Slides - first impressions

[Bob S.]

I moved my erg from the garage to an air-conditioned room a couple of days ago and decided to finally give my new slides a try, since they have been sitting there, still wrapped, for at least 4 months.

On the first try, every thing seemed quite smooth, but I suddenly realized that I was going at the obscene rate of 38 spm. I stopped that nonsense, settled down, and started out again at a nice, sedate, respectable 12 spm, like all my regular morning wakeup pieces. It was a mess. I wasn’t hitting the ends or anything like that, but the erg would move (like it should) on the drive and at the start of the recovery. But on the last part of the recovery, the erg stopped and I had to move up to the wheel. I tried out higher rates and it gradually improved. At about 20 spm and up the problem seems to disappear and it feels fine. I sent an SOS to Xeno about it and he had two suggestions. The first was to check the level of the slides. I did this and did not find any irregularity. The other suggestion was to tighten the shock cords or even get heavier duty shock cords. I tried the tightening, but I found that there is still a lot of body movement at low rates. I also wonder just how much extra effort is required to stretch those tighter shock cords. I used the slides for my 10’ wakeup piece this morning (2’ each at 12/15/18/20/12) and the pacing went pretty much as usual, so I don’t suppose that it really matters all that much. For real training pieces, I wouldn’t be going below 20 spm, but I prefer to continue to do the low rate wakeup and also to use some low rates for warm-ups and cool-downs.

Bob S.

[johnlvs2run]

You can row any rate on the slides, the same as the erg,

Just make sure your body is balanced with your legs, both for the drive and recovery.

It helps to watch the travel of the sides fore and aft while you're rowing.

[johnlvs2run]

I've put the model B on the slides and it's cool.

This feels the same as the C on the slides, and better than grounded as the slides help keep the erg right in place (the B has the front feet right under the foot rests).

First I had done 10 minutes at 12 spm for three days, then put the erg on the slides and did the same for two more days. Each minute got faster for each of the 10 minute sessions. Interestingly my first time doing these on the slides was much slower but improved quite a bit by the end. I didn't write the times down but the averages were something like this:

erg / pace
day 1- 2:24
day 2- 2:20 ?
day 3- 2:19 ? 2:12.2 the last minute

slides
day 4- 2:24
day 5- 2:19 ? 2:14. something the last minute

Also I have the drag factor at 65, so this makes a little more of a challenge with the timing, but nice.

[hkp2ksk]

Well, I know I'm an old geezer, so, anybody willing to offer an old fart info about how I'm supposed to set up the slides that I just got? Hell, what goes where???

tony

[johnlvs2run]

1) Set the slides on the floor where you want them, lined up about 17-18 inches apart.

2) Set the erg beside the slides;

3) Line up the closest slots to the legs of the model B, or the farthest slots with the legs of the model C-E;

4) Sight down the sides of the slides to make sure they are straight;

5) Lift the back legs of the erg on top of the slot on the back slide so they sit at an angle;

6) Lift the front legs into the slots on the front slide and line them up side to side;

7) Put the back legs in the slot and make sure they are lined up;

8) If you're going to move the slides, put some tape on the floor so you'll be able to find the same position again.

Have fun!

[PaulS]

All good advice.

1a) Check with a spirit level to make sure that each slide unit is level.

If you like mechanical solutions, you can build yourself a 18.5" (outside dimension) square frame, out of reasonably sturdy wood (2x2 minimum).

This will fit precisely in the gap between the Slide units, square them, and aid greatly in lining them up. Make a Mark at 9.25" on each side, and the bungee attachment point will line up with that as a center point.

[hkp2ksk]

John and Paul,

thanks so much, guys. C2 should use your recommendations in printed form instead of that "visual manual" they send along.

thanks again,

tony

[johnlvs2run]

You're quite welcome.

Another thing is, you can put the back slide right back against a wall, as you won't be going anywhere near the back while you're rowing.

The footprint for the slides is around 10' 10", with another foot or so of room needed at the front while rowing, i.e. 12 feet needed to row with them.

[seat5]

Has any clever person figured out a way that you can have your erg on slides, but somehow lock it down so that you can row on a standard erg without actually taking it off the slides? I'm picturing somehow bolting the slides to a 3/4" piece of plywood, the right distance apart and properly lined up, of course, and then some sort of clamps that could clamp down on the runners and so prevent the erg moving. Then you could row on and off slides much more easily than putting the erg on and off all the time. I'm awfully clumsy at getting it on and off, especially since the reason I use them is for as stiff lower back, it's rather a nuisance lifting the and moving everything.

[johnlvs2run]

You could but I wonder if that would put too much pressure on the rollers, and on the plastic guides that they roll on.

[PaulS]

Has any clever person figured out a way that you can have your erg on slides, but somehow lock it down so that you can row on a standard erg without actually taking it off the slides? I'm picturing somehow bolting the slides to a 3/4" piece of plywood, the right distance apart and properly lined up, of course, and then some sort of clamps that could clamp down on the runners and so prevent the erg moving. Then you could row on and off slides much more easily than putting the erg on and off all the time. I'm awfully clumsy at getting it on and off, especially since the reason I use them is for as stiff lower back, it's rather a nuisance lifting the and moving everything.

Hi Carla,

Are you still using the Mod B? I know you had one, but the memory if you upgraded is dodgy.

Anyway, if you do have the Model B, just stand at the flywheel end move the whole thing about 6 inches toward you, lift the flywheel and set it back down on the floor, press down on the flywheel (raising the rear foot) allow the rear carriage to move and then lower the rear leg to the floor.

If you have the Mod C, D, or E the first thing to do is slide the slide units about 6 inches closer together. Then roll the whole Erg forward, lifting the flywheel end and placing it just outside the slide unit, go to the back leg and lift it so the carriage moves away and place that leg on the floor.

Both these procedures can be done with very little stress from lifting, I am careful about my back also.

I've tried various blocking mechanisms so that the Erg could be left on the Slides, however none worked out as well as I would have hoped, mostly because the first thing that happens when the carriages are precisely anchored in place is that the feet can slide a bit within the tracks that hold them. Then once you shim the feet tightly into the carriages to solve that, you may find that the surface area of the rubber footings of the slides must have less friction than the Erg feet because the slides move a bit on a smooth floor.

All in all, I went to a lot of trouble to build the original blocks, the experiment failed (though if the slides were bolted down, as you mentioned, it would probably work), and I use the method above.

[PaulS]

You're quite welcome.

Another thing is, you can put the back slide right back against a wall, as you won't be going anywhere near the back while you're rowing.

The footprint for the slides is around 10' 10", with another foot or so of room needed at the front while rowing, i.e. 12 feet needed to row with them.

John, Are you talking about how the Model B goes beyond the end of the Slide? Wall to wall in the room where my Ergs are on Slides is 11' and the Front Slide is 2.5" from the wall, no problems with a Mod C or D (Or B, but the Slide would not be close to the Wall since the feet are in a different place). What is the extra foot ("12 feet needed to row with them") for?

[seat5]

Thanks, Paul, I have a C. Never tried that way, and it's such an obvious method. I've used a sort of measuring stick between the slides and was trying to do it without messing that alignment up. But what you describe makes much more sense than the dance I've been doing, which usually includes tripping on some part of it or banging my legs on something.

If you haven't been able to really work out a way to leave it on than it most likely doesn't make sense for me to bother rigging something up.

[johnlvs2run]

Yes. Each slide is 56 1/2 inches or 4' and 8 1/2 inches. That's 9' 5 inches for the slides, plus 17" between, giving a footprint of 10' 10".

I don't know how you can have a footprint for the slides of 8 1/2 feet, as the slides just by themselves are longer than that.

Anyway, the B fan cage is almost at the end just sitting there. I've not measured to see how far it goes past when I'm rowing, but I'd say 12 to 14 inches. So this brings the distance needed for the B to 12 feet.

The distance needed for the C-E is not as much as is needed for the B, due to the B being 14 inches farther forward in position.

[johnlvs2run]

I suppose for the B...

The slides could be put 3 inches apart, and the erg feet put into both of the back slots on the slides.

Then the length needed for the B would be the same as for the others.

Provided that this worked okay but it should.

Update:

I moved the slides 2.75 inches apart, with the erg on the back slots.

Will try this out in the morning.