Where to start...I'm 6'5" was 275 lbs and purchased a 726 King from Rowbike.Assembling the bike was no problem but I can follow instructions and mechanically minded.A cable adjuster was missing so I robbed one from an old motorcycle in the garage.Took about 20 minutes to feel comfortable riding it.The best advice is to be aware of how you move the handle bars...since you pull and steer with the handle bar, you must use equal pressure pulling back.Pull harder on one side and that's the direction your going. The website video's do a good job with learning to ride this machine.
This is a "workout" machine it will get you in shape and although I did not loose much weight, my waist got smaller.I would regularly ride 10 miles on a daily basis and averaged 10 mph. What's interesting about a Rowbike as oppose to a rowing machine, is feeling your muscles engage as you maintain balance.The outdoor aspect is a great plus for your workout. Overall quality of the structure is very good and explains the lifetime warranty for the Frame, Power Lever, and Fork.Where this machine falls short is the components i.e. rear gears, wheels, drive train, shifter, steering cabling.
The BAD.My machine came with a friction shifter the current machine comes with a Micro Shifter.For the uninitiated this sounds impressive but in reality its not. The gear set is lowest cost units available and can be found on the cheapest Chinese made bikes. Also my bike mechanic questioned the use of a derailleur (the device used to shift gears) because every power stroke pulls the derailleur forward, accelerating the wear on the spring.In addition the bearings used to support and slide the seat are made of plastic (required to reduce friction) and crack.Be prepared to purchase spares. As for the wheels, they are also bottom self units.The forward propulsion of this machine puts a LOT of torque on the rear wheel, the evidence for this is abnormal wear on one side of the rear tire. After breaking 3 spokes I upgraded the rear wheel from a 32 spoke aluminum to 36 spoke steel Rino Lite rim.No more broken spokes or warped wheel.Experienced 6 flats before I figured out the rubber ban used between the rim & the tube was over sized.Switched to rim tape & no more flats.
As relayed earlier I had a friction shifter and when I replaced the rear wheel I explored new gearing and shifter.Again I upgraded to a Shimano Delore 9 speed cassette with a Delore shifter.Although the overall gearing did not change, having the two additional gears smoothed the overall ride ability of the Rowbike.If you fall over while on this bike the seat will shear off its mounting brackets.If you ride over bumps you could (I did) bounce off the seat.Also be advised, in the low gear, the chain will rub the tire.And finally this bike requires constant minor maintenance.In comparing this to a regular bike, you must continually tighten the steering hub and make sure the cable adjustments are correct...pull on the power lever and have the handlebars swing hard into you, will flip you off the machine.
The GOOD.Customer support is the best.When you get a call from the owner of the company to check up on issues, its impressive.The seat was replaced with a more robust model, additional bearings were included. The D cam was replaced and they were ready to replace the power lever if I could not work out the D cam upgrade (stripped bolt threads)
SO IS A ROWBIKE worth the money.That depends...as its currently built the answer would be no.I spent an additional 300 dollars to get it to an acceptable mechanical level.1500 dollars for a specialized exercise machine is tough to justify. Local bike shops are reluctant to work on it so good mechanical skills are needed to maintain it.The power train needs improvement and I've suggested a NuVinci CVT transmission as the answer to keeping the chain in a straight line (no wheel rubbing),with the additional benefit of a better gear ratio to help get the machine over hills.A wider and shaped handlebar would expand the upper body muscles employed. Better wheels to handle the torque.For the money spent you can purchase a mid level regular bike that is more useful and can achieve your exercise goals.
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Rowbike 720 SportProduct Description: The world's first total-body, outdoor fitness machine was designed by entrepreneur Scott Olson, who also founded the first inline skating company that went on to become Rollerblade. ; Rowbike - "The Total Body Workout!" The patented Xertube offers progressive resistance levels for multiple uses and fitness levels. Allows for isolation of targeted muscle groups and full range of motion exercise. Video
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My son is 14 and he thought these were cool and a little different.
