Concept2 Forum

I wipe down the monorail before and after each use and also clean the seat rollers. The erg is a few months old now and the rollers are still as white as new. But the ride seems more prone to clicks and bumps than my old machine, whose rollers I never cleaned. A stray speck of dandruff feels like a boulder.

It's not a massive issue but I wonder -- if I let the rollers accumulate cruft, does that make for a smoother ride?

I don't think it is all that likely given C2's quality control, but maybe the bearings weren't lubricated properly from the factory. If you turn the monorail upside down you can try to spin the rollers and see how they sound. They can be replaced but you need to take the end cap off the monorail. Maybe you could squirt some chain oil in, if that turns out to be the problem.

Rowan McSheen wrote: ↑

June 20th, 2022, 6:48 am

I wipe down the monorail before and after each use and also clean the seat rollers. The erg is a few months old now and the rollers are still as white as new. But the ride seems more prone to clicks and bumps than my old machine, whose rollers I never cleaned. A stray speck of dandruff feels like a boulder.

It's not a massive issue but I wonder -- if I let the rollers accumulate cruft, does that make for a smoother ride?

I’d say letting them accumulate cruft is a no go. Sorry you are experiencing the issue.

Rowan McSheen wrote: ↑

June 20th, 2022, 6:48 am

It's not a massive issue but I wonder -- if I let the rollers accumulate cruft, does that make for a smoother ride?

Not sure what the issue is, but I'd guess that it will become notably worse if you don't clean them.

What cleaner are you using.

I just use a damp dishcloth and wipe dry with *** DELETE - SPAM *** towel. No cleaning products.

Urgh. I meant paper towel of the type to be found in the room where one prepares one's meals

I clean the rail, rollers, handle, and seat after each use. I have a cleaning spray bottle with water and a drop or two of liquid dish soap. I use a couple of rags to wipe the parts down. In combination with the diluted dish soap, the elastic waist band from an old pair of boxer shorts seems to remove roller crud easily.

If your rail looks clean and the rollers look clean then I'd start looking at the bearings on the rollers themselves.

Rowan McSheen wrote: ↑

June 20th, 2022, 6:01 pm

Urgh. I meant paper towel of the type to be found in the room where one prepares one's meals

(love that the 'room which shall not be named', needs to be flagged for spam.)

Mine feels te same. I clean it regularly but once it gets a bit of dust/dirt on the rail or roller, I feel it.
It's actually not very bad, just a noticable click when you run over it. I find it annoying (I want the ride to be smooth) so I clean it. Usually just with a dry cloth. Press it on the roller and roll around a bit (mind your fingers!!!!). I don't know if that still works with an older Erg, mine is only 3 months old.
Once the rail and rollers are clean it's as smooth as can be.

Mine feels smooth and I only clean the rail and rollers occasionally. But, I don’t row hard enough to sweat these days. There are black specks on the rail, but all is still smooth. I will clean them now with windeze (and something which is similar to *** DELETE - SPAM *** roll), just out of guilt. ;o) My machine is a 20 year old model C with original rollers. I wouldn’t squirt oil into race/cartridge bearings personally.