Concept2 Forum

Originally I was going to post this in the Lance Armstrong Award thread as a response to a post by Ergmeister, but decided that it didn't really fit there.

Out of curiosity, I started looking at all the ranked 2ks for this season, looking for the D category. I didn't find a one until I got to the 272nd on the list. Practically all of them were Is, with just a small scattering of Ss. The S category is a voluntary designation, but the D is automatic now when a logcard entry is made. When I first got the dynamic, it was still voluntary, but that was changed after about a year. I wonder if it will ever become a racing category. Possibly never, since there seems to be so few out there ever ranking dynamic results. It would be nice to know how many dynamics are in use, but that is a corporate secret. Has anyone ever seen one in a public fitness center?

Bob S.

Bob S. "Has anyone ever seen one in a public fitness center? Bob S.

I've only seen one C2 dynamic rower in a "public" fitness center one time; California (Berkeley) has (had?) one in their Rec & Fitness Center that was there last year. Collegiate boathouses are a different story, but public fitness centers are not spending the extra money for the dynamic rowers in the lanes I travel.

With regards to dynamic rowers..."Nothing is as easy as it looks"

I think dynamic users should have their own separate ranking system. The dynamic rower is a completely different animal and very humbling for any who have not tried one. Getting ranked on a dynamic rower against "conventional" ergs is not a level playing field. Dynamic rowers are on the increase: I am seeing a significant uptick in Oartec Sliders in collegiate boathouses around Boston and it will be interesting to see how this will evolve.

I encourage anyone going to CRASHBs in two weeks to hop on all the dynamic rowers that are showcased there . It is very humbling.

Ergmeister wrote:
I encourage anyone going to CRASHBs in two weeks to hop on all the dynamic rowers that are showcased there . It is very humbling.

My first experience with the dynamic was at the 2010 C-Bs and the one thing that stood out was that I found myself rowing at a much higher rate than usual and having trouble getting the rate down. It was just for a very short period, so I wasn't thinking much about it. Later, when I had my own machine, I found that applying my usual method of controlling rate, i.e. going by the clock, worked just as well on the dynamic as it had on static machines and on my D with slides. But I also found that it is quite easy with the dynamic to rate way on up much higher than on a static or slides. I've seen my monitor hit 60spm, but I didn't really check to see if I was cutting the stroke short. I never use rates like that except for just fooling around a couple of times. For some AN intervals, I will get up over 40spm, but probably not over 45.

The feel is different, and I find that I need to use a side fan more often, since there is not much body movement. Initially I felt that I preferred the D on slides. I had switched on account of the space situation, but after almost a year of rowing only on the dynamic, I would probably feel awkward on a static or even with with slides.

Bob S.

I've used the C2 Dynamic erg at various locations several times now. From the very first time I got onto one I've found it very easy and pleasant to use. Nothing humbling about it at all. If your technique is ugly on a static erg then you might struggle initially on it, but that's about it.

Sure there may not be many results logged in the rankings on Dynamic ergs but that's a silly reason for not buying one. There's far more to be gained from using a dynamic C2 erg than just the motivational aspect from seeing other people's results in the rankings. I prefer it over a C2 on slides and it is a better fitness machine than the static C2 that so many gym rats are drawn to.

For on water rowers though you should bear in mind that the C2 dynamic(in my opinion) is a step further away from being a pure on water rowing simulator than say other dynamic ergs such as the Oartec Slider. That's probably why rowing clubs like ours will replace its old C2 ergs with Oartec Sliders rather than C2 dynamics, when they start to look tired and old. It's a pity because the C2 dynamic is still a good erg but obviously more suited to the gym crowd.

Rockin Roland wrote:I've used the C2 Dynamic erg at various locations several times now. From the very first time I got onto one I've found it very easy and pleasant to use. Nothing humbling about it at all. If your technique is ugly on a static erg then you might struggle initially on it, but that's about it.

Sure there may not be many results logged in the rankings on Dynamic ergs but that's a silly reason for not buying one. There's far more to be gained from using a dynamic C2 erg than just the motivational aspect from seeing other people's results in the rankings. I prefer it over a C2 on slides and it is a better fitness machine than the static C2 that so many gym rats are drawn to.

For on water rowers though you should bear in mind that the C2 dynamic(in my opinion) is a step further away from being a pure on water rowing simulator than say other dynamic ergs such as the Oartec Slider. That's probably why rowing clubs like ours will replace its old C2 ergs with Oartec Sliders rather than C2 dynamics, when they start to look tired and old. It's a pity because the C2 dynamic is still a good erg but obviously more suited to the gym crowd.

I have tried them all. My favorite is the Rowperfect particularly insofar as approximating the feel of a single goes. The Oartec slider and the C2 on slides feel about the same to me, kind of like a heavier boat. The C2 dynamic is just a bit different than anything out there. Not necessarily bad, just different. Anything is better than the static thats for sure. I think my splits at the same rate are a tiny bit slower on the dynamic compared to the static. The static on or off slides gives about equal splits to me. Thats just me but I'm not that accomplished of a rower or erger.

I've seen dynamic ergs in various public places. I even saw two of them in a Vancouver-area Gold's Gym once! By and large, though, it seems to me that the likely reason for lack of dynamic erg popularity thus far is space. The D and E ergs can be stored upright, but not the dynamic. That's a real downer if you use it anywhere other than a dedicated rowing space.

TheRocketeer wrote:I've seen dynamic ergs in various public places. I even saw two of them in a Vancouver-area Gold's Gym once! By and large, though, it seems to me that the likely reason for lack of dynamic erg popularity thus far is space. The D and E ergs can be stored upright, but not the dynamic. That's a real downer if you use it anywhere other than a dedicated rowing space.

That's a good point. I got the dynamic for the opposite reason - less floor space, but that it is for when it is in use, especially as compared to my old D on slides. For storage, yes, it is nowhere near as convenient to store as the Cs and Ds, although dealing with the slides is another problem. It is also a lot harder to move around than the earlier models. But taking Cs or Ds off slides and putting them back again is not all that easy. I don't know anything about the model E. Does that separate into two units?

Bob S.

but the D is automatic now when a logcard entry is made.

I just purchased a C2 Dynamic two weeks ago, and just uploaded my log entries from the PM4 a couple of nights ago. I found that it recorded them as "I", and I had to manually change them to D. I later noticed that there is a default that can be set in the Concept2 Utility to log them as D. Looking through the rankings, I saw very few D's (just 2 in my age group), and had to wonder if some of the I's should be D.

Hi,

How do you like your dynamic so far? Did you switch from a static rower or one on slides?

Thanks.
Kevin