Rowers Item ID: #125BodyCraft VR100 Rowing Machine
WAS
Product Information:
Item DescriptionThe Bodycraft Fitness VR100 Rower Exercise Machine gives you all of the well-known cardiovascular benefits of a rowing workout and features a realistic rowing motion. The multifunctional fitness monitor keeps you motivated and on track to reach your fitness goals showing speed, distance, time, stroke count, and calories burned during your workout. The Bodycraft Fitness VR100 Rower Exercise Machine mimics the smooth motion of rowing on the water. The padded seat glides on a ball bearing roller system, and the rowing arms and grips keep hands stable and comfortable. Item Reviews5 Responses to “BodyCraft VR100 Rowing Machine”Leave a Reply |
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My wife and I have used our VR100 for three years now. I love the precision construction and we have had no problems with it at all. It folds up and gets out of the way in our guest bedroom fairly easily. The monitor isn’t that great, and the clock doesn’t keep correct time. For an alternative workout that is easy on the joints we really like it.
…which is the average moron that has no clue how to row. Probably the only thing they got right on this rower is the huge seat for the fat butts that are going to use it. You want to row? Get a concept 2, learn how to row (catch, drive, release), and GIVE ME SOME FRIGGEN POWER 30’s! God I miss the 1 hour erg workouts in the freezing shellhouse… miss my 1:16 500m too rofl.
I’ve had the VR100 for a little over a week now. I’ve used it for thirty minutes every day. I’m very satisfied with it. I had used a Concept II Model D owned by a friend on several occassions and had originally thought that I would buy one of those. However, the Concept II is more than two feet longer than the VR100 and that was an issue for me. The VR100 is a solid machine. The only reservations I have is the pull mechanizim. Whereas the Concept II uses a chain, the VR100 uses a nylon strap about an inch or so wide. I just wonder if it is as durable in this application as a chain. I know that a chain can wear out too especially if it is not lubricated periodically. Time will tell.
The only weakness in the VR100 is the computer. It’s very basic, but it does the job for me. I find that if I just monitor the “strokes per minute”, I can use that to control my effort while watching my heart rate. The VR100 computer can monitor the heart rate if you buy the optional chest strap. I didn’t because it is suppose to be compatible with the “Polar” straps. It is compatible, but if you get too far away from the computer, it can’t pick it up. I called BodyCraft customer service. They told me the Polar unit I have (T-31) is only good up to three feet. While you are rowing, you tend to get further than three feet from the computer so it doesn’t work well. That’s not a big issue for me because I’m still wearing my watch and it picks up the heart rate just fine. (It has many more features related to monitoring the heart rate.)
Bottom line, I’m glad I bought it instead of the Concept II. It’s much more compact and it gives me the kind of work out that I wanted.
Don’t be fooled by its slick appearance: Whoever designed this machine has no clue about rowing.
To row the standard 2000m distance on the BodyCraft VR100 takes EXACTLY two hundred and twenty strokes. It does not matter if you take 220 long, powerful strokes or 220 stunted, one-foot strokes; the computer always displays 2 km. Nor is it responsive to resistance. 220 strokes at the highest resistance level gives you 2 km, as it does at the very lowest resistance level. Also, according to the computer, you burn .6 calories for every stroke; it does not matter if they are long and laborious or short and effortless. Clearly, the manufacturers installed a dummy computer to fool unwitting buyers – in no way does it measure power, like a real ergometer.
Thus, the exerciser has ALMOST NO CLUE about his performance and fitness. The computer is nothing more than a stroke counter and a clock. (The “stroke rate” indicator is fickle and nearly useless, and the “speed” is also made up. How can you measure speed without measuring power?)
What’s left? A rolling seat with a handle. Perhaps this part of the unit could be worth, say, $300 – the construction looks solid. Some people can live without a computer, and just need something for a proper workout. But maddening quirks ensure the unit gives you nothing resembling an actual rowing experience. (Good indoor machines already have enough trouble in this regard.)
The foot braces: They swivel about and envelop the whole foot. On real boats and proper rowing machines, the feet are strapped onto a fixed plate. The strap holds down only the ball of the foot, allowing the heel to come up at the catch (when the rower is stretching forward, about to pull). Since the ball of the foot is fixed firmly to the boat, all the rower’s energy flows into the boat when he begins the leg drive. On the BodyCraft, the entire foot pivots. How can you row with no fixed surface to push against?
The flywheel: It is mounted very close to the track, making it very easy to bump into at the catch. This is infuriating.
Resistance: The oars of a rowing shell at speed provide surprisingly little resistance – a high cadence is the key to going fast and getting a good cardio workout. Resistance on the BodyCraft is huge – only the bottom two resistance levels resemble anything like an actual boat, and poorly at that. Plus, a nearby electric fan was all it took to permanently increase the magnetic resistance on my VR100, making it even more useless.
Why waste $700 for this piece of junk? Buy a new or used Concept2.
Operation is smooth, resistance levels could be a bit more challenging, easy to assemble, if you actually just follow the steps, and you get out what you put into the workout.
I was going to purchase the Stamina ATS 1400, because I have used it before with good results, but after reading some of the shady reviews on it and finding a website created by a fitness professional who calls himself an exercise equipment expert (hint hint), I went with this rower, the vr100, which he recommends. Like this person, I have been to many gyms, and have beat myself up on plenty of machines. This is the only rower that I have used to date, that has not worsened my aching knees. Good buy assuming it makes to you in one piece through the shipping process!