Frame-Lock Longevity Question

[RowViking]

When you find out do report back...as a prospective purchaser I am interested in the likelihood of this being an issue and what Concept2 might do if anything...

I will

I must say that as a whole I am a very satisfied C2 customer since I bought my first Model C in 2002. That lasted right up to around March 2015 where I sold it and got the D2 with PM5 the very next day. The C is still in "light" use at the new owner's place and if given a makeover with new seat rollers, chain, shock cord and a fresh steel surface on the monorail it probably could be used for real training for years without a glitch.

In other words I would not let this issue of the locking mechanism get in the way of buying the best rower on the market.

I would however consider a lightly used D or E with PM4 as the real annoyances with my erg is the PM5. It does get better with each firmware revision but with version 22 it is still quite annoying. If on the other hand you pair it up with RowPro on a big monitor you may never encounter the annoying bugs and "features".
My disappointment in the PM5 is probably a little bit bigger than the errors themselves can justify because the PM5 and the Bluetooth connection was the primary reason I did not give the C model a makeover.

[RowViking]

Thanks Carl Watts

I am aware of how the thing works and how the forces are applied during the motion, but the problem I have been having is the way the closed lock moves down in three distinct steps from the slightly lifted position it is in when I return from "the finish position" through "the recovery". Those "steps" are felt quite clearly through the seat and are really annoying. Though the movement is very small it is very different from my Model C which was 100% stiff - unless it was coming apart. My C model was almost never disassembled though.
If yours is way worse than mine but does not give you the bumpy ride perhaps the bumps have nothing to do with the wear I found.

Is the steel rods and the surfaces in the lock lubricated on your Erg? Mine had been used for two days at a regatta (less than 10 Km total though) and it was thoroughly cleaned when I got it. Not a trace of any lubricant anywhere - even the chain was almost completely dry - and the manual says nothing about the lock so I do not know if it is supposed to be lubricated. I might make the small movement smooth and undetectable. I am not sure if it is a good idea in the long run but I will try it.

Update: I have lubricated both stainless rods, the surface of the steel parts and the plastic thing on the the monorail and bingo the bumpy ride is gone! and at the same time.

[Carl Watts]

Any relation to a bumpy ride and I would be looking at the slide and the rollers, these need a clean before EVERY row if you want a perfectly smooth experience.

With a damp cloth I remove all traces of "Black" that comes off the slide and rollers.

The stainless pins and nylon shouldn't need lubrication, its really a self lubricating setup and the amount of movement here is minimal. Having said that a bit of oil or grease is not going to harm anything. Mine is just dry assembled, I wiped everything clean and put it back together again. My sweat is very bad, extremely corrosive even on the stainless and its no where near 100% water as it partially never evaporates. Its pretty much causing havoc with my rower and I wish more of it was made from 316 stainless. The whole back leg on the rower for starters is being attacked and have had to wrap some parts in old towels to stop it getting to the metal. The steel seat supports are not really a step forward for me either and I will be making some in alloy like the older Model C.

[Citroen]

I would however consider a lightly used D or E with PM4 as the real annoyances with my erg is the PM5. It does get better with each firmware revision but with version 22 it is still quite annoying. If on the other hand you pair it up with RowPro on a big monitor you may never encounter the annoying bugs and "features".
My disappointment in the PM5 is probably a little bit bigger than the errors themselves can justify because the PM5 and the Bluetooth connection was the primary reason I did not give the C model a makeover.

Please can you keep the thread on-topic or your non-sequitur, wrong and irrelevant comments will be removed.

[c2jonw]

Just a bit of clarification- the two horizontal tubes on the front end are stainless steel, and the mating load bearing parts on the monorail are cast aluminum which are housed in plastic. All of the load bearing happens between these four parts. Not sure what all the noise and bumpiness was on RowVikings unit, though I have experienced something similar on machines that were being used outdoors on a dry, dusty area- cleaning and light lubing with chapstick seemed to fix things. As noted before, we get very little call for replacement parts related to the frame locking system......C2JonW

[RowViking]

Just a bit of clarification- the two horizontal tubes on the front end are stainless steel, and the mating load bearing parts on the monorail are cast aluminum which are housed in plastic. All of the load bearing happens between these four parts. Not sure what all the noise and bumpiness was on RowVikings unit, though I have experienced something similar on machines that were being used outdoors on a dry, dusty area- cleaning and light lubing with chapstick seemed to fix things. As noted before, we get very little call for replacement parts related to the frame locking system......C2JonW

Thanks The chapstick was not my first choice, but I do see the idea
I keep the monorail and rollers hysterically clean so they were not the source. The light lubrication of the rods and plastic surfaces has completely removed the bumpy feeling. Several sets of hard intervals and two easy rowing sets have been performed on the unit since the lubrication and both me and two other rowers report a perfect ride.
The odd thing is that the Model C was never lubricated but on the other hand it was absolutely stiff which the D2 is not.

I think the original questions about longevity has been answered: There are no problems with the new lock

[RowViking]

Please can you keep the thread on-topic or your non-sequitur, wrong and irrelevant comments will be removed.

I don't remember seeing your name on the list of moderators and I frankly find it hard to believe that the moderators would react that way to an almost entirely C2 positive remark in answer to a question posed by another user. Though I admit it did stray from the strict "longevity" question it most certainly was on topic with regards to raotor's initial purpose of posing the question: He was asking because he was opting for a Model D but was unsure about it. As such it stands to reason that your rant about "non-sequitur, wrong and irrelevant comments" is really the only posting worthy of that description.

Have a nice day

[Citroen]

Reporting the moderator's posts isn't a good idea. Report deleted unread.