Aviron Rowing Machine: The Truth About the Rowing Experience

[@ktrails]

Absolutely love my Aviron Strong. I use the metrics monitor, the guided programs, the virtual rows, the streaming, and the power plays. And best of all is the community, and the ability to jump into the group rowing room, or run against someone else's previous workout using Time Machine. All the options keep me interested and engaged. Glad to see you giving it a try!

[@058gerald]

Hi Jeff, But the MOST important thing is the subscription. Concept 2 = 0 Aviron = Expensive. secondly Aviron without subscription = the same as all others rower.

[@JonyRotten]

The monitor is useless without the subscription and that is extortive. Days ago I almost bought the Aviron Strong $2500 with 2yrs of membership $580 but I did not. Why not if I can afford it? If I bought a new Ford truck. Went to turn on the radio and was told I could not use the radio without a membership. Can I plug in my iPod? No. Can I use the CD player? No. Can I replace the radio without voiding the warranty? No. Can I buy a Dodge or Chevy and use their radio without membership? No, they use the Peloton extortion strategy as well. No thank you. I'd go buy a Concept 2, A small flatscreen TV, a tall TV stand, headphones and watch whatever the hell I want. I was willing to give this company thousands but their attempts to limit and control how I can use the monitor (Not just their proprietary software but the monitor as well) lost them thousands. Part of the reason why they're being sold for half-price on places like craigslist.

[@deniseh6597]

I have the Aviron and I take your classes often. I like the variety of options available , which keeps me motivated. This is definitely the top reason for my selection.

[@rowalong]

Wonderful!

[@kylees4865]

I love mine. I have had it a couple years. No regrets.

[@SwindonRunner]

Like all these rowers the question home owners should be asking themselves is what happens after the warranty ends and a part needs replacing or breaks. concept2 sell every part of the rower separately and have videos on YT that show all maintenance and replacement tasks. The rower has a reputation for durability that is well earned. People are still using model A’s that were sold in the early eighties and C2 still support that very first model. I can’t see the same happening with these connected rowing machines. If you buy a Rowerg today you can pretty much guarantee it will keep working long after you are gone as each moving part is easily replaced and the maintenance required is minimal. If you have loads of money and are happy to dump your machine in landfill after a few years then check those other machines out.

[@rowalong]

Very true, and certainly something I'm going to cover when I start to compare machines, and reasons to get one over the other.

[@chrisjbarrow]

Certainly something to consider for replacement parts and maintenance

[@markm1687]

That’s my concern especially with such a price. Wondering if extended warranty is a must. But then again, if the company isn’t around anymore …

[@mikeenders8391]

Love the honesty in your reviews.

[@rowalong]

I appreciate that! I try to be honest. The hardest part is actually reframing my own expectations!

[@rowdojo]

Nice video! At the RowDojo we do meditative rowing. Having a home rower is recommended but not necessary. You can learn the techniques over zoom and practice them at your local gym!

[@agilpwd]

Glad to hear your thoughts. Husband and I got the Aviron (Impact series, Strong wasn't out yet) a little over a year ago and are still loving it! We're in our 60s and were looking for something to keep ourselves in shape. By the way, I do watch your videos and enjoy them on my Aviron as well as the other programs that offers. Bottom line though, is without the other bells and whistles I don't think it would have kept my interest. Thanks for your honest assessment. Looking forward to the rest.

[@rowalong]

And I think that you are precisely the market demographic for this. Someone who needs the added extras built in and readily available. In truth, there isn’t really a best machine out there - it’s the best machine for you - that’s what matters.

[@agilpwd]

Our thoughts exactly. We very nearly pulled the trigger on a Concept 2. No question it's an amazing machine. But it doesn't matter how incredible it is if I quit using after a short time.

[@robertaustin7239]

Great review John. Looking forward to further updates.

[@rowalong]

Thanks 👍

[@mikecaseyoshea3594]

Very interesting. The overlay was cool

[@rowalong]

Thank you! Cheers! To be honest, I was quite worried. Having really knocked the likes of the Peleton rower, and really not liking the monitor so close, I thought I'd hate this. Luckily...

[@GADesser]

Excellent review comparison.

[@rowalong]

Glad you enjoyed it. Having used it quite a lot over the past few months, I like it. It’s not right for people who want to train and race on a concept2. But for those who want an integrated machine where they don’t need to worry about adding iPads, connecting Bluetooth etc and just want various distractions while they train, it’s a great machine.

[@peterjuhnke1733]

RowAlong Treasure Hunt I ended up buying the Aviron Strong Go over the Concept2 because the stored footprint on the Aviron is so much smaller.

[@CBDB]

Is the angle of the foot holders really the same? It looks like the Aviron is slightly more vertical, which would explain the lack of compression into the catch?

[@paulklink5387]

I noticed that and was wondering the same thing.

[@goldenchest2000]

if I got a sub 16 5k time on the Aviron is that transferrable to the c2 or are the resistance mechanisms not consistent

[@rowalong]

Sadly not really transferable. It’s still a great time on the Aviron though!

[@laurathurneau]

If I could buy the tablet and subscription and hook it up to my Concept2 I would buy it… but definitely not swapping when I already have an amazing machine.

[@flyingbadger1759]

You could use an EXR subscription with your C2. $10/month or $100/year and your C2 is now a smart rower.

[@rowalong]

Just coming back to this to say that they've done just this. You can buy a seperate unit that can connect to a C2, or run the Aviron app on an iPad now.

[@garykruse1433]

What Aviron games reward you for consistency with catch, drive, finish and release? Maybe drive length and drive speed? I think Ergatta offers this but would like to know if Aviron does as well

[@rowalong]

That’s a good question! I’ll check with the devs. There are games like the firefighting one which rely on stroke rate accuracy. But I don’t know about length and speed.

[@maomvanglo]

Can the seat be lower? I am short and worry it me a little high for me. Thank you.

[@rowalong]

Sorry it’s taken so long to reply. The seat doesn’t adjust, but you should be ok. Although it looks high, the footplates are high too, so it’s not like the angle is steeper.

[@stocktonrails9279]

Awesome video… as someone else already mentioned, I think the scaled side by side and overlayed images were very effective! I did notice the slight hiccup at the start of the catch on the Aviron… I wondered if that was the Aviron not applying the drag fast enough at the start. Any thoughts on that?

[@rowalong]

There's definitely a different sensation to the stroke on the Aviron. Not bad different, but different. The resistance on it hits a point where the magnet kicks in and you have to fight that as well as the fan, and I think that it's that, plus the slightly different foot angle that takes a bit of getting used to. The good news though, is that I find that when I've spent time making the videos on Aviron, my C2 rowing has improved!!!

[@stocktonrails9279]

Hey, another question if you don’t mind. Does the Aviron have a force curve display? I still use this often on my C2… really like the ability to see the quality of my stroke on the fly (during easy or hard/max out rowing).

[@dustbinner]

You may have mentioned and just I missed it, but is the monitor arm adjustable? If not, that seems like a significant flaw. So many different sizes of individuals out there and some will no doubt have trouble with the very forward angle on the monitor. Great overview, btw! The overlay view was helpful to show how body positioning can change on different machines.

[@rowalong]

The arm I adjustable up and down, and the screen tilts too. That said, I had the arm at its highest. I would have liked to be able to raise it even more.

[@wongyeng88]

Very good video

[@rowalong]

Thanks!

[@cosmostrek2001]

disconnect the internet and see how it works. in case the company closes down and the servers are shut off what do you have. can you watch your videos on the screen? i think that seat is going to break and it will be un fixable. concept 2 is a toyota, will last forever with basic maintenance at minimal cost. ferrari is a over priced high maintenance car that breaks a lot.

[@rowalong]

Great suggestions for what to look into. And I love your Toyota analogy. I do tend to agree with your point. Back in the days when I was a DJ, there was a reason all the clubs used Technics 1210’s - and not the complicated new models by Vestax etc with bells and whistles. Less to break and go wrong on the simple 1210’s.

[@DaveNeve]

Did you know, and this is a true story, that during the space race, the US and Russia had to solve the problem that ball-point pens did not work in zero gravity. The Yanks spent a fortune developing a ball point pen that would. The Russians decided to use pencils instead. Personally, I much prefer the Russian solution. More practical, more reliable, more sensible.

[@DaveNeve]

John. I've just noticed that KZbin is now using my name after I changed a setting whereas before I posted as "SafeTex". Just for your info.

[@stocktonrails9279]

I have the same concern with any of the ‘smart’ rowers currently out there- how smart are they with no subscription and no ties to their back-end content? I remember discovering that at least some (maybe all?) of the smart rowers turn into ‘just-row’ systems with no subscription and no access to their content. That just doesn’t work for me, and I suspect a lot of other folks.

[@JonyRotten]

I'm new to rowing and researching machines. Don't be hard on yourself. The disservice are the "membership monitors" on the high end machines. Without the memberships the monitors are purposefully completely useless. You can't plug anything into them (computer, HDMI, etc.) You can not stream anything else to them...useless by design. I get limiting access to their proprietary software and workouts but making the monitor unusable is extortive. You are a conscientious person so you think you have done a disservice, in reality anyone you've steered away from the extortive situation has been a great service!

[@rowalong]

Hmmmm. I don't think you watched the whole video, did you? This wasn't a negative review of the machine!

[@JonyRotten]

@@rowalong I get that. But it should have been. The smart rowers are awesome machines with a great motivative technique but making the MONITOR proprietary along with the software is a major limiting factor and extortive. And if you read most forums that's why people cancel their memberships then end up selling their machines.

[@JonyRotten]

@@rowalong Oh and I did watch your entire video (very informative great comparison!) while comparing machines the last week. When I do pick a machine I'll definitely come to your channel for instruction. After comparison, the Aviron Strong WAS by far my choice even called the company's tech support where I found: Without a membership the monitor is nothing but a 22" readout. I already pay for Netflix, Prime etc. but can't stream them to their monitor without Aviron's membership making me pay for Netflix, Prime etc. Twice! In fact you can't stream anything to these monitors w/o the memberships. There are no ports on the monitor so you can't plug in a computer, HDMI, etc. Making the monitor (which is purchased with the machine!) useless w/o Aviron's membership. It you replace it with an actual monitor it voids the warranty. I've started to call it "Peloton's extortive business model". I completely understand the software and training videos Being proprietary but not the frkn monitor!!!! Watching you, Training Tall and Dark's channels to learn I assume you were all unaware they all did that. As are most of there costumers until they cancel their subscriptions (As per comments and forums) many of them sell their machines. You guys are trying to bring people into rowing but these company's extortive techniques are pushing people away by leaving a bad taste in customer's mouths. I didn't want a Concept 2 because of the noise but I guess I'll be buying one.

[@rowalong]

Re noise - the C2 isn't really that bad. Yes, if you're worried about someone in the same room with you, it'll be louder than a water rower or the Aviron - but through a wall, because it's all high frequency, it's not bad. I made a video comparing the Aviron, Water Rower, C2 and RP3 for volume if you haven't seen it already. @@JonyRotten

[@JonyRotten]

@@rowalong Thanks I was thinking Concept 2 with a small TV on a tall TV stand in front or behind the fan casing with head phones. The Aviron Go has an ipad holder but I have vestibular and vision issues so that's just too small and unlike the Impact model the screen arm is welded and can't be removed. 🤨These smart rowers are some awesome machines but the companies have gone to great lengths to limit the buyer to their content and not a one has mentioned that in their reviews. If I hadn't researched the hell out of it (called the companies) I would have found out the same way as most of their other angry customers....after I purchased a $2500 product and canceled the membership.🤬

[@steveg1286]

rowalong treasure hunt

[@fisherguy]

I can't see why anyone would pay more than double the price for the Aviron over the C2, no matter how big the monitor is.

[@058gerald]

What they don't say is ... WITHOUT a monthly subscription Aviron is like any other rower. forget all the game and community leaderboard and so on. You got only a big monitor that display your meter.

[@shaahin6818]

@@058geraldbut the games and metrics are all available w/o the subscription

[@NikkiW-sm3hk]

Rowalong Treasure HuntRowalong Treasure Hunt

[@hellobooom]

This is priced more like a Bugatti than a Porsche.

[@rowalong]

Haha! True.