Common Equipment Questions: Bars, Plates, Dumbbells and Sled Tracks
Barbells at a glance
All our bars have 50mm Olympic sleeves and take any Olympic plate. They're built for everyday strength training rather than competition use, and each comes with a pair of quick-release collars.
| 7ft Olympic Bar | 6ft Olympic Bar | Olympic EZ Curl Bar | Hex Trap Bar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 20kg | 15kg | 8kg | 20kg |
| Total length | 220cm | 183cm | 122cm | 142cm |
| Shaft (between sleeves) | 131cm | 131cm | 83cm | – |
| Sleeve length (each) | 41.5cm | 22.5cm | 19cm | 24cm |
| Grip diameter | 28mm | 28mm | – | 28mm |
| Centre knurl | Yes | No | – | – |
| Sleeve rotation | Bushing | Bushing | Bushing | Bushing |
| Max load | 317kg | 317kg | 136kg | 317kg |
| Steel / finish | A3 steel, chrome sleeves | A5 steel, chrome sleeves | Chrome | A3 steel, chrome |
Will the 6ft bar fit my rack? Yes. Unlike most 6ft bars it has the same 131cm shaft as the 7ft bar, so it sits on standard squat and power rack J-hooks. The saving is in the shorter sleeves, which hold fewer plates.
Bushing or bearing? All our bars use bushing sleeves, which give controlled, consistent rotation without excessive spin for squats, presses, deadlifts and rows. Needle-bearing bars spin faster and are aimed at competitive Olympic lifting; our range is built for general strength training.
Knurling. The 7ft bar is knurled along the grip with a centre knurl for back squats. The 6ft bar has knurling at the outer grip positions only and no centre knurl. If you need more detail on the knurl pattern for a particular bar, ask us and we'll check it on a bar in the warehouse.
Plates
Which plates can be dropped? Only bumper plates. Our black and colour bumpers have a cast iron core inside a high-density rubber coating and a 450mm IWF-standard diameter, so every plate sits the bar at the same height. Rubber tri-grip and cast iron plates are not designed to be dropped, and damage from dropping them isn't covered by the warranty. Use at least 30mm flooring or a lifting platform for Olympic lifts.
Weight tolerance. Bumper plates are made to ±2%, tri-grip plates to ±3%.
Plate thickness. Bumper plates: 5kg 23mm, 10kg 40mm, 15kg 56mm, 20kg 72mm, 25kg 88mm. Use these to work out how many fit on a sleeve: the 7ft bar has 41.5cm per side, so four 25kg bumpers (35.2cm) plus a collar is about the limit.
Sold in pairs. All plate listings are priced per pair. A "20kg" tri-grip listing is two 20kg plates. Bundles list every plate included.
Dumbbells and kettlebells
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Hex dumbbells are sold in pairs, from 1kg to 50kg. The price shown is for two dumbbells. We don't sell single dumbbells, so if you're comparing prices, check the other listing is also a pair.
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Sets (such as the 2.5kg to 15kg or 2.5kg to 40kg sets with a rack) list exactly which pairs are included.
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Rubber residue. Rubber-coated dumbbells, kettlebells and plates can have a light residue or a rubber smell when unpacked. This is left over from the moulding process, not a defect. Wipe them with a damp cloth before first use and the smell fades in a few days.
Collars and clips
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Quick-release collars and spring clips fit 50mm Olympic sleeves only, so they work on all our bars and on 50mm plate storage pegs.
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They don't fit dumbbells. Our hex dumbbells are fixed weight with no loading sleeve, and we don't sell loadable dumbbell handles.
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Every bar we sell already comes with a pair of quick-release collars. Spare pairs are on the website.
Sled tracks and turf
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Tracks come as one rolled piece with no joins, in 10m × 1m, 10m × 2m and 15m × 2m, black or green, with a 25mm pile.
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Markings: the 1m-wide tracks have distance numbers printed along the lane. The 2m-wide tracks are plain turf with no numbers.
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Fixing: lay directly onto a clean, dry, level concrete floor with our double-sided turf tape. Allow 5 rolls for 10m × 1m, 10 for 10m × 2m, 15 for 15m × 2m. No glue or drying time; the track is usable straight away.
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Height match: surround the track with 20mm rubber tiles for a near-level transition between turf and rubber.
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The prowler sled takes standard 50mm Olympic plates and weighs 38kg unloaded.
What we don't sell
To save you asking: we don't currently stock multi-gyms, cable machines or loadable dumbbell handles, and gym flooring comes in black or black with white fleck only. Concept2 rowers and bikes can be ordered for delivery but aren't on display in the showroom. Check the full range for what's available now.
Still stuck?
Message us with the product and your question. If a specification isn't on the product page, we'll check it on the stock we have in the warehouse rather than guess.
