Concept2 RowErg vs BikeErg vs SkiErg: Which Should You Buy?

Choose by the movement you want and the room you have. The RowErg (seated rowing) needs the most floor, an area of 274 × 122cm to use, but splits in two for storage. The BikeErg (seated pedalling) needs 152 × 122cm and stays assembled. The SkiErg (standing, pulling down from overhead) needs the least floor, but a ceiling higher than its 216cm and either a solid wall to fix it to or its 127 × 60cm floor stand.

We sell all three, supplied direct from Concept2. The sizes in this guide are Concept2's published figures, not our own measurements.

How do the RowErg, BikeErg and SkiErg compare?

All three use a fan flywheel for air resistance and the same PM5 monitor. They differ in how you use them, how much floor they take, and whether they need a wall or a high ceiling. The table sets out Concept2's figures side by side. Floor sizes are front to back × side to side.

The wall-mounted SkiErg is 48cm wide at the floor and 52cm at the top. All the figures are from Concept2's specifications, checked on 9 October 2026; our RowErg product pages also give the 135kg user weight. You can see the machines with live prices in Concept2 equipment.

Which Concept2 machine should you buy?

Start with the room. If you can't give the RowErg 274cm of clear length, or the SkiErg a ceiling above 216cm, that decides it. Then choose by the movement: the RowErg uses your legs, trunk and arms in each stroke, the SkiErg is mostly upper-body pulling while you stand, and the BikeErg is mostly legs.

What does each machine train?

In Concept2's descriptions, the RowErg works every major muscle group, the SkiErg most of them with more emphasis on the arms, and the BikeErg mostly the lower body. The bigger day-to-day difference is the movement itself: sitting and sliding, standing and pulling, or sitting and pedalling.

• RowErg. You sit on a seat that slides along a rail, with your feet strapped to footrests. Each stroke is a push with the legs, a lean back and a pull of the handle to your body.
• SkiErg. You stand facing the machine and pull two handles down from above your head, bending at the hips and knees, in a movement based on cross-country ski poling. You can pull with both arms together or alternate them. Concept2 says it puts the arms through a wider range of motion than the legs.
• BikeErg. You sit and pedal, as on a road bike. Your head stays fairly still, so it's the easiest of the three to use while watching a screen, and Concept2 says it takes most standard bike saddles, handlebars and pedals.

On all three, the harder you row, pull or pedal, the faster the flywheel spins and the more resistance you feel. A damper setting changes the feel.

This guide covers the equipment, not training. If you're choosing a machine around an injury or a health condition, ask your GP or a physiotherapist.

How much space does each machine need?

Concept2 recommends an area of 274 × 122cm to use the RowErg, 152 × 122cm for the BikeErg and 127 × 60cm for the SkiErg. On our 1 m × 1 m floor tiles, that's 3 m × 2 m, 2 m × 2 m and 2 m × 1 m. The RowErg's 274cm has to be a clear run, so measure the room's length first.

Tile counts cover the floor area only, before any spare for cuts. In a brick pattern, the second row of a 2 m-wide area starts and ends with a half tile, and both halves come from one cut tile, so the count doesn't change. The weights use about 9.5kg per 10mm tile.

Worked examples. A RowErg parallel to a wall with a wall-mounted SkiErg beside it fits on 4 m × 2 m: 8 tiles, about 76kg. Add a BikeErg along the same wall and the area becomes 6 m × 2 m: 12 tiles, about 114kg, which comes on a pallet. For other layouts, use the gym flooring calculator.

Leave some room round the RowErg's flywheel too. Concept2 says blocking the air around it changes the drag factor, the monitor's measure of resistance, so don't push that end right up against a wall.

How high does the ceiling need to be for a SkiErg?

Higher than 216cm (85 in) where it will stand. That's the SkiErg's height both wall-mounted and on its floor stand. Concept2 publishes the machine's height but not a separate ceiling clearance, so measure at the exact spot, not in the middle of the room. Ceiling height only matters for the SkiErg.

• Measure to the lowest thing above that spot: a beam, a light fitting, a sloping ceiling, or an up-and-over garage door when it's open.
• Add the flooring. On 10mm tiles, the top of the SkiErg is at 217cm.
• If you can't get more than 216cm, the SkiErg won't fit there. Choose a different spot, or a RowErg or BikeErg.

Wall-mounted SkiErg or floor stand?

Choose wall-mounted if you have a solid wall you can fix it to and want the smallest footprint: 41 × 48cm at the floor. Choose the floor stand if you can't or don't want to drill, or want to move it: it stands free on caster wheels, and you stand on its 127 × 60cm base. The SkiErg and the PM5 are the same either way. The floor-stand version costs more.

Wall-mounted. Our wall-mounted listing has no stand, so it has to be fixed to a wall. Concept2's fixings are made for a wall with timber studs at 40.6cm (16 in) centres, and its instructions give an alternative method for timber studs at other spacings. For other walls, such as brick, block, concrete or metal studs, Concept2's instructions say to ask a building professional how to fix it safely. Concept2 also suggests having a second person to help.

Floor stand. The stand is a steel frame on a wooden base with an anti-skid surface, and it rolls on caster wheels. It needs a level floor, it weighs 16kg, and Concept2 notes that the SkiErg doesn't come off it for storage. It's also the option if you rent and can't drill, or the only suitable wall is shared with a neighbour.

RowErg with standard or tall legs?

Standard legs put the seat about 36cm (14 in) from the floor. Tall legs raise it to about 51cm (20 in), which makes getting on and off easier. The rest of the machine is the same, including the length, the space needed to row and the PM5. Concept2 says tall legs aren't needed for taller rowers: both versions fit an inside leg of up to 96.5cm (38 in).

The tall-legs version costs more; the product cards above show today's prices. If your inside leg is 96.5cm or longer, Concept2 says you may need its extra-long monorail, which we don't list, so ask us before you order.

Can you fold or store them away?

Only the RowErg comes apart. It separates into two pieces without tools and, with standard legs, stores in 63.5 × 83.8cm of floor, 137.2cm high. The BikeErg has to be stored assembled, and the SkiErg stays on its wall or its stand. All of them except the wall-mounted SkiErg move on wheels.

• RowErg. Lock the frame lock whenever the two halves are joined and before you move it, as Concept2's manual says.
• BikeErg. To move it, lift the rear foot until the wheels roll.
• Where you keep them. Concept2 advises keeping its machines away from damp and extreme temperatures, which can affect the monitor, and says the BikeErg is made for indoor use. Bear that in mind in an unheated garage or shed.

Are Concept2 machines too noisy for a flat?

We can't give you a sound level. We don't hold measurements for any of the three machines, and Concept2's specifications don't list one. Concept2 describes the sound as the airy noise of the flywheel, which gets louder the harder you work.

What you can decide before you buy:

• What touches the walls. The wall-mounted SkiErg is fixed to a wall. If the only suitable wall is shared with a neighbour, the floor-stand version doesn't touch it.
• What's underneath. We don't hold sound figures for our rubber tiles either, so we don't claim how much they reduce what reaches the flat below.
• An upstairs floor. If you're unsure what a floor will take, ask a builder or structural engineer. Our guide to laying rubber flooring upstairs covers the floor itself.

What does the PM5 monitor do?

It's the same monitor on all three machines. It shows time, distance, pace, calories and watts, and has preset workouts. It runs on two D-cell batteries, and the spinning flywheel powers it during a workout to make the batteries last, so none of the machines needs a mains socket.

• Comparable results. Concept2 designs the PM5 so that results can be compared between machines of the same type.
• Apps and heart rate. It connects by Bluetooth to Concept2's free ErgData app for iOS and Android, which saves workouts to Concept2's free Online Logbook. It also pairs with Bluetooth and ANT+ heart-rate monitors.
• No subscription needed. The monitor, ErgData and the Online Logbook don't need one. Other apps that connect to the PM5 set their own prices.
• A holder for your phone. Concept2 lists a phone or tablet holder in the box with each of the three machines.

How much assembly is there?

Not much. Concept2's specification sheets put the first assembly at about 30 minutes for each machine, and Concept2 puts the tools and illustrated instructions in the box. Fixing a wall-mounted SkiErg to the wall is a separate job, covered above. The floor stand also needs some assembly.

What flooring goes under a rower, bike or SkiErg?

Concept2 says its machines need a stable, level surface and suit most floors, and that a mat is optional rather than necessary. If you want to cover the floor, our flooring product pages list 10mm rubber tiles for cardio equipment, benches and light free weights. If the machines share the room with free weights, choose the thickness for the weights instead.

• How many tiles. The space table gives the area for each machine: 6 tiles for a RowErg, 4 for a BikeErg and 2 for a SkiErg.
• How they arrive. A 10mm tile weighs about 9.5kg. On their own, up to 10 tiles come by parcel courier; 11 or more weigh over 100kg and come on a pallet, delivered to the kerb.
• Open edges. 10mm tiles don't take connectors, and there's no 10mm edge ramp. If the tiles don't run wall to wall, fix the open edges with rubber floor adhesive, or choose 15mm tiles, the thinnest with matching edge ramps.
• Don't bolt the RowErg down. Concept2 says fixing it to the floor can permanently damage the frame.
• Laminate, LVT or vinyl. We can't rule out rubber marking some finishes, so read what you can lay rubber gym flooring on and test a sample first.

For the published use and drop guide of every thickness, see how thick gym flooring should be. For a whole gym floor, see rubber gym flooring: a UK buying guide, or our garage gym flooring guide if the machines are going in a garage.

Other questions

How are Concept2 machines delivered?

They're supplied direct from Concept2, not sent from our warehouse, so the dispatch times on our delivery page don't apply to them. Every Concept2 machine costs more than £300, so the order is over our free UK mainland delivery threshold. If you need the machine by a particular date, or you're in Northern Ireland, the Highlands or the islands, contact us before you order.

Flooring in the same order comes from our warehouse, so it may arrive on a different day. Our general terms are on the delivery information page.

Is there a discount for buying two or three machines?

No. Concept2 machines are supplied direct from Concept2, so we can't add a discount for buying more than one. The price is the one on the product page.

SkiErg or BikeErg as a second machine with a RowErg?

Concept2 suggests either. The SkiErg adds more upper-body work and needs 127 × 60cm of floor plus the ceiling height; the BikeErg is mostly leg work and needs 152 × 122cm. Both use the same PM5 as the RowErg.

About this guide

This guide compares the three Concept2 machines we sell. It is based on:

• Concept2's published specifications for the RowErg, BikeErg, SkiErg and SkiErg floor stand, from concept2.co.uk, Concept2's product pages, specification sheets, manuals and assembly guide, checked on 9 October 2026. They are Concept2's figures, not our measurements;
• our product pages for each machine, checked on the same day;
• tile areas and weights we worked out from those figures and our 10mm tile's published weight;
• the questions customers sent us about Concept2 machines between June and October 2026.

We sell the machines and the flooring described here. The product cards show today's prices. It doesn't give training or health advice. Written by the Equipped Gym Team. Last reviewed 9 October 2026.