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Finding a barbell that performs well for powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and general strength training without burning a deep hole in your pocket may be difficult. Luckily, REP Fitness leveled up its barbell lineup in the summertime of 2023 with a high-quality model that checks those boxes (and lots of more): the Colorado Bar. Our Breaking Muscle team of certified personal trainers, CrossFit enthusiasts, and strength and conditioning coaches thoroughly tested this multi-purpose bar’s ability to handle traditional powerlifting movements like squats and deadlifts, in addition to dynamic lifts like cleans and snatches.
Durable, dependable, and diverse, the brand new flagship barbell from probably the most reputable fitness equipment manufacturers delivers serious bang in your buck. On this REP Fitness Colorado Bar review, we’ll dive deeper into what makes this model among the finest values available on the market by breaking down its specs, highlighting its strengths, and seeing the way it stacks up against the competition.
Key Takeaways
- The Colorado Bar checks in at an inexpensive price point of $319.99 to $329.99 for the 20-kilogram (44-pound) model. There’s also a 15-kilogram (33-pound) version that costs between $269.99 and $279.99.
- You have got two finish options with this barbell: a tough chrome shaft with chrome sleeves, or a Cerakote shaft with Duracoat sleeves. Plus, the Cerakote version gives you the liberty to flex your creative muscles with five color decisions for the shaft.
- While IPF knurl markings and a 1,500-pound weight capability give it an influence bar feel, the inclusion of IWF knurl markings and the absence of a middle knurl also make the Colorado Bar well-suited for Olympic lifts. As well as, composite bushings make for an overall quieter lifting experience.
REP Fitness Colorado Bar
4.5
- Material: Steel
- Weight: 20 kilograms (44 kilos)
- Weight capability: 680.2 kilograms (1,500 kilos)
- Tensile strength: 190 KSI
- Loadable sleeve length: 16.1 inches
- Knurling: Moderate
- Warranty: Lifetime
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REP Fitness Colorado Bar Pros
- The power to buy a Cerakote version of the Colorado Bar should appeal to home gym owners who train in a non-climate-controlled environment. Because this kind of shaft coating provides superior protection from the weather than hard chrome, those that train outdoors or in humid garages will appreciate higher corrosion resistance courtesy of Cerakote.
- The Colorado Bar’s composite bushings not only allow for a smooth and regular spin but in addition give it a tighter tolerance. One other good thing about choosing composite over bronze bushings is less noise when your weight plates hit the ground.
- Between its versatility and construct quality, the Colorado bar can serve because the only barbell in your property gym. In the event you don’t have an enormous budget for gym equipment, you may cover multiple bases by investing in a multi-use bar that’s able to handling a big selection of lifts.
REP Fitness Colorado Bar Cons
- An absence of aggressive knurling and a solid-but-not-elite tensile strength of 190,000 PSI make this barbell just an okay selection for powerlifters. In case your workouts primarily revolve across the squat, deadlift, and bench press, a specialty bar tailored to your training style could also be a wiser selection.
- Paying north of $300 for a barbell produced outside of the USA could prevent some people from going the Colorado route. There are American firms that supply similar features at a more tolerable price point.
- Although Cerakote shaft coating offers higher corrosion resistance than hard chrome, it still falls in need of a stainless-steel finish. Those preferring the high-end look and distinct knurling of a stainless-steel bar should pass on the Colorado barbell. Nonetheless, be prepared to pay a premium for those benefits.
REP Fitness Colorado Bar Specs
| REP Fitness Colorado Bar (20 KG) | REP Fitness Colorado Bar (15 KG) | |
| Price | $319.99 for hard chrome, $329.99 for cerakote | $269.99 for hard chrome, $279.99 for cerakote |
| Weight | 20 kilograms (44 kilos) | 15 kilograms (33 kilos) |
| Tensile strength | 190 KSI | 190 KSI |
| Weight capability | 680.2 kilograms (1,500 kilos) | 680.2 kilograms (1,500 kilos) |
| Loadable sleeve length | 16.1 inches | 12.4 inches |
| Shaft diameter | 28.5 millimeters | 25 millimeters |
| Knurling | Medium volcano knurling | Medium volcano knurling |
| Coating | Hard chrome or Cerakote | Hard chrome or Cerakote |
| Rotation system | Composite bushing | Composite bushing |
| Warranty | Lifetime warranty | Lifetime warranty |
REP Fitness Colorado Bar Rating
From specialty bars designed for power racks to Olympic barbells made for more dynamic movements, the Breaking Muscle team has put various barbells through the wringer to find out what separates the most effective from the remaining. Testing greater than 75 models using a gauntlet of squats, cleans, presses, and other lifts, we developed a proprietary scoring system to rank them based on several aspects, corresponding to price, knurling, versatility, and sturdiness.
Here’s how the REP Colorado Bar scored across each category.
| Factor | Rating (out of 5) |
| Price and value | 4 |
| Delivery | 5 |
| Construction, materials, and coating | 4.5 |
| Knurling | 4.5 |
| Rotation system | 4.5 |
| Versatility | 5 |
| Durability | 5 |
| Warranty | 4 |
REP Fitness Colorado Bar In-Depth Review
The endcap of the REP Fitness Colorado Bar with the corporate’s logo, model, and weight listed.
The Colorado Bar will not be a real superstar at one task, but its versatility is what makes it shine. With several finish options, high-quality construct materials, and sufficient tensile strength for many lifters, we consider it’s a terrific option for anyone who likes to modify up their sort of training. Most significantly, REP’s flagship barbell provides excellent value since it could possibly fulfill multiple duties.
Price and Value
The worth for the Colorado Bar varies depending on what size and finish you like. The 15-kilogram (33-pound) model, which is best suited to beginners, female lifters, and smaller athletes, starts at $269.99 for the hard chrome finish. For $10 more, you may select a black or pink Cerakote shaft coating with Duracoat sleeves.
Alternatively, the bottom price for the 20-kilogram Colorado Bar is $319.99. For a mixed-use barbell in a tough chrome finish, the fee falls about according to the industry average. For instance, the Rogue Fitness Ohio Bar ranges between $275 to $415, depending on the finish. Nonetheless, it could be price upping your budget a bit to recuperate corrosion resistance and longevity. At $329.99, the Cerakote-finished Colorado Bar still brings loads of value, especially since you may make a choice from five shaft coating colours so as to add some creative flair to your property gym setup.
Furthermore, you don’t need to fret about freight costs. As of this writing, REP Fitness offers free shipping, which might prevent no less than $25. Overall, the Colorado bar packs a ton of customizable options right into a well-priced piece of gym equipment, making it our pick for the most effective budget barbell. We rated it 4 out of 5 stars for the worth.
Delivery
Let’s just say ordering a barbell on Amazon generally is a bit like fiddling with fire. After I ordered a budget-friendly one for my home gym, the delivery process ended up being a serious dud, with a low-quality bar from a wholly different brand than I had chosen arriving in damaged packaging that left the endcaps exposed. Unnecessary to say, that disappointing experience left a bitter taste in my mouth about having a barbell shipped to my front door.
Luckily for our product testers, REP Fitness made sure the Colorado Bar arrived at our warehouse in Springfield, MO, with zero issues. I used to be pleased to listen to it suffered no damage during its journey. Well-packaged and well-protected, we gave REP 5 out of 5 stars for a smooth, painless delivery process.
Construction, Materials, and Coating
With a 28.5-millimeter shaft, the 20-kilogram Colorado Bar comes near the 29-millimeter mark you’ll find in most power bars. A part of its appeal is that it has a shaft diameter that falls right in between Olympic and powerlifting standards.
REP gives you ample finish options with the Colorado Bar, including Cerakote (which is available in black, blue, green, red, or white) or hard chrome with hard chrome sleeves. Nonetheless, take note that chrome plating can reduce the longevity of a bar by 50 percent, which isn’t ideal should you drop the bar quite a bit. Based on our collective knowledge about barbells and the particular steel each brand uses, we’d estimate that the Colorado bar can last no less than 30 years in a house gym setting.
Meanwhile, the Cerakote bars have a lifespan of greater than 50 years because of their F2-R rating. Unlike the F1-R-rated chrome version, they feature Duracoat sleeves that provide higher levels of scratch and corrosion resistance through a chemical process that hardens the skin of the steel to create a smooth black finish.
Speaking of seamless, the Colorado Bar’s smooth sleeves make loading and unloading your weight plates a breeze. While I benefit from the efficiency of smooth sleeves, other Breaking Muscle staff members like our Reviews Editor Amanda Dvorak prefer ribbed sleeves because the plates stay in place higher even without collars.
Mix that with a cultured endcap design that has the corporate logo, name, and weight of the bar laser-etched on the within the sleeve, and you could have all of the makings of a premium bar at a non-premium price. Overall, the Colorado scored 4.5 out of 5 stars for construction.
Knurling
A Breaking Muscle team member performs a front squat with the Colorado Bar.
As a mixed-use bar, the Colorado comes with dual knurl markings for International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) specifications. This makes it easy to discover where to position your hands when bench pressing or performing other lifts, like snatches. At the identical time, the absence of a middle knurl lets you comfortably perform Olympic-style movements (like cleans) or high-volume overhead presses without having to fret about scraping up your throat.
The knurling pattern on the Colorado Bar isn’t quite as aggressive as what you may find in an influence bar like REP’s Double Black Diamond Bar, which features deep mountain-style knurling that makes it ideal for deadlifting but not ideal for more dynamic movements. As an alternative, REP went with a medium-depth, volcano-style knurling that also provides adequate grip without tearing up your hands during high-repetition training sessions. For many athletes, volcano knurling works best, because it provides 4 points of contact on each marking, resulting in a superior grip and fewer slippage.
Creating sufficient friction without being too abrasive, the Colorado Bar’s medium knurling pattern scored 4.5 out of 5 stars on our grading scale.
Rotation System
REP really paid attention to the small print of the Colorado Bar’s rotation system. Somewhat than following the industry standard of putting bronze bushings in a multi-purpose bar (like Rogue did with each the Ohio Bar and the more economically priced Echo Bar), they went the additional mile through the use of composite bushings.
Besides lasting longer than their bronze counterparts, composite bushings reduce the quantity of noise when dropping the bar while still providing good spin — something our product testers took note of during their training sessions with the Colorado. Plus, composite bushings also make for tighter tolerances, meaning there’s less wobble between the sleeve and the shaft.
REP’s decision to make the Colorado Bar with bushings as a substitute of bearings caters on to fans of the large three lifts. Power bars often feature bushings since the sleeves spin more slowly, which makes the barbell feel more balanced while performing deadlifts and bench presses.
Alternatively, weightlifting bars typically use faster-spinning bearings that play a critical role when the barbell is quickly changing directions during snatches and cleans. As well as, the superior spin rate from bearings also helps reduce stress on the joints if you execute the “catch” portion of a clean or snatch. Still, most multi-purpose bars leave bearings behind for bushings because the latter are more versatile, quieter, and cheaper.
Between a smooth spin rate, enhanced durability, and a quieter lifting experience, the Colorado Bar earned 4.5 out of 5 stars for its rotation system.
Versatility
Specifically designed to accommodate quite a lot of workout styles, the Colorado Bar is the final word Swiss army knife. With a tensile strength rating of 190,000 kilos per square inch (PSI), you may confidently crush PRs with none problems. In reality, the Colorado bar has the identical PSI rating as competitors just like the TITAN Series Cerakote Olympic Barbell from Titan Fitness and the Rogue Ohio Bar.
Also able to getting used for non-powerlifting exercises like curls, overhead presses, and cleans, the Colorado Bar can handle absolutely anything you throw its way. It might not outperform a specialty bar, but should you’re in search of one barbell to rule all of them in your property gym, this all-around beast can actually rise up to the duty.
All in all, we gave the Colorado Bar 5 out of 5 stars for versatility.
Durability
A green Cerakote version of the Colorado Bar resting on a squat rack.
As considered one of its newer models, the Colorado Bar has yet to point out how it could possibly delay over time. But based on the materials and design, we’re confident it’s going to proceed to perform well and look good for the long haul.
That said, the safest route — no less than from a durability standpoint — is to go along with the Cerakote version. Other barbells we’ve tested that feature this finish have lasted greater than six months without rusting. Considering lots of them are stored in non-temperature-controlled rooms, that speaks volumes concerning the level of protection Cerakote provides.
And should you’re still concerned about longevity, REP stands behind its barbells with a lifetime warranty (more on that below). Ultimately, we rated the Colorado Bar 5 out of 5 stars for durability.
Warranty
All REP barbells include a lifetime warranty. Nonetheless, the policy only covers manufacturing defects. So, in case your Colorado Bar gets damaged on account of negligent use (i.e., dropping it with iron weight plates loaded on it), you’re a bit out of luck. You’ll also run right into a roadblock should you store your barbell outside, as it will robotically void your warranty.
In comparison with other manufacturers, REP Fitness doesn’t offer quite the identical level of coverage. For instance, Rogue’s lifetime warranty also includes bending that’s not on account of faulty use or abusive dropping of the bar.
So, although the Colorado Bar features a lifetime warranty, the defect-only disclaimer led to a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on this category.
REP Fitness Colorado Bar vs. Rogue Ohio Bar
It’s clear REP had considered one of its competitors in mind when coming up with the Colorado Bar. Not only is it named after the placement of the corporate’s headquarters similar to Rogue’s Ohio Bar, but it surely packs similar features right into a similarly-priced product.
Despite minor differences in dimensions (the Colorado bar is 0.15 inches shorter with 0.3 fewer inches of loadable sleeve length), each bars have the identical shaft diameters (28.5 millimeters) and tensile strength rating (190 KSI). Nonetheless, the Colorado Bar’s composite bushings give it a tighter tolerance and quieter sound than its competitor’s bronze bushings. Plus, our testers found it to have a bit more aggressive knurling than the Ohio Bar.
Alternatively, Rogue offers a wider range of finish options. The Ohio Bar is available in five different shaft coatings (black oxide, chrome steel, black zinc, E-coat, or Cerakote) and 4 different sleeve coatings (chrome, proprietary black matte, vibrant zinc, or chrome steel). In consequence, the worth for this American-made barbell ranges from $295 to $465.
Overall, either bar will work well together with your squat rack and might withstand loads of pounding. REP may manufacture their products in China, but they’ve established a rock-solid repute for quality within the fitness equipment industry. Ultimately, though, should you need a barbell produced within the USA that has a rather more inclusive lifetime warranty, Rogue’s Ohio Bar will probably be the solution to go.
Rogue Fitness Ohio Bar
4.5
- Comes with a lifetime guarantee against bending
- Weighs 20 kilograms (about 44 kilos) and has a 28.5-millimeter diameter
- 16.4-inch loadable sleeve length
- Dual knurl rings and no center knurl
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REP Fitness Colorado Bar Customer Reviews
There’s little doubt REP hit a house run by releasing the Colorado Bar throughout the summer of 2023. Inside just just a few months, customers have found it to be a worthwhile investment for his or her home gyms based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback. With 4.9 stars based on 75 reviews, lifters across the country have fallen in love with the newest addition to REP’s line of home gym equipment.
Besides being impressed with the look and overall finish of the Colorado Bar, customers also appreciate the medium-aggressive knurling and smooth spin rate courtesy of the composite bushings. One user noted that the oil out of your fingers shows through on the black finish, which can make going with one other color a less stressful alternative.
Final Verdict: Is the REP Fitness Colorado Bar Price It?
The REP Fitness Colorado Bar brings a premium feel at a reasonably inexpensive price. While there are actually cheaper options available, home gym enthusiasts who value versatility and a spotlight to detail shouldn’t hesitate to drag the trigger on REP’s recent flagship barbell.
For lower than $330, you may get a high-quality, Cerakote-finished bar that’s designed to handle nearly any sort of workout, comes with a lifetime warranty, and might anchor your garage gym setup all by itself. Although the Rogue Ohio Bar is actually a worthy contender on account of its durability, price, and performance, you may confidently call upon the Colorado Bar to aid you achieve your strength- and muscle-building goals.
FAQs
Is REP Fitness made in China?
As of the start of 2022, most REP Fitness products are made in China. Nonetheless, the corporate manufactures globally with a continuing eye on expanding its production base to other locations.
What are the size of the REP Fitness Colorado bar?
The 20-kilogram version of the REP Fitness Colorado Bar measures 86.6 inches long with a loadable sleeve length of 16.1 inches. With a shaft diameter of 28.5 millimeters and a sleeve diameter of fifty millimeters, it could possibly fit Olympic weight plates with no issues. Meanwhile, the 15-kilogram model is 79.1 inches long with a loadable sleeve length of 12.4 inches, a shaft diameter of 25 millimeters, and a sleeve diameter of fifty millimeters.
Where does REP Fitness ship from?
While the manufacturing process takes place overseas, REP ships their products from considered one of their two U.S.-based warehouses, situated in Pennsylvania and Southern California.