Jim Flood is a man with a strong social conscience. He wants to broaden the appeal of rowing and lower the barrier of cost for participants.
He’s developed the OpenErgo – an attempt to open source the production of indoor rowers. Here’s his attempt to produce an ergo cheaply with a view that low income clubs and FISA Developing countries could build them.
Jim Flood’s open ergo design
Jim says the inspiration came during a coaching course he was delivering in Uganda.
The cheapest machines available commercially cost around £150 and the best around £1200. The aim of this project is to develop a design that can be made using basic DIY skills for a cost of £25. The aim is not to replace the Concept II but to provide an entry level machine that can used for fitness and competition.
The design principles will be based on those of Appropriate Technology, that is the construction, material and skills required are limited to what is available locally. In this case the specification is limited to what is available locally in Kampala, Uganda.
Jim coaches for FISA Development Programme – read more about it at the bottom of this page.
Jim has written rowing coaching books available in the Rowperfect shop including The complete guide to indoor rowing, >The ergonomics of rowing Balance and Coaching achieving the best results possible.
