Concept2 Forum

After a nasty divorce and three years in storage I have finally regained custody of my trusty concept 2B. I used it regularly when in my posession but over the past few years it has laid dormant. I would appreciate any suggestions on revitalizing the machine which is currently in pieces. One issue of concern is that while sitting unused it has developed some minor pitting on the monorail. What is the best way to deal with this condition?

Thanx in advance.

Depends on whether you want to restore to its previous condition or retrofit and upgrade it. To restore it, I'd start by thoroughly cleaning off the chrome-covered monorail and all black steel legs and flywheel arms with Windex and a soft cotton towel or cloth. Take a thin cotton cloth, wrap it around the flywheel axle and pull back and forth at both ends to clean off and gunk that has accumulated there. Use a vacuum's brush attachment to remove dust from the flywheel's wire cage. Oil the chain and then check it for kinks or other problems. Run the seat back and forth along the monorail and check the conditon of the rollers. If the handle and chain don't have much tension, consider removing the entire skewer assembly from the monorail and fixing any loose or frayed cords or replacing the assembly.

There are a number of things you can do to upgrade a Model B, depending on its current configuration and how far you want to take it: replacing the PM1 with a PM2 monitor, mounting the plastic flexfoot hardware atop the wood footrests, replacing the wood handle with the new ergonomic handle (requires installing a new chain), installing an upgraded handle hook, installing the larger seat used on the C, D, E, and Dynamic (although many purists prefer the smaller Model B seat), etc.

As for pitting on the monorail, check with C2 to find out if they have any specific advice for smoothing out the chrome surface with this type of damage.