Is the Monorail designed to be horizontal ?

[Carl Watts]

Just fitted my revised seat and I have noticed a while ago that when I get off the Erg the seat rolls to the flywheel end.

The Model C is assembled correctly with the Monorail on the two hanger bolts and the locking cam is done up.

The question is that with a spirt level on the monorail it slopes quite significantly towards the flywheel, is this normal ?

I have checked my floor and it is pretty much on the level.

I suspect it is normal to assist with the recovery stroke but thought I would ask.

[Bob S.]

Just fitted my revised seat and I have noticed a while ago that when I get off the Erg the seat rolls to the flywheel end.

The Model C is assembled correctly with the Monorail on the two hanger bolts and the locking cam is done up.

The question is that with a spirt level on the monorail it slopes quite significantly towards the flywheel, is this normal ?

I have checked my floor and it is pretty much on the level.

I suspect it is normal to assist with the recovery stroke but thought I would ask.

It is probably because it was designed to emulate the feel of a boat. Rowing shells all have tracks that are slightly higher at the bow end than at the stern end. I don't know why the boats were designed that way, but I was certainly glad that they were. That way, when you sit down in the shell, you know that the seat is going to be at the stern end of the slide. On those few occasions when I had the misfortunate to try to sit down in a shell with a "sticky" seat, stuck at the wrong end or in the middle, I had the unpleasant shock of finding my butt planted on the tracks. It is not easy to recover from that. Your legs are almost straight out in front of you, you are in a tippy boat and have to keep one hand on the oar handles to keep it balanced, and, at the same time, you have to raise most of your weight from the tracks and pull the seat toward the stern to get it under you. The usual fix is to get out again, move the seat to the stern end, make sure that it is going to stay there, and then get in all over again.

Some one who doesn't row on the water might well feel that this is unnecessary on an indoor rowing machine and that may well be the case. One member of this forum was quite vociferous about this several years ago. He complained bitterly that C2 was catering to OTW rowers and ignoring his perceived needs of indoor rowers. Well Duh! The C2 indoor rower was designed by OTW rowers and it's initial purpose for a machine for OTW rowers to use off season and during inclement weather. Certainly it has a much broader consumer base now, so perhaps a change would be in order if it really made a significant difference. I have no idea whether it would or not, but any indoor rower user has the option of propping up the wheel end of the indoor rower to get the rail level, if he or she thought that it was important enough.

Bob S.

[El Caballo]

The question is that with a spirt level on the monorail it slopes quite significantly towards the flywheel, is this normal?

Yes, this is normal. I don't know what the slope is supposed to be, but it should be sloped towards the flywheel, although I would use the term "slightly" rather than "significantly".

After a quick search of the forums, I found the following:
http://www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5744
http://www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9835

[Carl Watts]

Thanks all and for the links.

Looks like a 1inch drop over 4 feet which is about what I have. I would consider this to be significant, it certainly would be if the floor of your house had this sort of run on it !

[Byron Drachman]

In a boat, although most of the force is applied horizontally, because there is a pitch at the blades (small tilt) during the drive there is also a vertical component and the boat rises a little during the drive. If there were not a slope at the tracks, the rower would have to raise the hands a little during the drive to keep the blade at the same depth in the water. So the slope of the tracks allows the rower to keep the hands level relative to the body during the drive.

[johnlvs2run]

If there were not a slope at the tracks, the rower would have to raise the hands a little during the drive to keep the blade at the same depth in the water. So the slope of the tracks allows the rower to keep the hands level relative to the body during the drive.

Are you saying that if the tracks were level, the rower would sink lower in the water?

Thus, having the track sloped helps the rower to overcome gravity and rise an inch higher in the water?

[Bob S.]

If there were not a slope at the tracks, the rower would have to raise the hands a little during the drive to keep the blade at the same depth in the water. So the slope of the tracks allows the rower to keep the hands level relative to the body during the drive.

Are you saying that if the tracks were level, the rower would sink lower in the water?

Thus, having the track sloped helps the rower to overcome gravity and rise an inch higher in the water?

The bow of the boat does sink lower in the water whether the tracks are sloped or level - because the rower's weight is shifted to the bow during the drive. The slope of the tracks allows the rower to move horizontally on the drive in spite of the fact that the bow of the boat is dropping down a bit. Nothing contradictory here.

Bob S.

[johnlvs2run]

The slope of the tracks allows the rower to move horizontally on the drive in spite of the fact that the bow of the boat is dropping down a bit.

Not the same --- as on the C2 erg then hmmm.

[Bob S.]

The slope of the tracks allows the rower to move horizontally on the drive in spite of the fact that the bow of the boat is dropping down a bit.

Not the same --- as on the C2 erg then hmmm.

Except for those who use shock blox or whatever they are called. (tried them once, but didn't take to them.)

Bob S.

[Byron Drachman]

Are you saying that if the tracks were level, the rower would sink lower in the water?
Thus, having the track sloped helps the rower to overcome gravity and rise an inch higher in the water?

Hi John,
The entire boat rises a little due to the pitch of the blades. If the blades were perfectly perpendicular to the surface of the water then no slope would be required for the tracks. However, some pitch is required to make a boat rowable. During the drive, the top of the blade is closer to the stern than is the bottom of the blade. Therefore a vertical force "pushing down" is applied in addition to the horizontal force that propels the boat. So the entire boat, not just the bow, rises a little because of the vertical component of the force.
Byron