Buying used ergs ...what to look for?

[aussieluke]

Just curious really as I already have a nice model D, but always always keep an eye out on the local sale ads as they do come up very rarely for mega bargains ...I bought mine for $300 AUS when most seem to sell for $800-1000 !
Today I was nosing and one came up for $150! There was no pic but I got in touch - slightly too late as someone has already arranged to view it.
But he sent me a pic and it looks pretty dirty and has spots of surface rust - looks like it's been kept outside or in a dusty garage for a long time.

Are these machines pretty much always serviceable? Is it usually just a case of a thorough clean of the flywheel and the slide and some chain oil?

Someone else has listed one for $600 today which is still well below average - it looks very clean but also looks to have been kept in an outside gym (as in under a covered roof/garage, but not inside the house).

Are there obvious signs that one is beyond reasonably serviceable with a minimum of replacement parts?

[Carl Watts]

The short answer is always yes to the serviceability, it just depends on time and money.

If you can do all the work yourself and even make a few of the special tools that are required then you can fully rebuild them. It depends on the value you put on your time, I saw a Model C come up a few weeks back that the guy had "Stored" under his deck for a couple of years. Not exactly the ideal storage location. Personally I don't have the time to fully rebuild one of these, its a whole lot easier just to keep it maintained so you can avoid all the hard work. The same principal applies to many things like your car. Most of the time a new bungee cord, chain and sprocket and some work on the seat rollers and foot straps would get you back to usable condition as long as the shaft and one way bearing had not gone rusty. The monitor can be a bit of a mess, I would always check the battery compartment for any sign of rust on the terminals and evidence of battery leakage. Some of the first ever made PM3's made in 2003 are now beginning to reach the end of their life in terms of reliability so you would be factoring in a new monitor.

AUD$150 is a bargain we never see them come up that cheap here. Even the old Model D1 will sell in the $1000-$1200 range. You can still get over $900 for a Model C over here. The resale is high and if its an auction you easily get 30 to 40 people on the watchlist.

[aussieluke]

Thanks Carl

It unsurprisingly sold before I could get to it. As did the $600 one too

Still seeing people list model Cs for $900-1200 here and lots of model Ds lately for $800 - 1200

Think I will just concentrate on getting my machine up to 100% for now before I worry about another one.

[Carl Watts]

Yes one rower is okay until you truly get obsessed with it, then you find the second rower quite useful as a backup machine.

They are very reliable but if something fails and stops you rowing its not good. My second rower is the Model C and its mainly used for monitor testing. It has two pickups fitted to it so I can connect two monitors to it at the same time. This helps when repairing the monitors and provides 100% verification its working properly during final testing when you compare one against another.

[Scott L]

In August I bought a used Model C off craigslist. I gave it a few pulls, paid for it and loaded it into my car once I removed the front legs.

My 1st run on it at home was a 2K and it was obvious the inner workings were covered in dust. It was noticeable in the air and I could sense it on my face, eyes and throat. Later that evening I noticed I recognized that sensation on my eyes and in my throat. It was not dust in the inner workings of the flywheel but fiberglass insulation.

At this point I was about ready to drive the machine back to him and beat him over the head with it...

I spent more than a day, no I am not quick, disassembling, cleaning and reassembling my model C. His son must have used the machine in a basement with un-faced fiberglass insulation for it to build up like it did on the inner workings of the flywheel shroud. The fiberglass was everywhere so other than the foot baseplate and the pulley at the front of the machine I pulled the rest apart.

One item for cleaning, that was indispensable was a tack cloth, from an automotive or hardware store. I ran that tack cloth over as much as I could and then I hosed the whole thing down in the shower, one part at a time. Cleaning the flywheel was interesting in that I needed to keep the bearings dry. I used some non-cloth duct tape over the shaft openings to keep the water out. The flywheel took several cleanings to remove all the crap. I also replaced the shock cord.

Today my Model C and I have a good rowing relationship.

When buying a used machine show up and run a 2K on it, in the sellers home, to see what your getting.