Seat noise despite following all reccomendations !

[pbs]

Hi,

My model E with around 7million meters started to 'clunk ' just at the end of the recovery/before (and maybe?) just after the 'catch'. I have replaced both the top and bottom rollers as well as trying both in the extra/alternate location holes in the seat frame. The rail is clean and undamaged.

Despite all this ( and I'm not rowing fast at all these days - say mid 2.20's/500m) after 4/5 mins this noise reappears; two distinct
'clunks' that you can feel as well as hear. I cannot replicate it manually by heaving in all directions on the seat - it only appears when rowing that bit harder.

This is so distracting - but after disassembling/reassembling 4/5 times now I'm out of ideas!

Appreciate any input - Thank you.

[Ombrax]

Are you sure this is seat problem, and not something funky you're doing with your technique?

What holes are you using for the foot rests? (that has an effect on the force vector during the drive, which could tend to reduce the force of your butt pressing down on the seat, which might cause strange things to happen during the drive - the lower your feet the the greater the vertical component that may tend to lift you off the seat)

I by all means do not have perfect technique, but in general I'm sitting on the seat and my weight is pressing down, which prevents the rollers from doing anything abnormal, so they never lift off or have weird lateral loads.

[pbs]

Really appreciate your input !

My technique is not the best + I am a lot less fit than I was (should be) so that doesn't help either.

I'm going to follow your input regarding the footrests and see if that solves the problem - - -

Thanks again

[Cyclist2]

If you sweat a lot, some of that may have gotten under the stainless steel cap on the rail, loosening the adhesive allowing a gap to form. When the seat rolls over that spot, the difference may be causing the clunking. Just a thought.

[Ombrax]

Some more questions I should have asked:

Does the sound happen only when actually rowing? And if so only when rowing somewhat hard?

Or can it be duplicated by just sitting on the seat and moving up and down the rail without any actual rowing motion?

If it's the latter, and it tends to happen at the same spot on the rail, then I agree that Cyclist2's scenario may well be correct.

[jamesg]

If not already done, I'd tighten all nuts and bolts and other fasteners. They never tighten of their own accord.

My old C has a D shaped plastic cam that locks the two bits together. There was a knock every stroke until I was advised on this Forum to hit it with a heavy (500g) hammer, but not too hard. Plastic is plastic so can creep. Newer locks may differ substantially.

[WayHand]

I have a model D and during hard sessions I was managing to move the pivot connection by putting power into the machine too early before the catch. C2 were very helpful in checking the machine via photos. It was during this process that I realised it was my technique and not a fault with the rower!

[Tsnor]

My model E with around 7million meters started to 'clunk '

Since the erg didn't use to clunk and now does something has changed. Likely not technique unless you were working on changing your stroke. Nothing good follows clunking sounds, something is moving and getting wear that it shouldn't. Glad you are looking to fix it.

A clunk at the end of recovery could be foot stretcher -- your foot pressure changes from pushing to pulling.

Sound is funny. Unless you feel a thump through the seat the sound may not be coming from the seat at all, it may just seem to be.

Maybe someone else can stand next to the erg and help localize the sound to the seat, the erg legs (bolts loose on those?) or somewhere else. A long wooden dowel rod pressed against parts can help find a sound.

As Jamesg says, a good next step would be to tighten all the bolts on the legs front and rear, where the two pieces of erg join in the middle and everything on the foot stretcher assembly.

Good luck.

[pbs]

A big thank you for all this input and advice! I've methodically gone through everything suggested - today I checked the tightness of all the roller fixings.

Feel a bit of an idiot (I'm a mechanical engineer by training!) BUT (although tight) I was able to get the retaining nut(s) on each lower roller tighter still ( figured that they couldn't really be overtightened due to the spacer/bearing/washer configuration).

The 'clunk' seems to have disappeared!

I'm going to row 10k tomorrow to finally validate it's ok - if it is then I can't believe my stupidity - no more news/posts will be good news!

Thanks again for all your help,

Phil Stamp