Losing Drag
Losing Drag
I just purchased a new Rowerg for my wife. I have a 2009 concept2 in my shed that I use regularly. When both are on the ten setting the new rower seems much harder to row. Granted that no two rowers are alike, does a rower lose drag over time?
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Citroen
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Re: Losing Drag
Open the fan cage on the 2009 rower and remove 13 years of accumulated dust and cruft. Your old erg will then feel just like new.
Re: Losing Drag
Inspect the DRAG FACTOR for each erg: https://www.concept2.com/service/monito ... rag-factor
Note the drag factor of your old erg.
Clean the flywheel on the old erg and (as said above) you will have two ergs that behave the same. It'll take 10 mins, need one Philip screwdriver. I find a brush is better than a vacuum to get stuff off the screen. This is really not hard, but do it outside if you can, there will be a ton of dust. I leave the screen half way in, move it so I can clean it, the video takes the screen out, cleans it and puts it back in. Both approaches work and are pretty easy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-PVMQQ2LTM
OIL the chain on the old erg. 3inOne oil or some motor oil. Oil is a safety thing, you don't want that chain to fail, especially near the handle. You just wipe oil on with a cloth. Not a lot of oil, don't make it wet. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/ikAujlq12_k?t=99
Now on your new erg you can adjust the damper so that the drag factor on the new erg matches the drag factor you liked on your old erg before you cleaned the old erg. You'll also need to do this on your old erg -- a damper of 10 will now be really hard to pull. Set the old erg's damper where needed to give you the drag factor you liked.
ASIDE: Concept2 says "We recommend starting out on a damper setting of 3–5 (on a new or clean machine). Really focus on technique, and as you improve, you may find that a lower damper setting gives you the best workout and results. " https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... etting-101 Your drag factor should likely be 115-140, if you are rowing at a higher or lower DF then maybe play with different values and see if you like them better.
Note the drag factor of your old erg.
Clean the flywheel on the old erg and (as said above) you will have two ergs that behave the same. It'll take 10 mins, need one Philip screwdriver. I find a brush is better than a vacuum to get stuff off the screen. This is really not hard, but do it outside if you can, there will be a ton of dust. I leave the screen half way in, move it so I can clean it, the video takes the screen out, cleans it and puts it back in. Both approaches work and are pretty easy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-PVMQQ2LTM
OIL the chain on the old erg. 3inOne oil or some motor oil. Oil is a safety thing, you don't want that chain to fail, especially near the handle. You just wipe oil on with a cloth. Not a lot of oil, don't make it wet. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/ikAujlq12_k?t=99
Now on your new erg you can adjust the damper so that the drag factor on the new erg matches the drag factor you liked on your old erg before you cleaned the old erg. You'll also need to do this on your old erg -- a damper of 10 will now be really hard to pull. Set the old erg's damper where needed to give you the drag factor you liked.
ASIDE: Concept2 says "We recommend starting out on a damper setting of 3–5 (on a new or clean machine). Really focus on technique, and as you improve, you may find that a lower damper setting gives you the best workout and results. " https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... etting-101 Your drag factor should likely be 115-140, if you are rowing at a higher or lower DF then maybe play with different values and see if you like them better.
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edward.jamer
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