When I walk into a studio, one of the first indicators of how well the studio has cared for their equipment is whether or not the Reformer rails are clean. Rolling on a dirty surface will cause the wheels to start to “shed” leaving black streaks along the rails, as well as gum up the bearings or bushings with debris. This significantly changes the feel of the carriage ride and shortens the working life of those components.
How do you prevent this? Use some elbow grease! The photo you see here is a before and after shot of a simple 30 seconds of effort with a damp rag. Hours and hours of grime erased!
Now, imagine you clean your rails regularly! It is possible to slow the mechanical aging process: I see 10 year old Reformers with clean rails every once in a while. Those machines are still a dream to workout on!
Yours can be too, with a little time investment. Put in some effort now to save that repair cost later!