Question on slides

[chgoss]

Hi,
I have been looking into buying slides as several folks have suggested them for helping out with lower back and knee pain (mild).

My question is this: What keeps you in the "middle" of the slide? In other words, what is stopping the front leg of the erg from hitting the front of the forward slide when you are fully extended, thus giving you a "pushing off the wall" effect, and firing you backwards along the slide until your seat hits the back of the rear slide?

thanks

[jamesg]

There are shock cords that keep you centred.

[Andy Nield]

There are shock cords that keep you centred

Yeah, just plug it in to the mains and if you go out the middle you get an electric shock!!!

You'll soon learn to stay in the middle...

[whp4]

There are shock cords that keep you centred

Yeah, just plug it in to the mains and if you go out the middle you get an electric shock!!!

You'll soon learn to stay in the middle...

And you'll also learn if your floor isn't level!

[chgoss]

thanks, how many folks use them? Are they worth $260?

[johnlvs2run]

thus giving you a "pushing off the wall" effect, and firing you backwards along the slide until your seat hits the back of the rear slide?

The shock cords keep you a similar distance, and fire you back in the other direction from each end.

The floor doesn't need to be level, however it is important that the slides are level. You can level them on the floor by reverse taping widths of rubber or wood to the bottom pads on one end of each slide.

I have found the slides to be 1.5 to 3 seconds faster than the erg, at 143 pounds, provided rowing with the same meters per stroke.

[mrwr382]

Hi- When setting levelness of my Model C, I end up shimming the flywheel end 4 inches . Would that indicate the erg is put together wrong? I am assuming the monorail should be level.

Thanks in advance,
Rex

[FrankJ]

Hi- When setting levelness of my Model C, I end up shimming the flywheel end 4 inches . Would that indicate the erg is put together wrong? I am assuming the monorail should be level.

Thanks in advance,
Rex

Rex,

Bad assumption. The monorail is definitely not level and it's made that way. Mine is on a rug with a rough surface so I can't get an exact measurement but it is about 1 3/4" lower at the front of the monorail. You should either check the floor for levelness or run a long straight board from the front foot to the back foot and check that with a level. A little bit off doesn't mean much unless you are using slides. If you are off level with slides you end up bouncing off of the low end as you row.

Frank

[Yukon John]

One other possibility is that the front support leg is on backwards. We had it that way for a long time until Dena at Concept 2 noticed a picture of it and spotted the fault (this is on a model C.) Check that the wheels are facing away from the seat (forward.) Our times increased a lot once we switched it around!

[johnlvs2run]

One other possibility is that the front support leg is on backwards. We had it that way for a long time until Dena at Concept 2 noticed a picture of it and spotted the fault (this is on a model C.) Check that the wheels are facing away from the seat (forward.) Our times increased a lot once we switched it around!

Nice idea, Yukon John! I'm going to check that out.

[johnlvs2run]

Hi- When setting levelness of my Model C, I end up shimming the flywheel end 4 inches . Would that indicate the erg is put together wrong? I am assuming the monorail should be level.

Thanks in advance,
Rex

It used to be level but isn't made that way anymore, i.e. erg not on level.

I made a back support out of wood and thick vinyl, using the same c2 bolts, so the back of the railing is the same height as the front. The only thing is my garage floor slopes down to the front, so the erg is still tilted to the front as much as with the c2 legs and if the floor were not sloping.

When I do time trials I just put the c2 back legs on again, though I should also turn the erg around in the other direction. Then it would be level. However, so far all of my time trials have been with the c2 legs AND the erg sloped down to the front, so the railing has always been sloped twice as much it would be if the surface were level.

My railing on my model B is almost level though, and it rows more smoothly than the C. I haven't found any significant difference in time but rather I think it's a matter of comfort and also of development. It is not possible to reach the same body angles in each direction when the railing is sloped as when it is level. So I think the slope of the railing has more to do with body development than it does with performance.

[FrankJ]

One other possibility is that the front support leg is on backwards. We had it that way for a long time until Dena at Concept 2 noticed a picture of it and spotted the fault (this is on a model C.) Check that the wheels are facing away from the seat (forward.) Our times increased a lot once we switched it around!

John,

Anyone who has seen a model C or D would surely notice that if the front leg support was turned around. The vertical leg is 6" longer than the angled leg so it would definitely change the look of the erg.

I think Rex was talking about the normal slope of the monorail on the model C and model D. If I put a 2x4 on edge under the front of my erg that just about levels the monorail. The monorail on the C and D is designed to slope downward toward the front of the erg. It should not be made level.

Frank

[johnlvs2run]

Let's say two people are driving down the freeway at 60 mph in their cars. Driver A is moving along quite smoothly and comfortably. Car B, however, has been rigged so the front seat shoots up 2 inches and back down every 2 seconds or so! Thus driver B is shot up and down 2 inches every 2 seconds or so with the seat.

This bobbing makes no difference to the speed of the cars, but it makes a big difference to the comfort of the drivers.

It is the same on the erg. However, on the erg this also changes the angle of the rowers. As the feet go lower as the railing rises to the back, the angle of the torso is proportionally more backward to compensate and maintain balance. Were the railing to stay level then this would not happen. A level railing thus results in greater potential for balanced biomechanical improvements, even though actual performance is not changed.

In the example of the cars, Driver A will arrive at the destination more relaxed, whereas Driver B will likely have a sore butt and be frazzled.

I like having the railing on the level.

By having the railing on the level, I arrive at my destinations quite comfortably and relaxed.

[c2jonw]

mrwr382- 4" of shimming sounds like a lot to make the monorail level. All C2 rowers (mods A,B,C&D) have been designed with about 1-1/2" of forward slope to them. Check the assembly of the front legs as suggested- it has happened before. C2JonW

[PaulS]

mrwr382- 4" of shimming sounds like a lot to make the monorail level. All C2 rowers (mods A,B,C&D) have been designed with about 1-1/2" of forward slope to them. Check the assembly of the front legs as suggested- it has happened before. C2JonW

Mine seem to have about a 1" drop over the entire length of the rail, or about 2" over the entire length between the feet of the Erg itself. I suppose the most comical part of this discussion is that this would amount to a 2" elevation change for anyone during a stroke. We use about 2 feet of railing at most, unless doing something very unusual, so our net elevation change is likely less than 1/2" during the drive or recovery. That said, even that makes a considerable difference in feel, nearly leveling the rail by placing a 2x4 (1.5" elevation) under the fan end will make the recovery feel very different by eliminating the "gravity" assist.

If it takes 4" to get the rail close to level, it does sound much like the legs have been swapped around. A quick look at the Erg in that configuration would show the foot at the fan end to be extended away from the fan rather than that leg being pretty close to perpendicular to the floor.