Slides Losing, Well..., Slide

[[old] schweinlew]

Hello All,<br /><br />I have been using slides with my Model D since December 04 and have been very happy with them until lately. When I originally bought them and set them up, all I had to do was sit on the seat and my weight with the slope of the seat-rail would send the entire erg sliding up under me, i.e. to the bow.<br /><br />Now, however, the erg barely moves at all when I sit down. It's as if the slides gained a substantially higher coefficient of friction. I have thoroughly checked the alignment and spacing, etc. I even snapped a chalk line on my basement floor (the wife loved that one). I also checked the tightness of the axles. They seem like they may be a bit loose, but I'm not sure.<br /><br />Also, it seems less forgiving of a bad stroke and seens to stay more in the stern end of the slides. It even seems that I am slamming into the stern end more often. I was certain that I had worked through that problem by improving my technique.<br /><br />I'm lost. Any thoughts??<br /><br />Thank you<br /><br />Will

[[old] bgood]

When you push the erg slowly by hand, do you hear or feel any friction on the slides? <br />Have you vacuumed the slide rails, cleaned and oiled the rollers?<br />Both ends of the erg are sitting in the outer slide slots?<br />

[[old] tditmar]

One possible theory I have on that is an imperceptible slant in the floor itself. I was recently having the same exact issue with mine (erg in bedroom), and just picked up the erg, turned it around, and erged in the opposite direction. Everything was perfect.

[[old] Canoeist]

I have been using slides since CRASH-B and have put a lot of meters in using them. I have noticed an increase in friction and some bumpyness. After reading Will's post, I decided to investigate.<br /><br />I cleaned the rollers, but that didn't help. Then I rolled the erg slowly from one end to the other, holding the seat in place so I could feel and hear any bumps or rough spots. When rolling the erg, I placed my chest on the rail to give it some weight. <br /><br />I discovered two places in the plastic rail that were flattened. The top edge of the plastic rail had a crack and the rail would flatten when weight was applied. This caused a downwards bump on the track and also catches the wheels slightly as they pass by.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Paul Flack

[[old] schweinlew]

I think Canoist (Paul) has been down the same road I have with the slides and reached a similar state of confusion. As an empiricist (he who learns the most is the one who can stand the confusion the longest), I and have tried cleaning. oiling with very light lube (C2 chain oil) and using a spirit level to test the grade of my floor. After all that, I sense that there is more roll resistance in my slides than when I originally started using them, and that that resistance may most likely be relevant to irregularities in the surface of the plastic slide rail tops. However, there may be problems with the wheel bearings.<br /><br />Has anyone had similar trouble???<br /><br />Thanks for all y'all's thoughts and input. I ain't a givin up yet, cause I love them slides.<br /><br />Will

[[old] tditmar]

Okay now that leads me back to a question I have asked in the past and cannot remember the answer, or if it was ever answered. Can anyone speculate why C2 cannot make a dynamic erg similar to RowPerfect rather than using slides? I wonder if it could have a mechanism that locks the flywheel when you want static erg? It seems it would also be quite a space saver.<br /><br />Does RowPerfect have a lock on that system, technology, whatever it is called?

[[old] Xeno]

Hi<br />I have been replacing bungee cords.<br />XENO

[[old] Canoeist]

<!--QuoteBegin-tditmar+Jul 24 2005, 01:26 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(tditmar @ Jul 24 2005, 01:26 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Can anyone speculate why C2 cannot make a dynamic erg similar to RowPerfect rather than using slides? I wonder if it could have a mechanism that locks the flywheel when you want static erg? It seems it would also be quite a space saver.<br /> <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />It could be international patent protection. <br /><br />I would like to see a one piece erg that has both slides and stationary capabilities. This would make races on slides more common.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Paul Flack<br />

[[old] schweinlew]

Thank you all for your thoughts and for sharing your experiences with slides. It seems that this may not be an uncommon problem, perhaps more so with heavier rowers. I have not checked the plastic runners for defects; maybe that will help.<br /><br />I have upgraded the bungees per Xeno's suggestion, which seems to have helped quite a bit. (Thank you for that, Xeno, and for all the other help you have given the forum and me.) <br /><br />However, the roll-resistance problem is still there. I'll keep working on it and share what I find when I find it.<br /><br />Paul's suggestion for more slides regattas sounds great to me, regardless of whether the sliding erg is a one-piece or the current configuration.<br /><br />Will

[[old] nkoffler]

When my slides arrived, one of the plastic guides had a crack in it making for an unusable 'bump'. C2 sent a new one right away. It was trivial to replace. Paul, I'm sure they would send replacements to you for little or no cost.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Neil