Model B rehab/refresh before using

flattie · Post by **flattie** » June 7th, 2008, 9:28 am

Hi all, Mike aka flattie here and completely new to the community. At the age of 39 I've ballooned to a lifetime high of 265lbs - which at 6'2" puts me in the decidely overweight category. Staring down the barrel of 40 and wanting to be around for a long time has motivated me to get back in shape if not at the level of when I played football and then rugby in high school and college then close to it - at least weight wise - which would be @ 200lbs.

Anyway I made a start last year riding my bike and was making good progress until some combination of cold weather, darkness and a close call with an oblivious driver chatting on a cell phone deferred my biking for the winter. It made my start looking for an alternative activity knowing full well that any treadmill would go unused as I hate jogging.

I stumbled across a post on some random forum about "erging" and began to get interested - particularly since I grew up on the water and spent many, many days rowing around - I thought to myself this might just be what I'm looking for especially for those nights when I can't get out on my bike due to weather, etc.

Anyway, I began to keep an eye on ebay and craigslist and after several near misses I got lucky last night and became the proud owner of a Model B with PM1 for $170.

Now for the point of this post...

The chain is dry and crusty, the fan blades (??) are covered in a heavy layer of dust. Other than that the unit is pretty pristine. Little or no wear on the foot braces, the rail that the seat slides on is unmarked - all in all it looks like a very lightly used unit. The seller said it was purchased in 1993 and subsequently used infrequently which I believe - there were 2 newsletters in the pack of paperwork /manual that were dated 1992 and 1993.

Based on this info should I be doing anything beyond disassembling the cage to clean the fan blades and clean and lube the chain??

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

flattie · Post by **flattie** » June 7th, 2008, 4:29 pm

Okay. Much of the "crust" on the chain was simply dust and congealed oil. I extended the chain to its limit and blasted the lenght of it with wd40. Wiped it down and repeated several times before hitting the chain with 3 in 1 oil. The chain looks like new thankfully. I inspected the ubolt that attaches the chain to the handle and it shows no wear at all - it looks like I got really lucky and found a lightly used one. As I begin using the Model B I'll most likely post to the weight loss forum with my results as time goes by.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 7th, 2008, 9:54 pm

Congratulations on your fitness program and acquisition of the model B erg.

I recommend using nothing else except Concept2 chain oil for the chain.
Both WD40 and 3-in-1 oil are petroleum distillates, and besides that they stink.

I'd get some pure mineral oil from the grocery, and use an old sock to wipe the entire
machine down with that. You'll know it is clean when no rust and dirt comes off on the sock.

Then I'd use another clean sock to wipe down the railing, top, sides and bottom.

I got a model B in 1993 and sold it a couple of years ago with ~24 million meters, still in great shape.
As long as you take good care, it will last a long time. I think mine sold for $535, upgraded with extras.
You got a good deal.

c2jonw · Post by **c2jonw** » June 9th, 2008, 7:05 am

Wow, great deal! Your cleaning and lubing of the chain was the majority of the work, and 3 in one oil is fine for it. Note we do not recommend any of the high-tech chain lubes on the market for the simple reason that many of them are little more than a solvent with limited lubricating capability. 20 weight oil, either 3 in 1, motor oil or our odor-free product will all work. Other than the chain maintenance you should wipe down the monorail, make sure the seat rollers work smoothly and enjoy. Under individual use you should get many years of use out of it. Manuals and maintenance recommendations are all on our website. C2JonW

flattie · Post by **flattie** » June 9th, 2008, 8:35 am

Hi John and C2jonw,

Thanks for the feedback. It's sitting on a workbench in my garage while I rearrange furniture in the family room downstairs. Tonight will be my first row. I've noticed that there are 2 different sized cogs with teeth - currently the chain is around the larger of the 2 - what is the difference and is it simply a matter of manually removing the chain from one and placing it on the other to change?

c2jonw · Post by **c2jonw** » June 9th, 2008, 9:46 am

The two sprockets are your coarse resistance adjustment- bigger is easier- and you change gears manually. The damper on the right side is the fine resistance adjustment- closed down is easier. On the B you shouldn't need to use the small sprocket most of the time. To reduce the overall resistance of the B (an admittedly heavily loaded machine) we used to sell a "Speed Ring" which was basically a doughnut shaped piece of plastic that blocked the air inlet side of the flywheel. You can accomplish the same with cardboard and duct tape. C2JonW

flattie · Post by **flattie** » June 9th, 2008, 11:11 am

Excellent info. Thank you very much.

TabbRows · Post by **TabbRows** » June 13th, 2008, 9:52 am

flattie,

Congrat on the "new" B. I'm approaching nearly 5 million meters on my B, which had close to 20 million meters on it when I got it 3 years ago.

You may wish to consider upgrades for your Model B. I prefer the newer handles to the original wooden handles. But definitiely consider upgrading to at least a PM2+ monitor or even a PM3 versus the PM1 if you're planning on also using a heart rate monitor or want to go beyond the row-for-fitness route. You may be able to check the total "mileage" on your B that will tell you how much it was used. But I'm not sure how that's done on a PM 1 monitor. Maybe John or c2jonw are familiar with that.

Definitely keep on bigger chain ring and although you may want to start with the damper closed, try to work up to keeping it at least 1/2 open and adjust the drag factor to between 125-135.

Technique is obviously the key and there are numerous sources ( and even opinions) on proper technique, so try to get someone in your area who rows to coach you or buy a dvd to follow.

Good luck, and enjoy your new machine. It'll last a long time with proper maintenance.

Bob S. · Post by **Bob S.** » June 13th, 2008, 3:04 pm

TabbRows wrote: You may wish to consider upgrades for your Model B. I prefer the newer handles to the original wooden handles. But definitiely consider upgrading to at least a PM2+ monitor or even a PM3 versus the PM1 if you're planning on also using a heart rate monitor or want to go beyond the row-for-fitness route. You may be able to check the total "mileage" on your B that will tell you how much it was used. But I'm not sure how that's done on a PM 1 monitor. Maybe John or c2jonw are familiar with that.

Definitely keep on bigger chain ring and although you may want to start with the damper closed, try to work up to keeping it at least 1/2 open and adjust the drag factor to between 125-135.

Whoa!! The advice is fine but there are a couple of problems here. First of all, no one is going to get a DF as low as 125-135 on a model B without additional air blocking. My old B ( with a PM3 upgrade) had a DF of over 150 using the large chain ring and with the damper fully closed — and that was at 4000 ft of altitude where the thinner air provides less drag and thus a lower DF than the same settings at low elevation. The other problem is that there is no way for him to measure the drag factor until he gets a monitor upgrade. I had never heard of DF in the 12 years or so that I had been using my model B with its plain old unnumbered "PM." Then I got a PM3 and it was quite a revelation. First things first here, like a monitor upgrade. I guess that the PM2+ shows the DF, but I don't know anything about the PM2.

Bob S.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 13th, 2008, 4:03 pm

I believe you hold down the button at lower left, and press one of the other bottom buttons.
It's next to the one that shows your more recent distance.

The pm2 and pm2+ are exactly the same, except the latter connects to computer.

I used the big ring for a long time, than changed to the small one, as it is more in a line with the railing. The big ring goes off more to the right at an angle.

It is very easy to make a speed ring.
I got the C/D equivalent drag factor (14 tooth cogwheel) down to 65 on the big sproket, which should be low enough for most people.