Bells of Steel 100% RAW Competition Curl Bar
A 29 mm competition curl bar with bearings and aggressive knurl — built to a federation spec, not to a price.
Specs
| Weight | 27.34 lb |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29 mm |
| Length | 58 1/2 in (1,486 mm) |
| Max capacity | 600 lb (272 kg) |
| Knurl | Aggressive |
| Center knurl | False |
| Shaft finish | Red Cerakote |
| Sleeve finish | Gold titanium plating |
| Loadable sleeve length | 7 in (178 mm) |
| Sleeve assembly | Bearings and snap rings |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime |
These figures are copied from Bells of Steel’s own published specs and were last checked on 2026-08-31. Manufacturers revise products without notice, and variants differ. Confirm anything your decision depends on with Bells of Steel before you buy.
Choose this one if
- You compete in strict curl under 100% RAW rules
- You want a straight curl bar rather than an EZ bar
- You want bearings on a curl bar, which almost nothing else offers
The detail
This is a competition bar, not a comfort bar, and the specification says so. A 29 mm straight shaft with aggressive knurl and no centre knurl is built to the 100% RAW strict curl standard — the same diameter as a power bar, so the bar you train on is the bar you compete on.
If you are not competing, understand what you are buying. A straight bar forces your forearms into full supination, which is exactly the position an EZ curl bar exists to avoid. For anyone whose wrists or medial elbows complain, this is the wrong bar and an EZ or rotating-handle bar is the right one. For a strict curl competitor, supination is the lift.
Bearings in a curl bar are genuinely unusual. Almost every curl bar uses bushings or nothing at all. Bearings mean the sleeves spin freely under a strict curl, so the plates do not fight the bar's rotation as your wrists move through the rep.
Aggressive knurl is right on a bar you will grip at maximum effort with chalked hands and no straps.
The 7-inch loadable sleeve is the practical ceiling — roughly one and a half 45 lb iron plates per side. Given a strict curl world record sits well under 300 lb, that is more than adequate, and the 600 lb capacity is nominal.
At 27.34 lb and 58.5 inches long it is heavier and longer than a typical curl bar; write the weight down.
Red Cerakote over the shaft with gold titanium-plated sleeves is durable as well as loud — Cerakote resists corrosion and abrasion far better than the zinc on cheaper bars.