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Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

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Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#111

Post by OliverJones »

Get your stuff working on Concept IIs as well as your own ergometers. Just do it. Seriously. If your subscription business depends on selling your customers your own ergometer first, you'll have a very steep barrier between you and success.

Recent models of the C2 monitor have connectivity features.

There's an opportunity for remote-community features for indoor rowing like what Zwift offers for biking. And you won't have to deal with shipping heavy stuff to every customer before they subscribe.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#112

Post by SkyMarshal »

I'm a cyclist who likes to complement cycling's lower-body workout with upper-body workouts in the gym or the pool. But since COVID I've been looking for an alternative I can do independently, either outdoors or at home.

Last spring I bought a barbell and some weights, and that helps. But I'd really like the same kind of interval workout for my upper-body as swimming provides.

I started looking into rowing machines recently and came to same conclusion as you - works most of your muscles, and provides both interval and resistance workouts. Seems perfect for the Corona Era.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#113

Post by cycomanic »

kitd wrote: post #99
cycomanic wrote: post #63

Great idea! I used to be a competitive rower. When I was working at a gym during my studies I was actually talking with the managers of running some rowing classes (similar to spinning). I think the main challenge with rowing machines (and the reason why we didn't do rowing classes), is that for beginners there is essentially only hard or off, i.e. it is difficult to adjust to different exhaustion levels. That leads…

The other challenge I is related to hardware. The reason why everyone is talking about the C2s is that pretty much every other machine is crap. The forces pulling on these machines are substantive and concept managed to make a machine that held up over time, unlike the others. So I hope you guys made those things sturdy enough. Robustness isn't the only reason C2s are considered the best. Unlike all the cheap brands,…

I'm aware of that. I would say that's the main reason why they are popular with all the rowers, but I doubt it's why they are popular with gyms for example.

Note of interest, when I was a junior the concepts started to become popular. I was training mainly on the model B, which sounded like a jetplane, incredibly loud! It was such a change when they brought out the model C. I have never seen a model A in real life, but they sure look like made in a garage.

model B: https://www.concept2.com/service/indoor-rowers/model-b

model A: https://www.concept2.com/service/indoor-rowers/model-a

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#114

Post by cycomanic »

useful wrote: post #104
cycomanic wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a tacx bike, no rower at the moment, but I get on them every time I'm at the gym. I think the smart bike and rower are very different in terms of what you'd do with them. In contrast to a smart bike a rower who constantly adjusts is much harder to use. In fact on low resistance rowers are almost impossible to use. It's also much easier than on the bike to row at a specific wattage without ever adjusting the re…

Once you get the "feel" doing wattage is pretty easy on a static trainer if you change gears or your pedal stroke rate. That amount of practice and effort to learn when you only want to spend 10-20 minutes working out is beyond a beginner. Aviron's whole website is built around games and varied resistance. Having the rower do all the thinking for the user ala zwift workouts on a tacx is attractive. I don't understand…

Peleton is popular because it's going for a very different market. Those are people who do spinning classes, which has only a very small overlap with spinning classes.

In particular they don't really look for the same things that someone who buys a smartbike is looking for. Also I would add that in terms of build quality, spinning bikes are much better IMO than tacx or wahoo.

A bit of a tangent, but it's a shame that Kettler bikes never became popular, their hardware is top-notch (proper cycling bar, campagnolo ergopower grips), but they never implemented ANT or bluetoothsmart so were not compatible with Zwift and instead tried to push their own platform.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#115

Post by FullNameAndy »

gavanwoolery wrote: post #110

I gotta say, rowing had zero appeal for me until I got into HIIT (F45). Even though I have been using it for three years, I would still say it is the most punishing/rewarding piece of equipment at my gym, and probably the only one that is still capable of leaving me (literally) breathless. I've been thinking about getting a rowing machine for home just for some quick two-minute bursts of cardio to break up my sitting…

Your experience really speaks to our target demo :) and you're not wrong - it is definitely punishing (good word to describe it!) which is why we really focused (and continue to focus) on making our content fun and engaging.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#116

Post by biztos »

I might be the target market for this.

I have a Concept 2 at a house I go to a couple times a year for up to a month each time. My normal cardio is a standard treadmill at the gym, and I bought the C2 because a serious treadmill wouldn’t work at that location.

It has been really hard to get into the rowing thing. I’ve never done crew so there’s no external context for me. I find it’s a great way to get the heart rate up in a short time, but totally lacks the zone-out meditative quality of the treadmill.

If there were a rowing machine that had some built in motivator that would make me go use it every day for more than a few minutes at a time, and it shipped worldwide, I’d seriously consider it for my next country place.

My motivation problems notwithstanding, I will say I think the Concept 2 is a great machine and absolutely feels like it’s worth the price. The fact I’d find the same machine in lots of gyms would be a plus if I could get over the hump. So fitness-center ubiquity should also be a goal I think.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#117

Post by sophacles »

SkyMarshal wrote: post #112

I'm a cyclist who likes to complement cycling's lower-body workout with upper-body workouts in the gym or the pool. But since COVID I've been looking for an alternative I can do independently, either outdoors or at home. Last spring I bought a barbell and some weights, and that helps. But I'd really like the same kind of interval workout for my upper-body as swimming provides. I started looking into rowing machines r…

Another place to look for upper body training that fits nice into HIIT (e.g. if you don't have the space for a rowing machine) is sledgehammer workouts. Not quite as good for cardio, but pretty intense and uses a lot of muscle groups.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#118

Post by FullNameAndy »

SkyMarshal wrote: post #112

I'm a cyclist who likes to complement cycling's lower-body workout with upper-body workouts in the gym or the pool. But since COVID I've been looking for an alternative I can do independently, either outdoors or at home. Last spring I bought a barbell and some weights, and that helps. But I'd really like the same kind of interval workout for my upper-body as swimming provides. I started looking into rowing machines r…

Yep! Rowing is a great workout and we hope the trend picks up more in the mainstream as people realize that. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#119

Post by case »

FullNameAndy wrote: post #45
candiddevmike wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also concept2 owner. I think it's a miss not having some offering for existing rowers--these are not cheap devices, most people love their current one, and concept2's build quality has created a huge moat for them. Better to compete on software/integration instead of hardware as it makes your offering a niche player in an already niche market.

Good point. I think creating a solution that ties into existing rowers like the C2 isn't out of the question in the future.

I'd be interested in this. I picked up a C2 last year, and have no need (or desire) to replace it. But supplementing it with something I can use on an iPad would be great.

Re: Launch HN: Aviron (YC W21) – High-Intensity Peloton for Rowing

#120

Post by FullNameAndy »

OliverJones wrote: post #111

Get your stuff working on Concept IIs as well as your own ergometers. Just do it. Seriously. If your subscription business depends on selling your customers your own ergometer first, you'll have a very steep barrier between you and success. Recent models of the C2 monitor have connectivity features. There's an opportunity for remote-community features for indoor rowing like what Zwift offers for biking. And you won't…

A huge part of our experience is the electronically controlled resistance that adds up to 100+ lbs of force. Our high-intensity games and strength content, which differentiates us, requires this and the reason why we opted to build our own rower instead of just an app or working with any existing machines.
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