Movable/Pivoting Footplate - Modification, Ankle Joint

[Viking82]

Dear Indoor Rowers,

I Like Indoor Rowing very much!
As i cannot Run anymore...it is more or less the light at the end of my sports-tunnel.

So as i have a hurt/fusioned ankle it is very limited in movement. More or less...the movement on the rower makes it worse.

In the first phase moving/pushing back, there is much pressure on the front talus edge of the ankle joint. This is the reason why i have to think about in also Stopp Rowing . Strapless is no Option as i do not like it.

Now i wanted to ask If anyone has experience/tips in modify the rower (concept 2) in direction of pivoting footplates...something like bicycle footplates or something.

I contacted concept 2 directly...but they told that there is no "official" option...

Would be great!
As rowing is that much fun!!!!
Thank you very much!!!

[Citroen]

Do you have a static model D/E or a dynamic rower?

There's less movement on a dynamic (or a static rower on slides).

[Viking82]

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately it is a model D.


BR

[Citroen]

Then you need a pair of these: https://shop.concept2.com/accessories/2 ... -pair.html it reduces the force through your ankles even if it doesn't reduce the motion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DVuJd5vu_M

[Tinpusher]

I broke my left ankle late 2010 and resumed rowing after surgical repair.
Since 2013 most of my erging has been on slides but my overall use, especially in the last 2-3 years has much reduced.
I recently had a series of images (x-ray, ultrasound and MRI) done due to chronic pain and a new pain. Turns out there is a 5mm thickening in the bones in the joint limiting flexion and also a surprise partial tear in the Achilles tendon (the new pain). I am now waiting for surgical consultation.
Slides will reduce the strain on your ankle somewhat as you won't use your joints to slow your body into the catch as you do on a static erg but the angles will remain the same unless you shorten your stroke.
In my boat I use a Shimano SRD virtual pivot foot stretcher.

This definitely does help and before I bought them I tried them on Shimano's erg fitted with them. I don't recall how they were attached, however, but would say that the pivoting action reduces stress on the ankle joint greatly, so much so that I raced a Marathon in my single back in 2016.
Good luck!

[Ergmeister]

This thread caught my attention too as I have a fused right ankle that has profoundly limited my Erg and rowing work.

I am going to "borrow" the Shimano system that they use for Erg demos when they take them to demonstrate their rowing system. I will take photos and give a full report, but I am very encouraged about this as my ability to come to full compression is severely limited by my ankle which is loaded with arthritis and a huge bone spur on the bottom of the tibia that acts like a door stop on the top of my ankle. I am borrowing Shimano rowing shoes for the test as well - my Shimano bike shoes are not compatible with the system.

Many thanks to Tinpusher for his post and planting this seed. I will follow up in a couple of weeks and share my results. I think this could be the answer for those of us with limited ankle flexion.

[Tinpusher]

Sounds good. Whenever I erged/rowed with a fixed footplate, my left heel would pull out of the shoe due to the limited flexion. It causes excessive wear in the heel cup of my shoe. With the Shimano set up, this does not occur.
I already knew that the Shimano shoes aren't compatible with regular bike shoes. No surprise there!

[Viking82]

Sounds like hope...
Thank you very much!

It would be great to have something like a how to...
So you think it's possible to install the Shimano system on a concept 2 rower?

I have contacted concept 2...they told there is no "official" way to implement pivoting footplates...

So I hopefully look in your direction!
Thank you so much!
I am looking forward to your report.

[Ergmeister]

I promised to provide an update on my tests with the Shimano system and I have just, today, managed to install the setup on my C2 Model D. I too have a fused right ankle but from arthrtis and multiple breaks - not surgically fused. Same difference as I am locked just shy of 90 degrees.

The Shimano Rowing representative was incredibly helpful and sent me the system they use to retrofit C2 Ergs for demonstration purposes. I had to spend a big of time trying to obtain the exact fasteners to use the C2 setup, and in the end I used a bench grinder to grind down the ends of 1.25" screws so they would not bottom out and ruin the C2 foot bed to reinstall the original system.

There is no question that the Shimano system does provide improvement at the catch for those of us with fused ankles. The pivot system is great and certainly can meet our goal.

The "problem" with the system in the retrofit is that the shoe sole now side 2.5" above the original foot bed so that as you come to the catch, your knees are 2.5" higher than normal and the set on the C2 is still at the original position. In order to really get the best benefit of this, I need to raise the seat the same amount of height as my footbed has raised and then I think I'll be there to give this an honest test. I plan to now use blocks to raise the set up 2 1/2 inches which straighten out the ergonomic mismatch of having the shoes too high and preventing me from coming to full vertical on my tibia (my seat is maxed out forward as my calves collide with my hamstrings - again 100% from the height. Linked below are some photos of the modifications and while I'm not "quite there" yet with working as I want, I hope to have a full report within a week.
https://robenglish.smugmug.com/Concept2 ... o/n-xJ8Mgf

The short plan is to raise the seat height to give me the proper positioning ergonomically. The long plan is a pivoting foot bed for a C2 and that is for sure something that would have big advantages.

Kudos to Shimano and their representative for letting me test their setup. More to come...

[Cyclist2]

It's pretty cool, all the modifications made to individual machines to accommodate different body features. Rowing is just that much fun!

Looking at your last photo, it appears that the shoe height is adjustable on that metal frame (there is even a gauge visible), so why can't you just move the shoes down to lower the heel position and not have to adjust the seat height?

[Ergmeister]

@Cyclist2 - Yes I noticed that as well last night but haven't gone digging for the allen wrenches or torx to see what I can do with it. I will continue to report here on my progress.

I've not been Erging and I joined the Narragansett Boat Club new online Erg group this morning and pulled an hour of steady state with the group using Zoom video. Pretty slick system and we all get to pull together while apart. In any case, I was really surprised after an hour of steady state to find my ankle was not only totally unaffected, but I had none of the usual discomfort in it. So once I get this figured out, it's definitely (at least for me) the way to. Still some more adaptation and enginmuneering to do, but this for sure is a huge improvement and enables me Erg without creating a lot pain and discomfort for the rest of the day. Also, my ankle normally blows up like a balloon and there was not swelling this morning. I'm pretty psyched frankly.

What is interesting in my first use of the Shimano cleat system is that on the Erg, if my right knee goes over my toe (beyond vertical) the shoe will release. That is how these release. They are not like my bike shoes at all where you twist out. The rowing system essentially has you point your toe and it will release straight up. I can see how in a boat this would be a big plus. The "issue" with the Shimano system in a boat is that everyone has to have shoes that sits in that seat, or you have switch out foot stretchers each row.

Again, big kudos to Shimano for letting me test their system. I'm very impressed on all fronts!

[Tinpusher]

Thanks for posting the update/pictures.
I've been sorely lacking motivation as I end up having to rest up for a week after every couple of sessions to let my ankle settle down. If I could install one of these on my erg it might be the push I need to get me back into it seriously.
My c2006 Model D has the metal footplate so attaching the Shimano system should be relatively easy.

[Tinpusher]

With the extra time at home afforded by physical distancing, I thought I'd remove the Shimano setup from my 1x and fit it to the erg.
It took about 90 minutes from start to finish. With having the metal flootplate on my older erg, I was afforded the opportunity to reuse two of the holes and only drilled one more on each side.
A quick test row (already did a 6k ankle bothering session this morning) and I'm wondering why I didn't do this sooner.
If I get back in the boat I'll have an excuse to buy one of Shimano's carbon fiber footplates as a replacement.