Just Ordered Concept2...

[[old] FlyingMoose]

I just placed an order for a Concept2 machine. Any tips for a new user for when I get it?<br /><br />I've never used a rower, but I've worn out 2 exercise bikes, 2 elliptical machines and a treadmill. I hope this holds up better than other stuff I've bought. If I start pushing myself, bearings grind up, belts burn, axels break, bolts pop. I've had smoke start coming out of one of the bikes! I'm looking forward to something that will let me go all-out a bit more. I think most stuff is designed for people who buy it and then never use it. It's very discouraging.<br /><br />I picked the Concept2 on the recommendation of the Wikipedia article on rowing machines.<br /><br />I'm 235 and 5'10, so I need to lose some weight, hopefully it'll help with that too.<br /><br />My only concern is whether I'll be coordinated enough to row properly.

[[old] Leif]

<!--QuoteBegin-FlyingMoose+Dec 27 2005, 05:13 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FlyingMoose @ Dec 27 2005, 05:13 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I just placed an order for a Concept2 machine.  Any tips for a new user for when I get it?<br /> <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Hi FlyingMoose,<br /><br />welcome to the C2-community,<br /><br />I would recommed RowPro (www.digitalrowing.com) as a perfect "add-on" for your rowing-machine.<br /><br />Happy erging<br />Leif

[[old] tjod]

<!--QuoteBegin-FlyingMoose+Dec 26 2005, 07:13 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FlyingMoose @ Dec 26 2005, 07:13 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I just placed an order for a Concept2 machine.  Any tips for a new user for when I get it?<br /><br />I've never used a rower, but I've worn out 2 exercise bikes, 2 elliptical machines and a treadmill.  I hope this holds up better than other stuff I've bought.  If I start pushing myself, bearings grind up, belts burn, axels break, bolts pop.  I've had smoke start coming out of one of the bikes!  I'm looking forward to something that will let me go all-out a bit more.  I think most stuff is designed for people who buy it and then never use it.  It's very discouraging.<br /><br />I picked the Concept2 on the recommendation of the Wikipedia article on rowing machines.<br /><br />I'm 235 and 5'10, so I need to lose some weight, hopefully it'll help with that too.<br /><br />My only concern is whether I'll be coordinated enough to row properly. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Good choice! IF you do manage to wear out your Model D, they're well engineered and very simple to work on. If you can make it smoke, there are lots of competitions that might be interested in that kind of speed. Don't worry about the machine lasting - it will. If there are problems, C2 will make it right. I had to get a replacement sensor coil for the monitor, and it arrived, cross country , in two days, with excellent instructions - and it worked.<br /><br />There are lots of great folks here with good advice, so just ask if you have questions. <br /><br />tj

[[old] akit110]

<!--QuoteBegin-FlyingMoose+Dec 26 2005, 11:13 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FlyingMoose @ Dec 26 2005, 11:13 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I just placed an order for a Concept2 machine.  Any tips for a new user for when I get it?<br /><br />I've never used a rower, but I've worn out 2 exercise bikes, 2 elliptical machines and a treadmill.  I hope this holds up better than other stuff I've bought.  If I start pushing myself, bearings grind up, belts burn, axels break, bolts pop.  I've had smoke start coming out of one of the bikes!  I'm looking forward to something that will let me go all-out a bit more.  I think most stuff is designed for people who buy it and then never use it.  It's very discouraging.<br /><br />I picked the Concept2 on the recommendation of the Wikipedia article on rowing machines.<br /><br />I'm 235 and 5'10, so I need to lose some weight, hopefully it'll help with that too.<br /><br />My only concern is whether I'll be coordinated enough to row properly. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />The Concept 2 ergometers are used institutionally for hours a day, years on end by athletes including Olympic and elite college teams. In terms of durability, they are in a different league than most exercise equipment which either tends to be much more complex mechanically/electronically or of a much poorer build quality.

[[old] brianric]

<!--QuoteBegin-FlyingMoose+Dec 26 2005, 10:13 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FlyingMoose @ Dec 26 2005, 10:13 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I've never used a rower, but I've worn out 2 exercise bikes, 2 elliptical machines and a treadmill.  I hope this holds up better than other stuff I've bought.  If I start pushing myself, bearings grind up, belts burn, axels break, bolts pop.  I've had smoke start coming out of one of the bikes!  I'm looking forward to something that will let me go all-out a bit more.  I think most stuff is designed for people who buy it and then never use it.  It's very discouraging.<br /> </td></tr></table><br />C2 is the best exercise machine for the money. I wore out an Air Dyne and destroyed a $2000 tread mill. I've had my Model D since May 2004, approaching 9 million meters. Only the rubber on the right side of the handle is worn. I like the fact I can rebuild the C2 for about $40. Support is great, and the forums and clubs are the icing on the cake.

[[old] SlugButt]

I agree with the others - despite many ardent athletes' best efforts to wear out a C2 they last forever, are very well made, and supported by a company that makes every effort to do things right. <br /><br />One suggestion I might offer is to return the handle all the way to front (instead of hooking it on the "handle holder" on the metal arm that supports the fly wheel) when you are not rowing. The bungee cord on the return mechanism may last longer that way. On the older models, the bungee would eventually stretch out, but I don't know if that's still a concern for current models. <br /><br />Aside from that, welcome to the community of warped minds who love rowing/erging and have fun!<br /><br />David

[[old] PaulS]

Get the basics down before trying to "pull hard", it's easier to learn good habits than to unlearn bad ones.<br /><br />I'd suggest leaving the handle against the guard in between sessions, not for wear reasons (not really an issue), but because when you sit down and put it in the handle holder the PM3 automatically turns on, confirming things are working as designed.<br /><br />Get in the habit of wiping the railing clean every workout, once you see some buildup of gunk it's much harder to remove and is likely caked on the rolles which are harder to clean. A smooth rail is a happy rail.<br /><br />Finally, Welcome to the fray.

[[old] mpukita]

<!--QuoteBegin-PaulS+Dec 28 2005, 11:33 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(PaulS @ Dec 28 2005, 11:33 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Get the basics down before trying to "pull hard", it's easier to learn good habits than to unlearn bad ones.<br /><br />I'd suggest leaving the handle against the guard in between sessions, not for wear reasons (not really an issue), but because when you sit down and put it in the handle holder the PM3 automatically turns on, confirming things are working as designed.<br /><br />Get in the habit of wiping the railing clean every workout, once you see some buildup of gunk it's much harder to remove and is likely caked on the rolles which are harder to clean.  A smooth rail is a happy rail.<br /><br />Finally, Welcome to the fray.  <br /> </td></tr></table><br />And remember the bottom two rollers ... there are 6 in all! Surprise, surprise!

[[old] PaulS]

<!--QuoteBegin-mpukita+Dec 28 2005, 09:18 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(mpukita @ Dec 28 2005, 09:18 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-PaulS+Dec 28 2005, 11:33 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(PaulS @ Dec 28 2005, 11:33 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Get the basics down before trying to "pull hard", it's easier to learn good habits than to unlearn bad ones.<br /><br />I'd suggest leaving the handle against the guard in between sessions, not for wear reasons (not really an issue), but because when you sit down and put it in the handle holder the PM3 automatically turns on, confirming things are working as designed.<br /><br />Get in the habit of wiping the railing clean every workout, once you see some buildup of gunk it's much harder to remove and is likely caked on the rolles which are harder to clean.  A smooth rail is a happy rail.<br /><br />Finally, Welcome to the fray.   <br /> </td></tr></table><br />And remember the bottom two rollers ... there are 6 in all! Surprise, surprise! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Now Mark, Those rollers really should not be getting much use. <br /><br />But you're right, if they are getting dirty, clean them, and work on sitting a bit more evenly.<br /><br />Are there really 6 rollers? I haven't looked in a while but only remember 4, 2 wide on top and 2 tiny on the bottom. I'll have to look again.

[[old] FlyingMoose]

Just did my first workout... 2000m in 9:28.6. I have no idea if that's any good.

[[old] Leif]

<!--QuoteBegin-FlyingMoose+Dec 30 2005, 03:00 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FlyingMoose @ Dec 30 2005, 03:00 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Just did my first workout... 2000m in 9:28.6.  I have no idea if that's any good. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><a href='http://www.concept2.com/sranking03/rankings.asp' target='_blank'>Rankings</a>

[[old] rspenger]

<!--QuoteBegin-mpukita+Dec 28 2005, 10:18 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(mpukita @ Dec 28 2005, 10:18 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->And remember the bottom two rollers ... there are 6 in all!  Surprise, surprise! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Mine has only three, two on top and one on the bottom. They sure make a h** of a racket however - clickety clacking like they are going to fall apart. No - No it is not the chain inside the bar. I get the noise when I just roll back and forth on the seat and the handle resting against the cage. One of the top rollers has a lot of little pits in it, so I think that the noise is bits of plastic chipping away. This was going on even several years ago and I sent for a repair kit that was available at that time, but I didn't ever get around to using any of it except the oil. Now I haven't the foggiest idea where it is and when I tried to order a new one, there wasn't any such thing listed in the C2 catalogue. One of these days I expect the whole thing to crumble away beneath me and I will find myself sliding back and forth on the bare rail. Ouch!<br /><br />regards,<br /><br />Bob S.

[[old] tjod]

<!--QuoteBegin-rspenger+Dec 29 2005, 07:46 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(rspenger @ Dec 29 2005, 07:46 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-mpukita+Dec 28 2005, 10:18 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(mpukita @ Dec 28 2005, 10:18 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->And remember the bottom two rollers ... there are 6 in all!  Surprise, surprise! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />...<br /> One of these days I expect the whole thing to crumble away beneath me and I will find myself sliding back and forth on the bare rail. Ouch!<br /><br />regards,<br /><br />Bob S. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />... that might be a good reason to order some extra oil

[[old] FlyingMoose]

I may have found a bug already...<br /><br />If you row slower than about 9 s/m, it displays something between 57 and 60... Maybe it's just missing a decimal point or something?

[[old] Hal Morgan]

I am quick to close on my first year of erging and rowing on water.<br />The bug will bite if you let it. I lost weight & rehabed a surgery on a knee. Then, I gained respect for the healthy heart aspect. To loose weight burn more than you eat. Easy to do flip screens on the monitor and stay at a calorie range that will be close to half of what you consume in a day. All long distances is prime for burning and gaining heart health. Sprints tax weak hearts: Over reving the heart pump engine to red line. In my experience. Long, moderately fast, pulling made me love the erg. It has a certain sound and clanky clank. I like to lean the numbers ticking monitor, wrecthed thing, away from eye sight and focus on rythm. An occasional peak at a wall clock satisfies then how much longer pang. Then I day dream listening to music on the mp3. Next thing you know I am going faster than planed, sweating and feeling like an athelete. <br />I then bought my singles and the lovely wife and I also row on water. That is another story.<br /><br />