Foot Plate Clicking

Maintenance, accessories, operation. Anything to do with making your erg work.
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contdrift86
2k Poster
Posts: 269
Joined: August 30th, 2023, 10:01 pm

Foot Plate Clicking

Post by contdrift86 » December 7th, 2023, 7:41 pm

Howdy all,
Had my rower for about 3 years now, only put 2,500,000m on it at this stage, but when I push off with my foot is starting to making a clicking/cracking sound under the ball of my foot. Anyone else had this problem and if so how did you remedy it? I can't imagine it's time to replace the foot plates just yet seeing as I've only had it 3 years.
37 6’1 HW Male
100m - 00:16.7 - Oct-23
500m - 01:32.7 - Jan-24
1km - 03:21.1 - Mar-24
2km - 06:49.8 - Apr-24
5km - 18:20.4 - Feb-24
10km - 37:58.8 - Nov-23
HM - 1: 26:57.5 - Nov-23
30R20 - 7670 - Nov-23
60 mins - 15038 - Feb-24

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Ombrax
10k Poster
Posts: 1758
Joined: April 20th, 2013, 2:05 am
Location: St Louis, MO, USA

Re: Foot Plate Clicking

Post by Ombrax » December 7th, 2023, 8:07 pm

Have you checked the torque on the various fasteners holding things together in that area? I'd start there.

Also, if you have someone else who can lend an ear, perhaps they can pinpoint the exact spot that's making the noise.

Good Luck

MPx
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Posts: 1303
Joined: October 30th, 2016, 1:38 pm
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: Foot Plate Clicking

Post by MPx » December 7th, 2023, 8:10 pm

May not be the same issue, but by shear coincidence I managed to break my RH step during my sprint session on Tuesday. I replaced my original model C with this D at the end of 2018 - its done ca 12MM since. Taking the 7 cross head screw out from the step top reveals the inside. The step is actually held on with just two fairly small bolts and I'd managed to break the head of the lower one.
Image
I then had to dismantle all of the step area to see what I could get at to attempt a fix, but unfortunately the threaded part of the bolt was still in the hanger and I've never been very successful at drilling out broken bolts so things looked bleak.
Image

Nevertheless a quick search and I saw that C2 have both the hanger and bolts available from stock for peanuts. So I ordered late on Tuesday night. I emailed them after ordering to ask for an express service if possible and they contacted me on Wednesday to pay a little more for the courrier and promised to get it out. The parts turned up today and I was able to refit before my session this evening - another bit of excellent service from C2 and only one day missed from my schedule. Well done them.

Back on topic....maybe worth removing the plastic top footplates to see inside and check your two bolts on each side are tight. Both steps go into the same hanger which is free to rotate so you need 2x 9/16th sockets or spanners so that you can hold one side while the other is tightened. Also may be worth noting that the narrower section of the hanger pokes through the plastic step side and has a metal reinforcement behind - its important to make sure its all properly aligned so that the hanger is properly seated into the holes and you can get the bolts tight and everything sits flush together. HTH
Mike - 67 HWT 183

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jamesg
Half Marathon Poster
Posts: 4217
Joined: March 18th, 2006, 3:44 am
Location: Trentino Italy

Re: Foot Plate Clicking

Post by jamesg » December 8th, 2023, 1:43 am

On all machinery, wobbles and clicks are signs something needs tightening now. C types also have a D ring between rail and head. When that clicks I use a 500g hammer on it and a 4mm socket spanner on the screws. Maybe I'd do better to use Loctite on them.
08-1940, 183cm, 83kg.
Late 2024: stroke 4W-min@20-22.

Sakly
Half Marathon Poster
Posts: 3452
Joined: January 13th, 2022, 10:49 am

Re: Foot Plate Clicking

Post by Sakly » December 8th, 2023, 1:56 am

contdrift86 wrote:
December 7th, 2023, 7:41 pm
Howdy all,
Had my rower for about 3 years now, only put 2,500,000m on it at this stage, but when I push off with my foot is starting to making a clicking/cracking sound under the ball of my foot. Anyone else had this problem and if so how did you remedy it? I can't imagine it's time to replace the foot plates just yet seeing as I've only had it 3 years.
Have the same on the left side sometimes. Probably I should follow the advices in this thread as well 😄
4.2mm right now.
Male - '80 - 82kg - 177cm - Start rowErg Jan 2022
1': 358m
4': 1217m
30'r20: 8068m
30': 8,283m
60': 16,222m
100m: 0:15.9
500m: 1:26.0
1k: 3:07.8
2k: 6:37.1
5k: 17:39.6
6k: 21:03.5
10k: 36:01.5
HM: 1:18:40.1
FM: 2:52:32.6
My log

contdrift86
2k Poster
Posts: 269
Joined: August 30th, 2023, 10:01 pm

Re: Foot Plate Clicking

Post by contdrift86 » December 9th, 2023, 5:09 pm

Turns out it was just some loose screws. Took the footplate off, looked underneath, couldn’t see anything, but it back on and tightened the screws and no more clicking.
37 6’1 HW Male
100m - 00:16.7 - Oct-23
500m - 01:32.7 - Jan-24
1km - 03:21.1 - Mar-24
2km - 06:49.8 - Apr-24
5km - 18:20.4 - Feb-24
10km - 37:58.8 - Nov-23
HM - 1: 26:57.5 - Nov-23
30R20 - 7670 - Nov-23
60 mins - 15038 - Feb-24

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