Tall rider (6'4)

[PorterCooper]

Hi - new to the forum and potentially (hopefully soon!) new to C2 products as well. Question with regards to a taller user for the BikeErg - I am ~6'4 or ~1.95 for us metric users. I know the specifications note an inseam of something comfortably of what I possess, but was wondering if other people of similar height find it actually comfortable to use?

Specifically, can the handlebars be set in a position such that I'm not constantly leaning forward with handlebars and saddle at roughly same height? Not looking for a chopper-style experience either (if that makes sense) but also don't want it to be a super aggressive racing stance all the time.

Full disclosure, weighing the purchase of an BikeErg against the Rower. Have been on rowers (C2 and others) and like it a lot, but feel like I'd be getting more use out of the bike at this point in time (being able to quickly hop on and off, multitask (watch a movie / be on conference calls etc). If anyone wants to weigh in with opinions on that front, that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance - much appreciate any helpful feedback. Have never tried a BikeErg in real life but hoping it will work out for me!

[Slothful1]

Hi

I'm shorter at 1.83m, but there is plenty of flexibility left in the seat post and handlebar settings (both up / down and forward / backward). I've set things up with handlebars slightly below the saddle and it's worked well for me since 2018. I know others have gone with a higher setting, and some put towels on the bars and lean on them with their forearms.

As for rower vs BikeErg, it's a tough call. I bought my rower in 2004 and it got a lot of use. Since I bought the BikeErg though, my rowing mileage has plummeted, although in the early days I was still training towards some indoor rowing races, and so the bike was more for cross training. The difference I suspect is using Zwift with the BikeErg, while still having my metres contribute to my indoor rowing team, which is sort of best of both worlds from a motivation point of view.

I still like the rower given that it targets more muscle groups, so I haven't written it off completely.

As for your situation, the advantages you list for the bike would probably mean you'd use it more, and depending on your training goals, that might be the key point.

Let us know what you decide in the end!

Dave

[PorterCooper]

Thanks - that's helpful. Still going back and forth on whether to get the rower or bikeerg. Feels like if going with the bike, there are a lot more options besides the Concept 2 - whereas with the rower it's pretty straightforward on where to get that one...

Good problems to have I guess, but will continue to noodle it over

[Dutch]

I recently bought a concept 2 bike and like yourself looked at lots of options for a bike. Having had a c model rower for 9 years, only really used it in the last 2 seriously, in the end it was a no brainer for the concept 2 bike erg.
I Knew the build quality was there with concept and spares, lots of other bikes promised things but were too heavy or complicated and spares were iffy.
I have uprated the saddle to a thicker one with a shorter nose, I use hole 15, I am 186 cm and the seat height goes up to 25 holes, plenty of length. On hole 15 we have the handle bars slightly higher than the seat by 5 cms, I can till ride dropped forward. Its just my parter uses hole 7 and likes a very upright position and we cant be bothered to adjust them all the time so they are set for her! We are also going to get some toeclips, a must if you ask me.
No bike cheaper than the concept came close for me when you look on paper. Oh and it is very light and easy to move around when you compare it to others, most are double its weight. I think this is 30 kg most other bikes were 60kg and over.
My final reasoning was, if I really dont like it then I can sell it and probably make my money back to the penny.
You wont regret it.

[swopschall]

I am 6-6 and wear a 35 inch inseam in jeans. I ride my bike erg with the handlebars at the same height as the seat. There is room for the handlebars to go up a bit higher. And you can easily adjust the 'reach' of the handlebars from the seat. I find the position quite comfortable for my rides of up to about 50 minutes at a time. I have only had the bike for about a month.

I have had a Model C Rower since about 2002. Love the rower. I started looking at bikes this year and looked at several bikes that were much more expensive and heavier. Very happy with the Bike Erg. My normal height wife and I can use the same bike. We made lines on the seat post and handlebar adjustments with a sharpie. Very quick and easy to go from fitting her to me. At first I really wanted to change the seat, but as I am exercising more and more I find the seat to be 'Ok'. I am going to wrap the handlebars for a bit of padding.

[PorterCooper]

So for both of you that bought the bike while already having the rower, what made you want the bike? Was it just wanting some variety, or something inherent about rowing / cycling that made you prefer the bike over rowing?

Second, which one do you find yourself spending the most time on / gravitate towards, now that you own both?

And third, with benefit of hindsight, if you didn't own either, which one would you buy (first) if you could only buy one (believe me I've thought about solving the dilemma by just getting both lol...)

[swopschall]

I didn't see myself returning to a gym anytime soon and wanted variety of workouts. I enjoy mountain biking and an exercise bike is a good addition to our home exercise equipment. And the desire was to improve our strength and conditioning for our bike rides.

We put our bikeerg on the rubber mat in our living room. It is easy and convenient to jump on it and get in some meters. We both find ourselves using the bike more than the rower. The rower is on our covered patio and the comfort of using the rower is largely dependent upon the time of day and temperature.

I recognize that the rower is better for my overall conditioning than the bike. With my current health challenges I find myself wanting to get on the bike as I perceive it to be 'easier' for me than the rower. I am struggling to lose a bunch of weight and get my flexibility back after a very serious bicycle accident a few years ago. At the end of last rowing season, I was using the rower very consistently and getting some great results. Then we took a two week vacation and didn't row for an extended period of time. Then the bike showed up. And now the bike tempts me to cheat on my rower and visit the bike much more often.

If I could only choose one, I would choose the rower. With that said, I am thinking of buying a skierg.

[Slothful1]

So for both of you that bought the bike while already having the rower, what made you want the bike? Was it just wanting some variety, or something inherent about rowing / cycling that made you prefer the bike over rowing?

Second, which one do you find yourself spending the most time on / gravitate towards, now that you own both?

And third, with benefit of hindsight, if you didn't own either, which one would you buy (first) if you could only buy one (believe me I've thought about solving the dilemma by just getting both lol...)

I was starting to get more interested in cycling over recent years - more watching races on TV rather than wanting to go out on the road. I started noticing Zwift's marketing more in 2016/17, but I didn't want to spend a lot on getting a bike, indoor trainer, etc. so I didn't really pursue it. Also I wasn't really using the rower much at that point (was on a bit of a work/kids-related break from training until 2017).

I then got stuck back into using the rower after upgrading to a PM5 in August 2017, and started up regular training. I then started training towards the 2018 British Rowing Indoor champs because I was going to be in the UK around that time on holiday.

When the BikeErg became available in South Africa, I immediately looked into the Zwift option. I intended it as some cross-training to the rower, but the main training volume was still the rower until BRIC. After that I started mixing in more rides, but still was trying to improve my rowing fitness. I sometimes went weeks without using the bike, but eventually some Zwift series or event would attract me back.

I trained towards the World Rowing Indoor Champs in Paris in Feb 2020, because it was the first chance I'd have of attending that event (normally travel time was too much of an issue). 2019's training wasn't that strong on the rower, but I managed to ramp up my training over December and January enough to survive the event (and finally meet 2 of my indoor rowing teammates in person ).

Since then it has been pretty much all BikeErg, and joining a virtual racing team on Zwift probably isn't helping my rowing cause at the moment.

To answer your hindsight question, it's a tough call I must admit, but I'd probably go with the BikeErg / Zwift combination before buying a rower.

If Zwift wasn't in the picture, then it's less clear cut unfortunately. I've managed to watch a lot of movies / TV series during long sessions on the rower with an iPad balanced between my feet, so that wouldn't be a differentiator for me.

The efficiency of more muscle groups being worked, plus the mental angle of trying to perfect the stroke all the time (even 17 years after first buying my rower) would probably make me favour the rower if it was purely between the 2 machines with no Zwift angle.

Dave

[Ernits]

How do you feel the BikeErg is suited for Zwift? I bought a smart trainer instead of BikeErg because I already had a road bike, but the BikeErg was a strong contender.

[PorterCooper]

From what I’m reading is the rower is the one to get first - meaning if I’m only going to own one, it’s going to be the rower. I’d also add that adding a regular bike (ie road or mountain bike) for outdoor use would also always be an option (courtesy of sunny Cali weather).

Personally less concerned with leaderboards etc. only person I’m competing against is myself - lol - and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my body over the years is that on different days I’m able to do different things ...

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses - super super helpful and much appreciated

[RR]

I have both.
Had a C2 rower, various models since 2001.
Now have Model D and BikeErg.
I am 182cmH.
My seat height is higher than the bars and is comfortable for me.
On long rides I have a towel on bars for cushioning on hands, on intervals or faster rides I use the drop section of bars.
Also fitted a pair of Shimano double sided pedals as I clip in with SPD and my wife uses flat side of pedals
I alternate use between RE and BE which I find meets my training needs.
Got the BE as I couldn’t afford a Wattbike! Plus I found the Wattbike computer a bit complicated whereas the PM on BE is simple to operate.
Also bought the BE to give me a good cross training effect.
When on the BE I watch content on the iPad which is held in place by the specific C2 support.
On the rower I have a TV to watch.
I don’t use Zwift but do occasional Time Trials in both and log on rankings, out of interest more than anything else.
Have had my serious competition days between 2000 and 2011 when I was totally obsessed by indoor rowing.

[Dutch]

So for both of you that bought the bike while already having the rower, what made you want the bike? Was it just wanting some variety, or something inherent about rowing / cycling that made you prefer the bike over rowing?

Second, which one do you find yourself spending the most time on / gravitate towards, now that you own both?

And third, with benefit of hindsight, if you didn't own either, which one would you buy (first) if you could only buy one (believe me I've thought about solving the dilemma by just getting both lol...)

I decided to to get a bike as well as it was more convenient that running and I felt would compliment rowing.
I wanted to crosstrain as they say now and cycling fitted the bill and I was always good at cycling years ago and have very strong legs. Running slips in now and then.
My overall goal is to take my fitness levels high and to have a vo2 max of over 60 if possible, as measured on the concept 2 website.
I split the workouts between bike and rower 50/50, day on day off mixed in with weights. I must admit though I do get feelings of "oh just do the bike its easier". hard to fight lol
Now I would always buy a rower first bike second, only because the rowers a better overall workout.
The bike gives my legs the stamina that weights or rowing never could though, so there is not much in it.
Overall I would say 60/40 in favour of the rower.

[Slothful1]

How do you feel the BikeErg is suited for Zwift? I bought a smart trainer instead of BikeErg because I already had a road bike, but the BikeErg was a strong contender.

I think first prize with Zwift would be a smart trainer, especially if you also want to ride outside, but I'm happy enough with the BikeErg. There are no resistance changes on hills (because I couldn't be bothered to adjust the damper lever), but you can still ramp up the watts to try and make the hills finish more quickly .

I've noticed in the team time trial races that the others seem to be able to vary their watts more quickly, and also get to zero watts more quickly to get the supertuck on downhills. There definitely feels like a lag in the BikeErg because of the way it's measuring power, but I'm getting used to planning ahead when needing to ramp up or down on the power to stick with the bunch.

Price-wise I still think it was a cheaper way for me to get into Zwift, especially when I didn't need the outdoor option, and no regrets so far.

Dave