newbie question

Not sure where you should be posting? Put it here.
Post Reply
woodsy5
Paddler
Posts: 24
Joined: October 27th, 2018, 12:24 pm

newbie question

Post by woodsy5 » October 27th, 2018, 12:46 pm

Hi, just looking for some advice so forgive my ignorance of basic ergo concepts...

I've been using concept 2 rower at gym for some time so have become accustomed to it's settings and my split targets etc, however we recently purchased a different ergo for home use (Infinity R9i model) and I am wondering why my 500m/2 min split times are coming in markedly slower than when on concept 2...on our new machine there are 16 'levels' of resistance. Any thoughts on why this might be? Thanks in advance! Chris

User avatar
Citroen
SpamTeam
Posts: 8066
Joined: March 16th, 2006, 3:28 pm
Location: A small cave in deepest darkest Basingstoke, UK

Re: newbie question

Post by Citroen » October 28th, 2018, 4:29 am

Brand-X rowers tend to do strange things like counting the strokes then using an arbitrary 10 metres per stroke as the basis for the maths done in their monitors.

The Concept2 ergo counts revolutions of the flywheel, knows the angular momemntum, can calculate the acceleration and deceleration of the flywheel. A transition from deceleration to acceleration marks the beginning of a stroke. That gives it a much more accurate figure for stroke count, distance per stroke, number of watts dissipated by the system. From the watts number it calculates pace and calories. [Note: the maths for calories is somewhat flawed.]

You can guess which one produces more sensible numbers and is more closely calibrated to match the speed of a rower in a boat on a river or lake.

Resistance on a Concept2 ergo isn't measured from the damper lever position. It's calculated from the acceleration and deceleration to give a drag factor based on the time taken for the flywheel to slow down.

lindsayh
Half Marathon Poster
Posts: 3640
Joined: June 23rd, 2013, 3:32 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: newbie question

Post by lindsayh » October 28th, 2018, 6:51 am

unfortunately there is just no way off comparing the times/paces/resistance of different brands of rowing machine - as Citroen says they are all calibrated and measured in different ways
Lindsay
73yo 93kg
Sydney Australia
Forum Flyer
PBs (65y+) 1 min 349m, 500m 1:29.8, 1k 3:11.7 2k 6:47.4, 5km 18:07.9, 30' 7928m, 10k 37:57.2, 60' 15368m

jamesg
Marathon Poster
Posts: 4260
Joined: March 18th, 2006, 3:44 am
Location: Trentino Italy

Re: newbie question

Post by jamesg » October 28th, 2018, 7:41 am

The Infiniti blurb says "air mag resistance" which may make rowing easier, but more difficult or even impossible to measure power input.

If the magnetic brake torque can be zero, maybe the existing maths will give a reliable a reliable power reading. Does the Manual say anything about Watts?

The machine in itself looks good, so you can certainly get a good workout, with control by HR.
08-1940, 179cm, 75kg post-op (3 bp).

woodsy5
Paddler
Posts: 24
Joined: October 27th, 2018, 12:24 pm

Re: newbie question

Post by woodsy5 » October 28th, 2018, 11:17 am

Thanks so much for replies...Such a knowledgeable crowd on here!

Post Reply