Newb rower and my new to me Model B

[Onestrokeb4theother]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a Model B rower off of craigslist. Here I am two weeks later with a lot of questions having been answered by doing deep dives into the forums, but still with a question or two.

The Model B I purchased is in excellent condition, no rust, everything seems tight and feels good to row on. I am relatively inexperienced, with only intermittent rowing performed at the gym. I had wanted a rower for a long time, and found this rower on CL for $300. In the metro Boston market I see C2 rowers generally going for $700 and up so this seemed to be a good deal. After some reading on the forums, maybe not the greatest deal as the rower is older and came with the PM1.

I have added the speed ring to my Model B and that does seem to make a difference to my untrained perspective. I have not taken it apart yet, I have the Model B Shock Cord Repair/Skewer Return Mechanism pdf, but I am a little leery of taking the rower apart. I looked on youtube and there is not much in the way of repair or maintenance videos for the Model B.

So after doing a fair amount of reading on the forums, does draft really matter? I have been considering upgrading to the PM5 for the drag readouts, but according to the thread I have pasted below, drag does not matter. Can anyone elaborate on this as it seems like drag should matter as I see recommendations for 110-135 all the time? I did not want to necro an old thread.


viewtopic.php?t=154725


If draft does not matter though, I’m happy to just pull 5-6k every night for fitness. Are there any other reasons that I would “need” to get the PM5, or am I ok with the PM1?



Thanks for looking and any replies,

Onestrokeb4theother

[Ombrax]

Your post says "does draft really matter?" but I'm going to assume you meant to say "drag" or more precisely, "drag factor."

It matters in the sense that you want to be able to set it at the "right" number for what you're doing, and as you're pointed out above, it helps to know that it's in a reasonable range. In my case 99.99999% or my workouts are at DF = 120. Since nearly all my rowing workouts are in gym, where most folks don't know how to properly use the erg, when I sit down at the machine I usually find that the lever has been slammed to "10" so I'm always bringing it back down to something more reasonable.

I would say that there are several reasons to use a more advanced PM. Knowing the DF is one, but having the flexibility of playing around with different workouts and connecting to the various software programs that help you track what you're doing are also significant benefits.

Here's what I would do if I were you: I'd keep things as they are for now and use the PM 1 on the B for a month or two. If at the end of that time you decide that you really love rowing and want to upgrade to, say, a Model D, then you can do that.

If you decide that you like the B as it is, then you don't need to get anything more. If you like the B but want better electronics then you can upgrade to a newer PM.

Good Luck

[Onestrokeb4theother]

Thank you for the reply. I was intending to say drag, not sure why I said draft. I think that is good advice, I will be patient, not so hasty, and see where I am in a month or two with my rowing and if I want to proceed with the B and/or upgrades.