Concept2 Forum

My erg makes squeaking noises from underneath the seat - anything I can do? Lube the wheels?<br>Boris

Definitely lube the wheels.<br><br>I put grease inside them, and keep a few drops of mineral oil on the railing, which lubes them as well.

I would check the manual just to make sure you avoid regretting putting something on there that you should not have.

Hi Boris, <br>Squeaks can be caused by a number of things. The two top seat rollers are made out of a molydisulfide filled nylon, and there are two sealed ball bearings in each top roller. The bearings almost never dry out, and because they are sealed its futile trying to put more grease in. <br><br>Squeaks sometime occur at both ends of the seat travel, in that instant when the rollers change direction. This can usually be fixed by thoroughly cleaning the stainless steel running surface and the rollers with a mild cleanser such as Windex, 409, etc., and then thoroughly rubbing a teaspoon of C2 chain oil (or Three In One Oil) on the surface. There should be no sign of the oil left on the rail or it will tend to accumulate dirt.<br><br>The bolts that hold the two top seat rollers on the carriage can be tightened or loosened slightly to see if that helps the situation.<br><br>Squeaks also sometimes come from the connection between the monorail and front of the machine and often sound like they are coming from the seat. Take the machine apart and clean the mating surfaces (two tubes between the foot stretchers and two hooks on the top and bottom of the monorail). A light application of vaseline or chapstick to these surfaces might also help.<br><br>There are some other popping noises that are refered to as squeaks sometimes, but try the above ideas and if you still have problems give us a call.......Jon Williams

Hey Boris:<br><br>If your seat is squeaking at the catch or shortly after, clean the schmutz off the rail with a slightly damp paper towel and let it dry. Then, wipe a *very* thin film of Chain Oil over the top of the rail. I've had to do this from time to time, and it's worked like a charm.<br><br>Erg on.<br><br>Terry

Thank you everyone for the advice. The noise is actually at the end of the seat travel - I 'll let you know what happenend once I treat the rail.<br>Boris<br>P.S. 30" - 7677m today - didn't even hear the squeak until it was over. Now I just have to come off my 120kg...

Windex on the rail and the "lite" version of www.hgnr.com Dumont lube in all moving parts of the wheels of the seat took care of the squeak!<br><br>Boris<br>

I'm having this problem too, and I've only had my rower for a week. The squeaking was ruining my workouts. Luckily, the C2 chain oil suggestion worked.<br /><br />My question is, how often should I do this? Should I wait until it squeaks again, or is it better to apply oil like say, once a week?<br /><br />And after looking at the UK forums, this was mentioned...<br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->"Clean the rail and rollers, then apply a little rubber and vinyl conditioner; the kind that you use when you detail your car. It works great."<br /><br />And<br /><br />"Ahh the silicon spray/dashboard polish, wonderful stuff!!" </td></tr></table><br /><br />Is this a better solution than the C2 chain oil? And what about other products like WD-40?<br /><br />

I use mineral oil on the rollers and wouldn't use anything else, certainly not something with water in it like windex.<br /><br />My model B rollers are over 21 million meters and still going, and I'm now using the same method on my model C.<br /><br />I keep a light coating of mineral oil on the railing at all times.<br /><br />What I do is wipe off the railing then trail a thin string of mineral oil down each side then move the seat back and forth a few times, using a folded napkin to wipe off any pieces of dust, lint or hair etc. <br /><br />This is done a couple of times a week, usually before and after longer faster sessions where I'm perspiring a lot and perspiration gets all over the railing. I also check the railing before and after regular days, wipe off any little bits and roll the seat back and forth a few times. This helps to keep the rollers and railing in top shape.<br /><br />Many stores have mineral oil and it is very inexpensive.

WD-40 and 3 in 1 oil are extremely toxic petroleum products.<br /><br />Also they smell.<br /><br />I would not use them on the rowing machine.

<!--QuoteBegin-John Rupp+Apr 11 2005, 06:17 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(John Rupp @ Apr 11 2005, 06:17 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->WD-40 and 3 in 1 oil are extremely toxic petroleum products.<br /><br />Also they smell.<br /> <br /> </td></tr></table><br />Not according to the makers of WD-40. WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40. WD-40 is safe and effective to use on all types of sporting goods. Use WD-40 on your bike to clean, degrease and lubricate your chain, derailleur, gears, cogs, and moving parts. It will help remove stickers. Use WD-40 to clean and protect your gun. It will prevent corrosion and it won't damage bluing. Spray it on dirt bikes to protect parts and prevent mud from sticking. Use it on watercraft to protect metal surfaces from corrosion and to drive out moisture. WD-40 is also great for cleaning golf clubs and preventing rust on hockey skate blades. That is from their site.

I've got a can of WD-40 right here. Says it contains petroleum distillates, and is harmfull or fatal if swallowed. Sounds poisonous to me.<br /><br />I myself don't like WD-40 for things I want to stay lubricated. I think the stuff left after the volatiles have evaporated doesn't lubricate that well, and collects dirt to make gunky stuff. I don't use it on my bike at all.<br /><br />Ed

I agree with Ed about the questionable lubricating ability of WD40. Absolutely DO NOT use WD40 as a chain lube on the Indoor Rower. It's fine for cleaning the chain, but tests that we conducted many years ago indicated the best lubricant by far (coincidentally recommended by the chain supplier) is 20 weight oil. 3 in 1 oil qualifies as that, as does 20 weight motor oil and the processed mineral oil that we provide with every Rower.<br />WD40 is handy and great for cleaning and some lube jobs, but the Rower chain needs better lubrication than WD40 provides. Anecdotally, I've heard of WD40 being used to relieve arthritis pain, applied directly to the skin.......JonW

Whew,<br /><br />Never put wd40 on your skin!<br /><br />Meeting a lion in the forest is a cure for stage fright, but by that time you have bigger problems.

<!--QuoteBegin-John Rupp+--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(John Rupp)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->WD-40 and 3 in 1 oil are extremely toxic petroleum products.<br /> </td></tr></table><br />Here's an exerpt from a 2002 article titled "Toxic Chemicals Add To Rising Cancer Rates In Children":<br /><br /><i>"There are 85,000 chemicals registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for commercial use in America," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Virtually all of them did not exist before the 1960s and most have not been sufficiently tested for their effect on human beings, he added.<br /> <br /><b>Landrigan said he was not "such a Luddite" to argue that all chemicals are bad, citing as valuable substances penicillin and the spray-can penetrating oil, WD-40, which he jokingly said has been called "the basic liquid of modern civilization."</b></i> [emphasis mine]<i><br /> <br />However, he said the rush to develop and embrace new chemicals has left adequate testing behind. Only about 43 percent of roughly 3,000 "high-production-volume" chemicals were found to have been tested in a 1998 analysis, he said. "There has been a real failure of regulatory oversight in that we've allowed many thousands of chemicals to be commercialized without adequately testing them," Landrigan said.<br /> <br />Landrigan and Dr. Herbert J. Needleman, the University of Pittsburgh researcher who has been credited with exposing the chronic intelligence-robbing impact of environmental lead poisoning, said they hoped through a series of newspaper advertisements, public appearances and an Internet page to stimulate a public demand for more understanding of toxic chemicals on human health.</i><br /><br /> To say that Dr. Landrigan is circumspect when it comes to household chemicals is an understatement. He doesn't seem too concerned about WD-40, though, does he?<br /><span style='color:gray'>.</span>