Concept2 Forum

Is RowPro really something quite useful or is it something people buy and never use? I'm seriously considering buying it but wonder what its true benefits are? Thanks!

rpeders3 wrote:Is RowPro really something quite useful or is it something people buy and never use? I'm seriously considering buying it but wonder what its true benefits are? Thanks!

RP3 - Depends on your use of your erg. If you are on your erg at home alone, you will find RP Online to be a great motivational tool once you develop a group of erging buddies (doesn't matter your pace - there are people at just about any pace you can think of). I can't imagine erging as often or as hard as I do without my RP mates.

If you are erging with a team, RP might not be as useful (unless your team or gym enable all of the ergs for RP).

RP without the online component is interesting, but not all that exciting unless you find the graphics really compelling.

They have a free trial period (20 days I think), so you can download & use before dropping the $.

Cheers. Patrick.

If you have a rower with a PM2+/PM3 or PM4 and it's in a location that has Internet access and a suitable Windows PC/laptop or it would be daft not to get a copy of RowPro.

Training alone can be a terrible slog, even training in a gym where you're the only guy on a rower (everyone else is throwing lumps of iron around) can be a terrible slog. There's nothing to beat training with someone else (even if it's just to match stroke rates).

If I ever pursuade my wife to let me cancel the gym membership and get my own machine RowPro will be the first added extra, C2 slides will be the second and a Core-Perform seat the third.

You forgot the c-breeze Dougie

I also am a satisfied Rowpro user. Rowing in groups makes the time seem to pass faster. I think rowing together also motivates people to stick with it on time trials that they would have handled down on alone. Rowpro is also great for keeping records of your sessions...very easy to set up custom sessions too.

badocter wrote:You forgot the c-breeze Dougie

I've got a C-Breeze already, I carry it in my rucksack and put it on the gym machines. It's a fantastic add-on and well worth the GBP£20 that I paid for it.

I have a new iMac and no Windows so I suppose no RowPro for me!

rpeders3 wrote:I have a new iMac and no Windows so I suppose no RowPro for me!

I eventually got Parallels and Windows XP and RowPro does indeed work with them, but it was costly to get all that extra software.

Bob S.

I'll add my support to RowPro. I just need to get around to updating it! Well worth the money. If you don't find people rowing when you initially go online, keep persevering as some people change their times and you'll find company eventually - I go weeks without company and then weeks rowing with others every night!

rpeders3 wrote:I have a new iMac and no Windows so I suppose no RowPro for me!

I run it through bootcamp with no problems. I tried it with one of the visualizations (don't think it was parallels though) and it didn't work as well.

tiredboy wrote:

rpeders3 wrote:I have a new iMac and no Windows so I suppose no RowPro for me!

I run it through bootcamp with no problems. I tried it with one of the visualizations (don't think it was parallels though) and it didn't work as well.

Initially I used BootCamp, but eventually switched to Parallels which I found to be more convenient.

Bob S.

Bob S. wrote: Initially I used BootCamp, but eventually switched to Parallels which I found to be more convenient.

Bob S.

I was just a miser and stuck with the free option! In retrospect, the convenient option would have probably been better!

Rowing for me without RowPro now would be like trying to row without a seat.

The motivational factor of rowing against up to 16 in a full feild makes it hard to beat.

Try the free Trial version for 10 days as an Evaluation user, there is no going back once your hooked.

I used to row online with eRow. I tried one of the early versions of RowPro, but without my glasses (I never row with them) I couldn't see the tiny PM2 display on my computer monitor (I usually use eRow with the PM2 screen filling my computer monitor). For me, the only advantage to getting RowPro would be to row online with others.

My wireless connection where I now have my C2 Model C is very weak and would probably drop offline all the time if I were to attempt to row online. If I ever move my rowing machine back to our rec room (where I used to have it until my wife kicked it out of the house), I will probably try RowPro again just to join the online rowing. Rowing online is definitely motivating.

Is the 20 day trial 20 calendar days, or 20 rowing days (i.e 10 to 20 weeks for me since I'm lucky to get more than one row in every week)?

El Caballo wrote:I used to row online with eRow. I tried one of the early versions of RowPro, but without my glasses (I never row with them) I couldn't see the tiny PM2 display on my computer monitor (I usually use eRow with the PM2 screen filling my computer monitor). For me, the only advantage to getting RowPro would be to row online with others.


Is the 20 day trial 20 calendar days, or 20 rowing days (i.e 10 to 20 weeks for me since I'm lucky to get more than one row in every week)?

It's a 20 calendar day trial, but I suspect if you asked nicely they would give you a little more time. I got it, and then realized I didn't have the serial port on my new laptop to connect to my old PM2+ monitor, so splurged on upgrade to a PM3. I asked for extra time to evaluate, and they gave me additional time without hesitation. I find the display on my laptop to be much more readable than the PM3 monitor display (I multitask and watch TV too, so the lights aren't high). I also really like how easy it is to upload the rows to the Concept web log. Haven't yet tried online, but I plan to.

A bit late to suggest it now but you could have bought a KEYSPAN USB to Serial Port adapter for the PM2+. These work well these days but not until RowPro V3 as earlier version still reported "Noise" problems, which it wasn't it was a software issue that Pete at RowPro finally resolved.

The PM3 is better however for RowPro as it uses the lower half of the graphics display to update you position in the race.

I still use the PM2+ as well as the PM3 to contantly display the drag factor and get a projected finish time or distance.

RowPro with a big monitor resolves any sight issues you may have. The main drawcard of the RowPro is the online rowing.

Either get the VMWare Fusion 3.x for OS X or get VirtualBox from Sun Microsystems. Parallels is a complete waste of money and time.

As for the value of RowPro, it all depends on how motivated you are to do things alone.