Here is a question someone could possibly help answer. I have an old Weider Olympic set from the early nineties. Now I can find nothing much about these sets and all of the sets I find for sale here in the US now are in even pounds. My old set is in kilograms and has a 220cm (7' 2 3/4") bar with the spinner collars. When I bought the set I believe I bought the 318 - 319lbs (depends on rounding) set which would roughly translate to 145kg. Now I can find these 145kg sets in Europe but not in the U.S. or in the Wieder brand. To see a similar set go to - http://www.sport-tiedje.com/sporttie...et145_50mm.htm

When I weigh the bar with it's collars on my bathroom scale it comes up almost exactly 50lbs (22.68kg) but if you figure up the weights, the bar & collars must weigh 55lbs (25kg) to make the numbers come out. I also tried weighing myself then weighing again holding a 44lb. plate and my weight only increased 41lbs. so the scales are off a bit.

With no accurate way of weighing the bar and collars, for keeping track of lifts if you were me would you count the bar as 50lbs or 55lbs?

That bar in the link provided is a 45 pd bar. Almost all olympic bars are going to be 45 pds.

Ive got the same bench youve got I got it as a hand down from a cousin. He told me the bar weighed 45 lbs and Ive done some looking around to be sure and most olympic bars do weigh 45 lbs.

Yes a 20kg bar translates to 44.09 pounds but don't forget about the spinners at 2.5 kg (5.51lbs) each? That adds another 10lbs to bar making a total of 55.1lbs. I am going to see if the feed store up town has a scale. I think they do and if so Doug who owns it will let me weight the bar.

The spinners are included as part of the weight of the bar. Olympic bars come as a standardized weight. They do make some 55 pd bars but they're very expensive and usually only seen in powerlifting circles. They're not something you can pick up at your local sporting good store typically and usually have to be special ordered.

Some universities will carry 55 pd bars but it's not the norm.