Coach Josh from CrossFit Soda City goes over how to get those Rogue Barbells spinning fast again.
Here's a video going over how to appropriately remove the snap rings to clean the inside of a Rogue Fitness Barbell.
This will work (that I have personally tried) on a Rogue 2.0 Bar, Rogue Econo Bar, and Rogue Bella Bar. I'm sure there are other bars it may work for, these are the only ones I have personally done.
DISCLAIMER- the best way is to NOT have to do this. This is NOT a licensed tutorial, but things happen, and here's how you can DIY for little to no cost.
Long story short- The SC Flood in 2015 caused part of the roof at our gym to give way, a lot of water dumped down to where we had our bars hanging vertically, got in the bars, and a few of them pretty much stopped spinning at all. Had to fix them.
Forgive my speech and camera quality here, I did it by myself, no one to hold the camera, and some of the audio drops out.
Here's a step by step list:
Items Needed
-Snap Ring Pliers (good quality from an auto store would be best)
-320 grit sandpaper
-light steel wool
-white lithium grease
Step 1:
Remove outer snap ring
Step 2:
Remove dust cover
Step 3:
Remove inner snap ring
(This ring is a little smaller than the outer ring- I like to stack everything up as I take it out in order so there's no confusion)
Step 4:
Gently slide sleeve of barbell back keeping hand under barbell. There will be some "rings" on the inside. Notice the order they're in and keep them in that order.
Step 5:
Once removing the rings, gently slide the sleeve off of the bar
Step 6:
With a rag or paper towel, gently wipe where the bushings sit on either end of the bar.
Step 7:
With the 320 grit sand paper, gently sand down the edges, you will see wear and tear, typically towards the inner part of the bar. Not too rough, just get that residue off (listen to video on what I've found the MAIN culprit is from you "chalk monsters"!)
*more on "chalk monsters" below
Step 8:
Using the light steel wool, polish both ends of the bar
Step 9:
Using the light steel wool, clean the inner parts of the sleeves so there's no residue
Step 10:
Take lithium grease and apply over both areas you just cleaned AND the inside of the sleeve that will be in contact with the bar
Step 11:
Slide sleeve back on to bar, replace rings in the exact order you took them off, replace snap ring, dust cover and outer snap ring (make sure both rings are sitting in their "groove")
Step 12:
Repeat other side. Enjoy!
*Chalk Monsters- Every CrossFit gym has them, and depending on your weather, not only can it be a constant mess, but can also damage your equipment! CrossFit Soda City is located in "Famously Hot" Columbia, SC. A very humid environment and the temperatures in the Summer regularly are above 100 degrees on top of the high humidity. Some people have really sweaty hands. Instead of wiping their hands off on a towel first and then getting chalk, they just stick their wet hands in chalk, it becomes paste as the sweat continues to run down their arms to their hands, and the paste, over time, gets inside the sleeve when the barbells aren't cleaned regularly. We now regularly inform members who have very sweaty hands to be aware of their chalk usage, and deep clean our bars weekly. Once you start doing it regularly, it is easy to maintain.
