Concept2 Rowing Machine: Cost, Models, and Is It Worth It?

A Concept2 RowErg costs $990 with standard 14-inch legs or $1,155 with tall 20-inch legs, bought direct from Concept2, and that price includes the PM5 monitor. It’s the same machine CrossFit has used at every Games since the event began, and it’s the one piece of cardio equipment that shows up in Olympic training centers, CrossFit boxes, and home garages without changing form. The honest verdict: it costs more than a big-box rower, and for most people who’ll actually use it more than twice a week, it’s still the right buy. Here’s the full lineup, real prices, and where a cheaper machine makes more sense.

How much does a Concept2 rowing machine actually cost?

$990 direct from Concept2 for the RowErg with standard legs. Volume pricing drops to $940 each if you’re buying five or more, which mostly matters for gyms and CrossFit affiliates, not home buyers. Tall legs (20-inch seat height, useful for taller rowers or anyone with knee or hip mobility issues) add $165, bringing that version to $1,155.

That’s the full price of a complete, ready-to-row machine. No separate monitor purchase, no membership required to see your split, distance, or calories. Compare that to a connected rower like a Hydrow or Peloton Row, where the hardware itself often costs less but a $30-44 monthly subscription is required to unlock most workout content; over three years, the “cheaper” connected rower can cost more in total than the RowErg’s one-time price.

Model	Price (USD)	Resistance	Monitor included	Subscription required
RowErg (standard legs)	$990	Air	PM5	No
RowErg (tall legs)	$1,155	Air	PM5	No
SkiErg	$850	Air	PM5	No
BikeErg	$1,100	Air	PM5	No

Used RowErgs hold value unusually well. A 5-to-10-year-old unit in working condition typically sells for $600-850 on Facebook Marketplace and gym-equipment resale sites, which is 60-70% of the current new price, an unusual number for any piece of cardio equipment that old.

What is the Concept2 RowErg, and is it the same as the Model D?

Yes. Concept2 renamed the Model D to RowErg in April 2021, and the Model E (the tall-leg version) folded into the RowErg lineup as a leg-height option chosen at checkout, according to Concept2’s own announcement. Nothing about the flywheel, damper, frame, or PM5 monitor changed; the rebrand just aligned the rower’s name with the SkiErg and BikeErg, which were already “Erg” products. If a listing, a gym, or a used-equipment seller calls it a “Model D,” that’s the exact same machine as today’s RowErg with standard legs.

What makes Concept2 the industry standard rowing machine?

Three things, and none of them are marketing claims. They’re checkable facts.

Calibration. Every PM5 monitor on every RowErg worldwide runs the same drag-factor and pace calculation. A 2:00 split on a Concept2 in a London CrossFit box means the exact same effort as a 2:00 split on one in a Los Angeles garage. That consistency is why the rower has been part of every CrossFit Games since the event started, and why the Concept2 is the only rower CrossFit accepts for scored Open workouts, a requirement in place since rowing first appeared in Open programming in 2015.

Durability. The frame and flywheel carry a 5-year warranty, and all other parts including the monitor carry 2 years, per Concept2’s warranty terms. Garage Gym Reviews calls the build “commercial-grade,” built to survive the kind of daily, multi-user punishment a CrossFit box puts it through, which is a different bar than a home rower needs to clear but tells you what margin you’re buying.

Air resistance that feels like water. The flywheel-and-air-resistance system means resistance scales with how hard you pull, not a fixed magnetic setting. Pull harder, feel more resistance, the same relationship a boat has with water. Cheap magnetic rowers under $300-400 use a fixed resistance dial instead, which doesn’t reward technique the same way and is a common reason people plateau or lose interest on a budget machine within a year.

RowErg vs SkiErg vs BikeErg: which Concept2 should you buy?

Rowing is the default recommendation, but Concept2 sells two other machines on the same monitor platform, and picking the wrong one for your goals wastes money.

	RowErg	SkiErg	BikeErg
Price	$990-$1,155	$850	$1,100
Movement	Seated pull, legs-body-arms	Standing double-pole (ski motion)	Seated pedaling
Primary muscles	Legs, back, core, arms	Lats, triceps, core, shoulders	Legs, glutes
Floor space	8 ft x 2 ft assembled	Compact, wall-mountable	Standard exercise bike footprint
Best for	Full-body cardio, CrossFit training	Upper-body cardio, knee/joint issues	Low-impact cardio, cycling cross-training
Monitor	PM5 (included)	PM5 (included)	PM5 (included)

If you want one machine that trains the most muscle at once and doubles as CrossFit-standard equipment, the RowErg is the buy. See our full breakdown of what rowing machine training actually works and how to structure a beginner plan. If knee pain, a standing-only requirement, or upper-body focus matters more, the SkiErg is $140-305 cheaper and takes up almost no floor space. The BikeErg is the pick only if you specifically want low-impact cycling on Concept2’s ranking software; as a pure home-cardio buy it’s the weakest value of the three since standalone bike trainers do the same job for less.

How much space and assembly does a RowErg need?

Assembled, the RowErg is about 8 feet long by 2 feet wide, and you want roughly 9 feet by 4 feet of clear space to row without your hands or the slide hitting furniture. That rules it out for genuinely tight apartments unless you have a dedicated stretch of hallway or living room floor.

Storage is where it earns its reputation as the realistic home option. The frame separates into two pieces without tools, front section and monorail, and stands on end at about 25 x 33 x 54 inches with standard legs, small enough for a closet, under a bed, or behind a couch. Assembly out of the box takes most people 15-30 minutes with the included hex key; no professional installation, no unboxing dread.

Where does Concept2 fall short, and who should skip it?

The honest gaps: no built-in screen with streamed classes, no touchscreen, and the PM5’s interface looks and feels like 2008 next to a Hydrow or Peloton Row’s tablet. If guided workouts, instructor video, and a slick UI are what actually get you to exercise, that’s a real reason to spend more on a connected machine instead, subscription cost and all.

Price is the other honest objection. $990 is a real number for a household on a tight budget, and a $250-300 magnetic rower will technically let you row today. The tradeoff: those budget machines rarely survive three years of regular use, don’t hold resale value, and the fixed resistance teaches worse technique because it doesn’t respond to effort the way water or air does. If you’re only planning to row occasionally, or you’re not sure rowing will stick as a habit, start with our guide to rowing vs. running before committing $990 to a machine.

The bottom line

Buy the RowErg with standard legs at $990 if you’re rowing two or more times a week, want a machine that will still be accurate and functional in ten years, and don’t need a screen to stay motivated. Buy the tall-leg version if you’re over 6’2” or have knee or hip issues that make a low seat awkward to get out of. Skip it, at least for now, if a subscription-based connected rower’s coaching and video content is what will actually keep you consistent. That’s a legitimate reason to spend differently, not just a cheaper alternative.

If you’re ready to put the machine to work, our rowing machine training guide walks through the stroke sequence, muscles worked, and a 4-week beginner plan built specifically around the PM5’s damper settings.