Concept2 Forum

This is day 2 with my new Concept 2 rower. I am a newbie to all of this. I ordered a pair of Concept 2 rowing shorts and I believe they are the wrong size and are too small. Being unisized I thought a men's small would fit me, but I am finding I am squeezing into them and I resemble a muffin top. That being said, I am feeling irritation in an area I would rather not have it. I am concerned and was wondering if the seam of the shorts could be pressing against me causing the irritation. I do not want to break down and develop a sore there. Ouch! I am considering rowing in my underwear tomorrow to see if the problem persists. Does anyone have any advice?

Lots of past threads on this, but in day 2, I'm not surprised you have some issues. Without being immodest, a little better description of where it's rubbing would help responders.

If it's your tailbone, then maybe a pad with the cutout at the back will reduce the rubbing. Same for the sitz bones holes. Check out a rowing shell seat to see what I'm talking about. The C2 seats, IMO, are awful but evidently the "best" for the majority of the indoor rowing community. I can't row without a pad with the cutouts.

Even rowing shorts that are too small should be OK - the seams are rowing specific. In the privacy of my home, I use cotton Hanes boxer briefs. In public, I use JL Rowing shorts, they are great.

Give it a few more rows, try pads or different clothes, you'll figure it out. Welcome to erging!

Thank you Cyclist 2 for you reply. The irritation is in the area in front of my sitting bones, but in the middle, without me being too graphic. Today, I rowed in my underwear and fared much better, so I am thinking it might be the rowing shorts which are definitely too tight and too high in the seat area. I am planning on visiting fitness store tomorrow to see what I can buy for shorts. Today, my sitting bones took a beating, even though I used a folded hand towel as a pad. At least my tailbone is not open and sore. I experienced that many years ago when I briefly owned a water rower. I swore I would never row again until I discovered the Concept2. Hopefully, I will figure this out and be able to engage fully in rowing.

Sore No More sorbothane pad.

Endurerow rower seat EZ swap on C2 erg.

1/2" thick ethafoam pad w/ rear scallop for tailbone and relief holes or depressions for ischeal tuberosities diy with a utility knife and pattern on masking tape. Velcro to standard issue C2 seat altho will stay in place without. Good for rower at gym. I keep one in my truck. Jack

Thank you Jackarabit! I will keep this advice as so far I am successful with rowing in my skivvies! I rowed 25 minutes today, as I am still practicing my form. I imagine I will need some padding as I increase my time, but I am grateful I am not breaking down with horrible sores. I have PTSD from my previous ownership of an older model Water Rower. The seat did not accommodate the tailbone and yikes, that was painful. I am presently hyper vigilant but hope to calm down soon. Today I tried on biking shorts and did not like the feeling of the padding. I am going to try to locate a pair of seamless exercise shorts, as I don't want to be caught in my undies if unexpectant company drops in.

It sounds like the Water Rower had the seat on backwards. I have heard of that happening quite often and the reversed seat is bound to cause a tailbone problem. The notch should be at the back, so that there is no pressure on the tailbone. As far as the shorts are concerned, C2 itself markets a couple of versions. I just checked on their website, but it was a little confusing in the clothing department. It would be better to make a telephone call to get information on the available rowing shorts. Not today however. C2 is not 24/7. The office is available M-F with fairly long hours.

Bob S.

Thank you, Bob S. I will look into this. We did have the Water Rower seat placed correctly as the notched seat was in the back, unfortunately the notch on the older model was not as prominent as this current Concept2 rower. Maybe my form was not correct then? Who knows. Thank you for your reply.

A timely thread. Thank you.

I put a bunch of foam pads on the C2 seat and lashed them with cable ties (north/south). That worked for a while until it became a nice ridge fitting my `anatomy' almost perfectly. Like a knife.

Then the ridge began to impinge on the superficial perineal nerve ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perineal_n ... _nerve.svg ).

Now, thanks to the contributions of those above, I'll hopefully be on my way to putting this problem aside.

- Dan

Thank you, Dan. This is exactly where I was affected when wearing the rowing shorts that were too small for me, and the inner seam was pressing on that area. I have been rowing five days now, and three of them have been in my skivvies! Problem solved. Now I am on a quest to find some no seam or very flat seamed shorts. I rowed my first 5000 meters today and accomplished it in 30 minutes. Unsure if this is a good time or not, but as a 54 year old and being new to rowing, I was quite pleased. Thank you, Dan for your response.

inevertan wrote: Now I am on a quest to find some no seam or very flat seamed shorts. I rowed my first 5000 meters today and accomplished it in 30 minutes. Unsure if this is a good time or not, but as a 54 year old and being new to rowing, I was quite pleased. Thank you, Dan for your response.

Just Google "rowing shorts" and several different suppliers come up. C2, as I mentioned, sells an excellent pair. A couple more are Boathouse Rowing and JL Racing. If you live in a metropolitan area the has rowing facilities, there might be a brick and mortar outlet for rowing gear.

Bob S.

Hi Bob, I live in rural Connecticut, so the internet is my only bet. I will check out your recommended sites, and I thank you for the support.