Seat Doesn't Return

[fatbody]

My mother recently bought a concept2 rower after trying mine. I hadn't seen it until today and I noticed that her seat doesn't freely roll back to the starting position, but mine does. Does she need new bearings or is this normal?

[JRBJR]

No, it's not normal.

First, use a flashlight and carefully examine the rollers. Is there any material caught between one of them and the rail surface? If yes, remove it. If no obstruction was found, gently push the seat along the rail to see if and how it moves. Even with some bad bearings, the roller should move a bit.

Second, did your mother buy the erg brand new from Concept2? If yes, the contact their customer service and explain the problem. They will probably send you replacement rollers. If the erg is not brand new, simply order some replacement rollers from Concept2. Remove the original rollers and replace. Should take care of the problem.

[Ombrax]

Assuming we're talking about a Model D:

http://www.concept2.com/service/indoor- ... el-d/parts

(I tried to add an image of the seat, but received a message that the board attachment quota limit has been reached.)

[Bob S.]

Does the rail have a slight downward slope toward the flywheel? If not, raise the back stand just a bit.

[aussieluke]

Is the floor level?

Does it roll back and forward ok, just not all the way freely on its own?

My previous D was a bit like that. The floor was level but there was just so little play in the seat that it wouldn't roll right down the slide on its own once I got off. My newer D is the opposite - the seat has about 3mm play side to side - I think the brackets that mount the bottom seat rollers are probably slightly bent by the previous owner. I can actually lift the seat up a couple of mm.

Doesn't cause any problems when rowing.

The seat absolutely flies down the slide on its own. It's ok the same floor in the same spot as my old one was.

You can move the bottom seat rollers back a hole towards the rear of the erg and it should free up some movement in the seat. I've read some machines just come out of the factory like that - there's probably only microns in it.

[Ombrax]

I've just read the OP a bit more carefully. Whether or not the seat rolls on it's own (with no one sitting on it) to the fwd (or aft) position due to gravity is pretty much meaningless. As was pointed out above, the angle of the rail is one factor determining whether or not your mother's seat will behave in the same way as yours.

Assuming the rower is roughly level, the only real issue is the condition of the seat's bearings and rollers and the rail. If a gentle push is enough to move the seat back and forth, then don't worry about how it behaves compared to yours, and tell your mother to hop on punish that flywheel...

If there is an issue with the bearings / rollers, then check things out, disassemble it if necessary, and figure out what's going on. If you have to, call C2 for info or parts, put it all back together and you're done.

(Edit: Sorry if this was already obvious to the OP and everyone else.)

Happy Rowing

[fatbody]

Thanks for all of the replies! The seat will roll while exercising, but it doesn't return all the way on its own, even when giving it a gentle push. I have verified that the rail has a slant to it and I took the rollers off. The bearings seem tight, but I have never looked at the rollers this close before, so I have nothing to compare them to. She purchased it from rogue fitness, supposedly brand new, so I guess we'll contact them.

[Ombrax]

She purchased it from rogue fitness, supposedly brand new, so I guess we'll contact them.

If it's a brand-new rower I'd call C2 and see what they say. They'll be able to tell you how loose / tight it should feel.

http://www.concept2.com/company

Sales and Customer Service: Toll-free 800.245.5676 or direct 802.888.7971

[sekitori]

This has probably been mentioned already, but are the bottom rollers connected to the center hole on the seat brackets? If they are attached to the either the front or rear holes, that could change the way the seat slides down the rail.

Are the rail and top rollers absolutely clean? Spray Windex on both sides of the rail where the rollers are in contact. Do the same to the front and rear rollers where they contact the rail. Move the seat back and forth and then wipe everything clean. If the seat starts to slide forward a bit better but still doesn't move easily all the way forward, try doing this again. If there was some sort of residue on either the rail or the rollers during transit, this very simple fix could help.