Fringe Sport Shorty Bar

Fringe Sport Shorty Bar

Features & Highlights

• Matte Chrome – Chrome is a cost efficient plating that does a good-but-not-great job at fighting off oxidation. You won’t get the same feel as you would with a non-plated finish like bare steel, stainless steel, etc… but you get a nice blend of feel and rust resistance without the larger price tag. The matte finish is a cool-looking feature that is different from the standard hard chrome. 
• 28mm Shaft – The 28mm shaft is a nice option for a multi-purpose bar since most of them have a 28.5mm diameter. If you like a thinner shaft or if you train the Olympic lifts more than the powerlifts, you’ll love the 28mm.
• Shorter Sleeves – This bar gets its name due to the fact is has shorter sleeves to accommodate tighter spaces. The sleeves are 8 7/16″ in length as opposed to the ~16.3″ on a standard barbell.
• Grooved Sleeves – The grooved sleeves will tend to keep the plates on the bar better than a smooth sleeve when not using collars, but they will also be louder.
• No Center Knurl – The bar does not offer a center knurl, which is useful on high rep training sessions and/or in cases where a lifter wants a more comfortable bar.
• Strong Warranty – The Hybrid bar comes with a lifetime warranty against manufacturer’s defects and bending.

From the Manufacturer

Ever look at a barbell and think “I love this, but it’s just too long?” An uncommon problem, sure- but one that affects many.

With the Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell, we’ve created the only barbell on the market that conforms (and performs) to standard 20kg barbell specs – but is over a foot shorter than a normal barbell.

You get a full 28mm diameter shaft that is perfect for Oly movements, as well as being great for general WODing and Power lifts- and the shaft is full 216,200 psi tensile strength- tested to over 2200 pounds of stress. And here’s the kicker- the shaft of the barbell is full width, so the Shorty Barbell fits on all standard racks and supports a full snatch grip- even from you tall drinks of water.

Plus, this is a true performance barbell – constructed in the same facility and to similar specifications as our flagship Fringe Sport Weightlifting and Hybrid bars.

You might wonder if there are any compromises with the Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell. Well, there’s no free lunch. But any compromises on this awesome barbell will be easy to live with.

We eliminated the length on the sleeves- going down to 8 7/16″ of loadable space.

Don’t worry- the Shorty Barbell will still support bar loads of 225+ pounds of training barbells- and well over 400 pounds if you use iron.

The only other “compromise” is that we took the weight of this barbell from 20kg (44 pounds) to 15kg (33 pounds). So your barbell math with change by about 10 pounds.

The Shorty Barbell is a great option for running competitions, WODing in smaller boxes, or even working out in that corner of your garage that you thought was “too small.”

What They’re Saying at FringeSport.com

The Fringe Sport Shorty Bar receives positive feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.7/5 at fringesport.com, here are some of the things they have said:

Positive

• “I purchased this bar for a very tight space that I converted into a home gym area and it has worked out great. The bar fits into my squat stand perfectly, and while the sleeves are short by design, they are more than adequate for most applications. If you’re quite strong, you may have to use iron plates as opposed to bumpers to load sufficient weight. If you’re a super strong powerlifter (or Ronnie Coleman), then you could run out of room on the sleeves, but that’s about the only time I could see that happening. Quality of the bar is top notch – super strong & great feel. Five stars for me easily.”
• “I purchased the shorty bar for my garage gym. So far I am loving it after two weeks of use. I needed a bar that would save space but did not compromise any grip or racking changes from a standard Olympic barbell. This bar feels great. It is sturdy and performs just as it should. I was happy to find this barbell as it suits my needs exactly”
• “Shaft is long enough to grip for all of my lifts and racks in my cage easily. Collars spin easily with little to no play or rattle. Machining on the collars allows plates to slide over easily, but clips stay put. 4 stars instead of 5 because I prefer a more aggressive knurling and this one is on the less grippy side of the scale. Definitely won’t tear your hands up, though. Far and away, this is the best short barbell I could find for my cramped workout area.”
• “Needed a bar that would fit into a compact space that was also rackable, supported heavy weights, and wasn’t a women/junior bar. This is literally the only product I could find that met those requirements. With iron plates, it’s unlikely you’ll ever run out of collar space. Built like a tank…routinely loading with 400+ lbs and the bar is still in perfect shape.”
• “Was a little worried when first received as I did not understand how it was built. After asking some questions and getting 1st class response for customer service I am very happy with this purchase. Quality is top notch and after a couple of work outs am very pleased with the shorty bar.”
• “I love this bar. Very impressed with the quality of it. I train in my garage and its length is ideal for this setting. A must have if you train in confined spaces.”
• “Very nice knurl and chrome matte finish on the bar. A great bar for tight workout areas. Short but strong.”
• “Great bar. A huge upgrade from what I was using.I only have a small area in the corner of an unfinished basement so that one foot difference in length makes everything more manageable. I call my little gym the dungeon, this bar makes it much easier to make that trip down the stairs. You guys don’t give this bar the praise it deserves.”

Critical

• “Love the design for my tight quarters. The coating is uneven in the center. Half is smooth, half is rough. Still would buy another from Fringe Sport.”

Garage Gym Lab Review

Garage Gym Lab has not yet reviewed this bar.

Other Options

The below barbells were picked as alternatives to the Fringe Sport Shorty Bar.