Best way to oil the chain

[sekitori]

I've owned Concept 2 rowers for over ten years and one thing still has me stumped. What is the best and most efficient way to oil the chain? I usually do it seated with the seat well back. I pull the on chain and when it's fully extended, I release it very slowly as I wipe off the old oil. After the handle is against the chain guide, I pull it back again and as I slowly release it, I rub it lightly with a cloth soaked with about two teaspoonfuls of oil. This seems to work pretty well except for one thing. The loose chain has a tendency to kink in one or more places and it can be fairly difficult to remove them. Even though I've had no problems so far, I keep thinking that this knotting and unknotting of the chain can somehow damage it.

I would much prefer to remove and add the oil with the chain straight and fully extended. In that position, the handle is about a foot past the end of the monorail. The instruction manual has a diagram showing this, but the handle is shown without any mention of how to keep it in place. It's seen as just floating in space at the end of the extended chain.

I was thinking of somehow anchoring the handle to a chair, but I don't know how secure that would be. My worst fear is that it can come loose, retract its full eight feet, and slam into the chain guard. That could cause damage to the rower and/or bodily harm to me. Neither eventuality is very appealing.

Any ideas of how to do this safely?

[M. Podolsky]

Ask someone to pull the handle while you apply the oil.

[Bob S.]

Any ideas of how to do this safely?

I have a simple wooden bar-type stool that I use for that. I have it turned upside down with the rail end feet on the underside of the seat, weighting it down. When I pull the chain out I work the handle through the legs and hook it behind the legs farthest from the wheel. There is still an inch or so of chain not exposed, but I figure that this does not matter, since that part is never going to get as far as the sprocket while I am rowing unless I try some silly stunt like pulling the handle up over my head. I keep the handle down as low as I can to minimize any torque that might pull the stool loose from its mooring. Using this precaution, I have never had a problem of it coming loose. In the interest of domestic tranquillity, I also drape old newspaper pages over the rail all the way along so that I don't accidentally get any oil on the carpet below.

It would be best to send a picture, but I don't know how to do that with this mail system.

Bob S.

[paul s]

I also use a small piece of cloth and a teaspoon or so of oil. I wheel the front so it is facing away from my sliding patio door. I pull the chain out and put the handle outside and close the door gently on it. I then wedge the patio door shut with some wood in the track. Then I slide the erg forward until the chain stops, proceed to oil, and reverse the process.

Paul Salata

[Terry S.]

What Bob S. said, with minor modifications, works fine for me.

Terry