: Mission, KS

Re: RowPro or No?

Post by philwhite7 » April 21st, 2010, 10:21 am

Thinking of upgrading from a PM2 to a PM3 so I can use RowPro. What's the best way to contact other rowers to set up training/races online if I do it?
Image

User avatar
jliddil
6k Poster
Posts: 717
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 11:44 am
Location: North Haven, CT

Re: RowPro or No?

Post by jliddil » April 21st, 2010, 10:46 am

philwhite7 wrote:Thinking of upgrading from a PM2 to a PM3 so I can use RowPro. What's the best way to contact other rowers to set up training/races online if I do it?
Rowpro has a feature to allow scheduling and a chat feature. Often if people are in chat you can see if they want to row and create an on the fly quick row. If people have their profile set up to do so you can also send them a message. Once you start using it you find the same folks online a given times/days. I've joined some scheduled rows and then those who want more rowing just continue to sett up strings of quick rows.

I've had it a little over a month and once you just jump in a join rows you make more and more contacts. Don't be shy the community is very welcoming. Made a big difference in my skill and speed to really be challenged. At the same time rows have people of all levels men and women and kinds rowing at once. So pace doesn't matter unless you are competitive.

Highly recommended.
JD
Age: 51; H: 6"5'; W: 172 lbs;

philwhite7
500m Poster
Posts: 60
Joined: October 3rd, 2008, 4:32 pm
Location: Mission, KS

Re: RowPro or No?

Post by philwhite7 » April 21st, 2010, 10:59 am

Sounds good. Are you using a PM3? If so, does it work pretty well with RowPro?
Image

User avatar
jliddil
6k Poster
Posts: 717
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 11:44 am
Location: North Haven, CT

Re: RowPro or No?

Post by jliddil » April 21st, 2010, 11:18 am

philwhite7 wrote:Sounds good. Are you using a PM3? If so, does it work pretty well with RowPro?

I just recently bought a Model D with a PM4 since I had the extra money. The PM4 has heart rate stuff and some additional games. Other wise they are identical. The HR works well with Rowpro for the training plans it has as they are largely based on HR and SPM. But a PM3 works fine for everything with Rowpro is my understanding.

Make sure the computer you use has a newer graphics card if you want all the full motion graphics. Try the twenty day trial to confirm it works.
JD
Age: 51; H: 6"5'; W: 172 lbs;

User avatar
Citroen
SpamTeam
Posts: 8035
Joined: March 16th, 2006, 3:28 pm
Location: A small cave in deepest darkest Basingstoke, UK

Re: RowPro or No?

Post by Citroen » April 21st, 2010, 11:29 am

philwhite7 wrote:Sounds good. Are you using a PM3? If so, does it work pretty well with RowPro?
PM3 and PM4 are ideal for RowPro.
The only other choice is to use the very rare PM2+ with a serial to USB adapter.

PM3 will work with a Polar analog HR belt but you need the HRI dongle that's available from the C2 shop. PM4 can also use that Polar dongle, but you don't need it if you have a Garmin or Suuntu ANT HR belt.

User avatar
Carl Watts
Marathon Poster
Posts: 4702
Joined: January 8th, 2010, 4:35 pm
Location: NEW ZEALAND

RowPro

Post by Carl Watts » April 21st, 2010, 7:40 pm

Rockin Roland wrote:Rowpro is worth the extra expense if your looking for a bit of fun and some online companionship. However, there is nothing in Rowpro that will make you row better. I'm not aware of any elite OTW rowers that use Rowpro. It's more for the recreational rower wanting to make that horrible erg less painfull. It's also useful for recording and storing the data from your workouts.
Unfortunatley RowPro at this stage is not aimed at the Elite rowers. I have already sent several recommendations to Pete at RowPro to incorporate some useful features that I thought would make it appeal more to that very small market segment.

Having said that most elite rowers are younger so they don't necessarily have money for an Erg at home, are spending much of their time OTW anyway and they use the Erg at the club, which tends to employ the PM4 which can be linked together to row against one another without RowPro anyway.

RowPro could be configured to give very useful information for Elite rowers to row against one another from around the world online, then again probably not as they want to keep everything secret or for crews to train together online so they don't have to be physically in the same location. A more comprehensive pace bar with SPM and HR as well for example would be an improvement. I think it's coming but it will probably be in the next version.

The analysis feature in RowPro is good for tracking your improvement but the biggie is still being able to row with others online from all over the world without having to leave the relative comfort of having a roof over your head. Numbers joining are increasing every year and it will come into it's own in the next couple of years as many people are just not aware that it exists and also still only have a PM2.
Carl Watts.
Age:56 Weight: 108kg Height:183cm
Concept 2 Monitor Service Technician & indoor rower.
http://log.concept2.com/profile/863525/log

Post Reply