How much better is an O-Lifting bar, really?

[John Seiler]

Originally Posted by Yoon Sohn

Patrick,
I've lifted on the Pendlay bar (at CrossFit NYC) and like John mentioned, you'll definitely feel the difference from a regular barbell. The knurling seemed to beat up my hands a bit more than the Eleikos, so make sure you've got some tape handy if you decide to get it. Other than that, they felt great.

I'd be willing to bet Glenn would modify knurling on your bar if you asked. I have a couple of CrossFit bars that I thought the knurling was a little aggressive for my taste. (He makes them that way because of the squatting and deadlifting duties most CF bars will see.) Glenn offered to take the knurling down a bit if I sent them back. Granted I would have paid the shipping but I think it's pretty darn cool that he offered.

[Paul Findley]

I have an early production crossfit bar and I have spoken to Glenn about the knurling on it. He said that it was intended to cross-over between PL and OL thus the aggro knurl. Later he went less aggro based on feedback. He said that with a file and a some time I could reduce the knurl on my bar. I have not done this. I did just buy his OL bar (bushing not bearing) Hopefully it will ship soon.

[Patrick Donnelly]

Re: John
Ahmik is out of the bars, but Rogue Fitness is still selling the oxide-less Pendlay Economy bars here for $119. They say the knurling is geared towards powerlifting though, which means it has center knurling, right? I would think it'd have to, since Pendlay says the black oxide is what gives his bar enough grip to stay put during backsquats without the center knurling.

I'll have to ask Bill what the difference between the Economy and the CrossFit bars is.

Re: Yoon
I don't mind a bar with a sharp knurling. My hands are pretty leathery already, and if the bar comes out particularly vicious they'll adjust fast enough.

[John Seiler]

I'm pretty sure that bar doesn't have center knurling. An unfinished bar without knurling will be fine for squatting. It's chrome bars without knurling that are too slippery.

The nice thing about the unfinished bar is that if the knurling is too aggressive, you can knock it down with a file and not worry about taking the finish off (because there isn't a finish.)

[Greg Everett]

If you're serious, spend the money on a bar. I trained up at CF One World the other weekend while I was there for the Oly seminar, and I bent the shit out of one of their bars - I mean bent. I wish I had a photo of it. If Freddy posts the videos anywhere, you'll probably be able to see it.

[David Aguasca]

all this talk about the Pendlay bars having an aggressive knurl makes me laugh out loud...i just commented on a forum recently about how mild the knurl is on those bars. i guess that when you expect to o-lift on fat, crappy, cheese-graters with collars that no longer spin, that knurl seems docile.

[Patrick Donnelly]

Both Bill and Ahmik are out of the oxideless Economy bars, so I'll be ordering the CrossFit bar. It's not the best, but I think it'll work more than well enough for the next few years.

The Rogue Do-Wins will be coming out around mid-April. It's a longer wait than I'd like, but I'll be patient.

[Eric Jones]

You will love the CrossFit bar, they are a staple here at Rogue. We have a couple generations of them and the knurling, coating, and sleeve system have all improved over time. We have an old CF bar that we call the "DNA bar" due to cutting up so many people's shins, but the new ones are almost smooth in comparison.

We are stoked about the black Do-Wins! We brought the heel down to feel more neutral like the Adidas shoes.

[Eric Jones]

P.S. We just got word that the shoes are on a plane and will be in stock in about 10 days, so that means they are in the store!

linky: Rogue Do-Wins

[Patrick Donnelly]

So, if I wear a size 11 Brooks sneaker and size 43 Vibram FiveFingers (EU sizing), would a 10.5 be the best fit for the Do-Wins? I hear a lot of suggestions to go a bit smaller to get a snug fit.