Another Slides thread.

[Ducatista]

I've read every thread with "slides" in the title going all the way back to the old forum, and I'm leaning toward ordering a set. I'm not quite sold yet.


Here's why I might buy:

- The fun factor. I've upped my volume a lot since Nov, and it turns out that an hour+ a day is a l-o-n-g time for me to commute back and forth on that stupid rail. Slides sound as if they'd add a little fun to the proceedings, which may help me keep up the meters.

- Less stress on the body (especially back), from what I've heard. Not that I have back problems, but god knows I'm not getting any younger. And again, with higher volume, less stress seems like a good plan.

- I've owned my Model C since 1994. Might be time to change things up a bit.

- Higher stroke rates. I wouldn't care about adding a few spm, except that there's a LOT of great potential rowing music that falls just above the current 30spm (120bpm) max I've set for my rowing playlist. That may sound frivolous, but it's not to me.

- Single-leg work. My left leg is significantly weaker than my right (the difference in muscle mass is actually visible), and it sounds as if slides would make it easier for me to work on that imbalance.


Here's why I might not buy:

- Footprint. I have EXACTLY 12' of floorspace... but it sounds as though the slides will actually extend just over 11 feet from the wall, not 12, even allowing 3" of clearance up front in case I bang against the stop. Does that sound right? I could live with that.

- Noise. Do they make much, assuming my technique's good and I don't smack the ends? I row in the lower half of our lofted bedroom, and my husband sleeps just fine through my early-morning workouts. I'm hoping the slides won't change that.

- Carpet. Any problem setting slides up on carpet instead of on bare floor? We have low, dense pile in the erg room.


Thoughts? I'd appreciate any input you've got — except that I could live without a rehash of the slides-do/don't-provide-a-speed-advantage debate. Don't compete, don't care.

Thanks!
Ann

[SlugButt]

Hi Ann,

Your assessment sounds like it makes sense to me. I don't know if others have different experiences, but my sides have not made any noise and I don't think they'd be a problem on carpet.

With regard to your concern about one leg being stronger than the other, I had a similar difficulty when I switched from sweep to sculling years ago. One thing that I think helped me strengthen my weak side significantly was to move the hand on the weak side of my body in a little towards the center of the handle while erging. This change means more weight on the drive for your weak side and, for me, helped balance things well over the course of a winter.

Best of luck!
David

[PaulS]

You've covered the bases!

The space is fine, I have them set up in a room that is 11 feet from wall to wall.

There is no noise difference, especially if on a carpet surface.

If the carpet is quite deep, the fibres may get into the track and wheels, I've never set them up on deep carpet.

Hash, hash, and rehash...

[c2jonw]

add to your list of considerations "they'll make me sweat more". Not sure if this would be a reason for you to buy or not to buy, but since your body is relatively stationary, there's not as much air movement which results in a lot more sweat. Of course you could add a C-Breeze to the shopping list.......C2JonW

[Ducatista]

Thanks, guys! I'm sold. In fact, I'm heading over to the main site to place my order. And thanks for the caution, Jon. Happily, I already own a C-Breeze.

David, interesting suggestion. I've noodled around with hand position, but noncommittally. Maybe I'll give it a more concerted try. I really hate the strength imbalance, functionally and aesthetically.

[Snail Space]

I've rowed on slides since I bought my own ergo. It's fantastic; very enjoyable.

At first, though, I couldn't stop bouncing from front-stops to back-stops like a demented yo-yo. It was so disconcerting that after 2 sessions I toòk the ergo off the slides, and resolved to never use them again. Then I remembered that I had paid £200 for them and committed myself to learn to use them properly.

After that I soon got used to the timing and found that I developed a satisfying rhythm and my technique felt much better. Come to think of it, it was probably the other way round; I improved my technique, which resulted in a smooth rhythm.

Now I enjoy rowing on slides so much that I will probably only ever row on a grounded ergo if I enter a competition.

Have fun when you get them.

Cheers
Dave

[johnlvs2run]

Here's why I might buy:

The slides are definitely fun to use.

Yes they are less stress on the body, and it is easy to use the legs more on them than the erg.

They are good for having a change and variety.

The stroke rate is only 1/2 a beat faster for me, for going 2 seconds faster on pace. If you go the same pace as the erg, then the rating will not change.

I have done single leg rowing on the erg without slides, and found it easy to do. There isn't much difference on the slides except the foot on the ground moves a bit less, but other than this there's no difference. You can do single leg rowing either way.

My footprint for the slides is 10 feet and 10 inches. This is with 18 inches in between them. You shouldn't have any problem since you have 12 feet of space.

I've not noticed any more noise with the slides than without them.

It will be easy to set the slides up on carpet, as long as you don't perspire very much. The carpet wouldn't last long with me rowing on it.

I think you will enjoy the slides, and even more so as you have a permanent space for them.

[cali30306]

Ann, mine is also in a 12' carpeted bedroom. I can only add that you might want to put rubber mats under the slides to keep sweat off the carpet. Make sure to keep the slides level . You can't put towels under the erg as you would without the slides because the towels can get caught in the wheels. I bought some inexpensive plastic sleeping mats used for camping from REI.