26 Responses to “The Rowbike”

1. 1 Who Me?  on Aug 3rd, 2005 at 8:36 pm

   Where do you guys run across this stuff? It’s hilarious.

   On the rowbike website the caption under the animated GIF says “Rowbike Models: Click to View.” But when I click, I don’t see the models, only more pictures of rowbikes.

2. 2 John Radniecki  on Jan 17th, 2006 at 1:13 am

   I own a Rowbike 726 King. I really enjoy it, and at the beginning it takes some getting used to. However, once it becomes routine, I have more control over the bike then I would with a regular peddle bike. One question I get, is about catching myself in a fall should I spill the rowbike. The curiosity is that since my feet are planted on the foot base at the top of the front fork can I get my foot down quickly enough to break the fall, so I don’t hit the ground with the bike falling on me. The answer is, yes. On a peddle bike, should you start to wipe out, the natural reaction is to take your foot off the peddle and catch yourself. The problem is with a peddle bike once you take your foot off the peddle to catch yourself, your leg isn’t far enough out horizonally to succesfully break your fall in most instances. With the rowbike once you sense yourself beginning to fall, because your foot is on the foot rest your leg is already extended horizontally further out than as opposed to a peddle bike. Therefore once your foot hits the ground your leg is extended further out to break your fall. When this has happened to me, I’m able to break the fall, without me or the bike hitting the ground. I enjoy the upperbody workout as well as the workout for the legs. Those who haven’t ridden a rowbike assume it’s powered entirely with the upperbody. That isn’t the case. You can work yourself so most of the power excerted comes from the upperbody or more from the lower body. The seat slides back and forth on an I-beam so you can hold the rowbar somewhat stationary and power the bike 90 percent with the legs. Or, you can keep your legs still, and power the bike by working the rowbar with your upperbody. Alternating the two methods will keep you from tiring out sooner than you’d like. I find rowbiking much more enjoyable than peddle biking. When I first got the bike, the ride was about 2 miles and that was enough, because of the upperbody excertion. However, after about a month I was doing daily rides of 20-25 miles. My longest has been 30 miles. This summer I hope to do a 100 mile ride in one day. The nice thing about a rowbike or whatever type of bike you purchase regardless of what you pay, they are a good long term investment in yourself, and as long as you have a parts-supplier, the bike should last you the rest of your life. :))

3. 3 Chris  on Sep 25th, 2006 at 9:08 pm

   So I have no firsthand experience with the ‘rowbike’ but I would guess that John here is either completely full of crap or works for the rowbike company. Do yourself a favor, people. Avoid all these stupid, gimmicky contraptions which also include landrider, the bike for people too stupid to shift.

4. 4 John Radniecki  on Sep 29th, 2006 at 1:05 pm

   Chris,
   You’re a dumbass. Try the product before spouting your mouth off. I know that’s a hard concept for someone of such IQ though… And no, I don’t work for the company. That makes 2 retarded assumptions on your part. Douchebag.

5. 5 Mick Edwards  on Nov 2nd, 2006 at 10:38 am

   Kick ass and take names John. I don’t own a row-bike, but have looked at the specs and features available. Seems like a good mechanism to me. And to those people who aren’t sure whether or not to try something “new”… ALWAYS try, consider, mull, experiment, whatever…that’s how good things get started. I’m gonna try out the next one I see.

6. 6 Michael Lefebvre  on Nov 21st, 2006 at 12:16 pm

   Couldn’t agree with John more. I have been rowling for about a year now and John’s description on the learning curve and technique is spot on. I have belonged to different gyms over the years and this is the easiest thing to stick with I have ever tried. I enjoy it enough to carry on even in winter months and I live in Canada.

   Mike

7. 7 Rich  on Dec 19th, 2006 at 11:03 am

   Hey! I’m thinking about getting a rowbike. I live in the mountains and I’m a little concerned with using this thing on hills. John (or anyone who has used one of these), what is your experience with hills? Also, I am about 5′ 11”. The specs seem to say that the King is for tall people, but i like the idea of the bigger wheels. Will I have a problem using the King at my height?

8. 8 Cassandra  on Jan 4th, 2007 at 8:39 pm

   RowBike sounds just the ticket. Couple of questions. What is the steering like? How does the seat feel? Does anyone in Perth Westn Australia have one?
   Cassandra

9. 9 Michael Lefebvre  on Jan 5th, 2007 at 9:38 am

   Cassandra,

   The steering was a bit of a challenge but it is very doable. To confirm, you can steer at any point in the stroke. During the pull and the return. After you master it, I think the steering is more sensitive than a coventional bike. Seat could be a little softer, but I think they sell an upgrade on the website. Defintely not a deal breaker though. Go for it.

10. 10 John Radniecki  on Mar 19th, 2007 at 7:49 am

    To Rich: I’m barely 5′8″ and I have no problem starting and stopping my 726 King Rowbike. My suggestion is that a person should have a minimum 30″ inseam to use the 726 King. Any shorter than that, I suggest going with one of the 720 models. As for going up hills, it does become considerably more difficult to rowl, but once you get to the top of the hill, ride down is certainly fun! If your path consists of low grade hills, then you can still maintain a good pace without killing yourself. If where you would like to be riding consists of rather steep hills, you may want to re-think it. I live in eastern North Dakota so hills aren’t much of a problem. It’s pretty flat out here on the prairie.

    Also, the following response (supposedly by me) was not written by me. I can honestly say I have never written the word “douchebag” either on the ‘net, email, or with pencil and paper. I think I know who is responsible for that post though.

    John Radniecki Says:

    September 29th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
    Chris,
    You’re a dumbass. Try the product before spouting your mouth off. I know that’s a hard concept for someone of such IQ though… And no, I don’t work for the company. That makes 2 retarded assumptions on your part. Douchebag.

11. 11 Michael Lefebvre  on Mar 19th, 2007 at 8:42 am

    Has anyone out there purchased a 2006 rowbike or later? I have seen from the website that the “Dave Cam” mod has been added. I would just like to know if it improves the speed and lower gears as much as they say.

    Thanks

12. 12 Betsy Dettloff  on May 5th, 2007 at 7:20 pm

    Anybody out there have a used rowbike for sale, preferably one with gears?

13. 13 Ricki Brooke  on May 19th, 2007 at 3:39 pm

    I’m looking at buying one for riding in San Francisco, and would also like to hear from folks on how these rowbikes handle hills…

    thanks,
    Ricki

14. 14 Geo8rge  on Jun 30th, 2007 at 6:00 pm

    Rowbike has allot of pluses, specifically it gets you outside. Working out indoors does not work for me. Gym memberships and workout equipment go unused. I have a bike path near where I live so rowbike is not a problem.

    On the other hand it is a bicycle. Bicycles require regular maintenance. It will not replace a regular bicycle for routing cycling. I would not ride it in traffic. Only bike lanes and paths.

    stupid, gimmicky contraptions - Nah just gimmicky. It really does work.

    As to hills. Going up hills are tough especially at the beginning. If the only routes near you are very hilly row bike is probably not for you. I do a 3mi route with about 100 ft climb. It is not bad but it takes some building up to.

15. 15 Betsy Dettloff  on Jul 1st, 2007 at 6:58 pm

    Anyone have a rowbike in the Michigan area? I’d really like to try one.

16. 16 Better then a rowmachine  on Feb 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm

    I just got a 720. It works fine and is great excercise but I don’t think I’d ever ride it on my commute or to the store. When I ride my peddle bike it is part of me and the constant application of power and ease of steering, countersteering or well bunnyhopping debris or potholes is necessary for riding with traffic. Emergency braking, riding into the wind and purposely sliding on a peddle bike is also very neccessary for safety and long term use.

    While I may get to a point where there isn’t such a deadspot on the row bike and I’m able to strear it well your still basically on a rowing machine that happens to have wheels with tiller steering. I live in a nice small town with quiet roads so I shouldn’t have a problem using it.

17. 17 Rowbike commuter  on Jan 19th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    Hm - 3.5 years after the creation of this discussion, there’s a lot to reply to:

    1) I’ll bet you get one heck of a workout, but how do you control it?

    The handlebar pivots, so you steer it like a regular bike: Tug on the right handle to turn right, and tug on the left handle to turn left. Having said that, the steering and balance do take a bit of getting used to. I think this is primarily because the Rowbike is a sort of recumbent bicycle.

    2) I would guess that [a previous poster] is either completely full of crap or works for the rowbike company.

    Not in my case. I don’t work for the company in any way, and my remarks are based on personal experience.

    3) What is your experience with hills?

    Hills are difficult. I have a long, gentle hill as part of my ride home. This hill is no problem on my regular bike. I can just barely make it to the top on my Rowbike. For me, this is perfect - it’s a good workout. Any steeper, though, and I’d be walking. I still can’t make it up the ramp in a parking garage, for example.

    4) How does the seat feel?

    I find the seat very, very comfortable. Since you’re basically sitting on a padded bench, there’s none of the crotch-numbness that can result from a regular bike seat.

    5) Will I have a problem using the King at my height?

    I don’t know - I have a regular-size model. I’m 6′2″, and I think I’m at the upper limit for this model. My wife is about 5′2″, and finds the Rowbike too tall to comfortably use.

    6) What about the “Dave cam”?

    I’ve got one. It’s major effect seems to be to raise all of the gears uniformly. With the Dave cam, the lowest gear is so low that balance is a little tricky. Without it, I’d imagine that the lower gears would be so low as to be unusable.

    7) What about commuting?

    I disagree with one of the earlier posters - I commute in traffic on my Rowbike almost every day. It took me a few months of practice in schoolyards and around my block before I felt secure enough to do it, though. I’m a relatively sedate rider - I never “bunnyhop”, and never purposely slide, so I don’t miss the ability to do those on the Rowbike. There is one shortcoming, though: On my regular bike, I often stand up on the pedals, to save my butt from bumps in the road. There’s no way to do that on the Rowbike (or any other recumbent bike), as near as I can tell. Fortunately, the wide bench seat doesn’t punish you on a bump like a narrow, conventional bike seat does, but sometimes it has tossed me up into the air a bit, which can be disconcerting.

    My advice: If you don’t have to deal with monster hills, then get one! I love mine.

18. 18 James  on Mar 31st, 2009 at 10:18 am

    Anyone have a rowbike in the Michigan Ann Arbor,detroit troy area? I’d really like to try one.

19. 19 John Radniecki  on Mar 31st, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    I concur with Rowbike Commuter. I didn’t ride last season due to a back problem which caused my right hand to go numb when sitting on a hard surface. I got that taken care of, so I’m
    looking forward to riding again this summer, if the snow and water ever go away (I live in Fargo, ND). In regard to the Dave Cam, as I understand it, it will nearly double your cruising speed and will make the 1st and 2nd gears usable. Without the Dave Cam 1st gear is useless. 2nd gear is just slightly above useless. 3rd gear is good, but when going up a hill can be to high. I plan to get the Dave Cam for this summer.

20. 20 Gary Fragoza  on Jun 15th, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    I just got a used 726 King and I love it! Was thinking of making my own “Dave Cam” but I was wondering if they sell a kit to retrofit older models. Can anyone help me on this.?

21. 21 John Radniecki  on Jun 15th, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    Gary,
    Go to rowbike.com and get their contact number. You’re probably better off calling them. When I inquired, they seemed to be more interested in trying to sell me a new 726 as opposed to sending me a Dave Cam. I haven’t gotten the cam yet, but I was really ticked off at them for what seemed like resistance to selling me the Dave Cam. Then one day they send me an email and ask if I wanted to buy a Dave Cam. Anyway, just call them so you can talk to someone personally rather than play games with email.

    John

22. 22 Gary Fragoza  on Jun 16th, 2009 at 9:05 am

    Hi John,

23. 23 Ron  on Jun 18th, 2009 at 11:35 am

    I just found this blog. There are some great posts. I am with the company and found all of the posts really insightful.

    Cassandra’s post was a long time ago, but coincidentally enough we did just ship a Rowbike to Perth, AU. Cassandra if you are still out there, contact me and I will get you their contact info (with their permission of course).

    As to the comments on the Dave Cam retrofit kits. We did sell them. However, we can’t get all of the necessary parts any more. We have the Cams themselves, but there are more parts required. We are working on it and may be able to get more of the necessary parts in the future.

    For those of you that Rowl, you know the Rowbike is anything but a gimmick. it is the real deal.

    Once again, great posts!

    Ron

24. 24 geo8rge  on Jun 18th, 2009 at 7:12 pm

    “I just got a used 726 King and I love it! Was thinking of making my own “Dave Cam” but I was wondering if they sell a kit to retrofit older models. Can anyone help me on this.?”

    Problem #1 you need to connect one end of the chain to a rocker arm on your frame.
    Problem #2 you need to hang the idler pulley off the lever arm. I mounted a snapper lawnmower pulley where the dave cam is normally mounted, the lawn mower pully has bearings. I also saw tractor sprockets that seemed like they might work better.

    Another possibility I thought of but have not done is replace the rear wheel with one built around an internally geared hub like the shimano nexus 8. Use the smallest size cog you can get away with and I believe you will have similar gearing to a RB with a dave cam. While more expensive it may improve the all around performance of the RB.

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