Free Spirits Rowing

I was giving a shot at beating my 100m, because C2 says I'm like bottom 20%, so gotta try to beat it. Numbers!!

Anyway, so I set it to 10 to see if that might be a better shot to the rapid acceleration and pull like no ones business. On every stroke or two, the chain slips, which really throws a wrench into my smooth yet awesomely powerful stroke that I was aiming for. I wonder if this is a equipment problem (since it's gym common equipment that probably has a billion meters on it), or if it's a sign of some error in stroke technique (like I'm not pulling consistently and that's letting it loosen up so it skips). Have any of you guys had chain skipping on hard pulls?

Sounds like an equipment failure to me.
Chain should not slipp.

This is equipment not technique, though I would be extremely careful about rowing any distance at all at that drag factor. The risk of injury is far, far higher especially if you are pushing yourself very hard.

It does sound as if the flywheel clutch is slipping. If it was your Erg I’d be happy to offer some advice on changing it, but if it’s a gym one as you suggest, I’d report it to them

JonT wrote: ↑Wed Jun 08, 2022 5:44 am This is equipment not technique, though I would be extremely careful about rowing any distance at all at that drag factor. The risk of injury is far, far higher especially if you are pushing yourself very hard.

When I first started, like every newbie wanna be, I put it on ten, and was sad it didn't go to 11. But then, I lucked across a post by an Olympic rower saying that Concept 2 should remove all the levels over 5 because you didn't need them and unwary people were just hurting themselves. Since then, I basically just use 5 all the time. I saw someone (Leslie maybe?) say she did her 100m at level 10 for the best time, so I figured I'd give it a try and see if it actually made a difference. I got 18.4 on 5, and 18.7 on 10 with slipping, so ..... the jury is still out.

If you’re using gym equipment, your best bet is to check the drag factor - choose “display drag factor” on the menu then row to see what it is and then adjust damper to set it to your desired drag.

This will help you adjust any C2 rower you come across so that it “feels the same” as any other.

Many find that a drag of around 130-135 suits them, but opinions will vary. The reason for mentioning it is that 130 may only be reached at level 10 on a poorly maintained machine which is clogged with dust whereas on a clean machine, level 4 may deliver a drag of 130

I hope that helps

Oh, thanks, that's great advice. I have noticed some machines feel easier than others, all while set at about the same damper setting. I've been blissfully ignoring a bunch of the data that my mobile app (ErgData) provides since it's hard to figure out what matters and what doesn't there - but I think my drag factor is usually in the 110ish range, so a bit lower than you suggest.

The best drag factor is whatever works best for you

It might be worth checking for a stiff chain link too, although the clutch bearing sounds the most likely issue.

Re the drag factor, Mat is right in that you use whatever is best for you, so experiment with all the settings.
I personally favour the higher DF but don't recommend it for others - I have taken off the mesh grille so can get a DF of 350+, which is more like a light, multi-rep weights workout than a row .

Paul G

My gym one goes from 70 on damper 1 to 170 on damper 10. I finished my 100m experiment - 17.7@10, 18.4@5, 19@1. It’s easier for me to big short burst on highest setting but I think I’ll stick to 5 for my daily driver.