Are the Xtreme Rings Weather Proof?

Hello people!

I have a small but pertinent question..

I want to know if the Xtreme Rings have been weather tested? My rings are outside in the terrace hanging from the asbestos roof support.

Here in New Delhi, we often have extreme weather conditions. Rain, Heat, Dust all are there.

Average day temperatures during summers are 45 C(113 F). It is also quite dusty and there are sudden thunderstorms too.

The rings have started to accumulate dust. But I am much more worried about the cam buckles. How to clean them? Are they rust proof? Can they resist water corrosion and high temperatures of the summers?

Any input would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance guys!

Still waiting for a reply on this topic...

I believe the rings are fairly durable, but the buckles would probably be a safety concern if the weather is that bad. Is there any way you can remove the rings after training? That's what I do. It's a hassle but keeps my gear nice. I've seen ideas for putting the rings in weatherproof bags, but I've never seen it done well enough that I'd feel confident leaving them outside.

I'm not sure you should have your rings in a position to knock off asbestos particles :/

Aside from that, direct sunlight will almost certainly weaken the rings themselves over time. This is a general issue with nearly all polycarbonates, and is why polypropylene rope is generally not suited for long periods of direct sun exposure. All synthetics degrade over time in the sun, some faster than others.

I think that something as simple as keeping a rag or other sun-blocking tool wrapped around the rings when they are not in use will prevent all damage.

Nilan said:

Still waiting for a reply on this topic...

Well, your rings have now hung outside for 10 months in extreme weather...

Why don't you tell us how they look?

Based on your report, I am sure we can answer your question with precision

Klaudius Petrulis said:

I believe the rings are fairly durable, but the buckles would probably be a safety concern if the weather is that bad. Is there any way you can remove the rings after training? That's what I do. It's a hassle but keeps my gear nice. I've seen ideas for putting the rings in weatherproof bags, but I've never seen it done well enough that I'd feel confident leaving them outside.

Yeah I actually tried wrapping both the buckles and the rings in 2 layers of plastic bags. I didn't have weatherproof bags with me. I kept them like this for about 2 weeks

After 2 weeks..the condition of the rings seemed fine but the buckles themselves had developed a thin but noticeable layer of rust

So I guess it answers my question. You are right, I suppose I do have to manually set up the rings every time I decide to train on it from now on.

FredInChina said:

Well, your rings have now hung outside for 10 months in extreme weather...

Why don't you tell us how they look?

Based on your report, I am sure we can answer your question with precision

Well I wouldn't say 10 motnhs

I kept them for about 2 weeks in 2 layers of plastic bags when I saw no one had been able to answer. Based on those 2 weeks, I saw the rings appeared fine, but the buckles had a thin layer of rust and a lot of dust accumulated near the teeth.

I dismantled the rings subsequently afterwards as I was not strong enough to train the basic support position on the rings.

But now that I have mastered the support position on the parallel bars, as well as execute a fair number of regular dips on them, I have been wondering how to move to the next stage of training as it is impossible to execute Russian Dips on the parallel bars I had been using.

I'd be grateful if perhaps you could view this query of mine in this thread : https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/10334-parallel-bars-too-wide-seeking-suggestion-on-next-stage-of-training/

Joshua Naterman said:

I'm not sure you should have your rings in a position to knock off asbestos particles :/

 

Aside from that, direct sunlight will almost certainly weaken the rings themselves over time. This is a general issue with nearly all polycarbonates, and is why polypropylene rope is generally not suited for long periods of direct sun exposure. All synthetics degrade over time in the sun, some faster than others.

 

I think that something as simple as keeping a rag or other sun-blocking tool wrapped around the rings when they are not in use will prevent all damage.

Thank you Joshua for such a detailed explanation with all the technical reasons too I am sure it wouldn't be amiss to state that all of us here on the forum look forward to your reply

I suppose now I can safely say that its best if I set up and dismantle the rings every time after use.

As I've mentioned in my 2 previous replies, I did leave them outside for about 2 weeks, wrapped in 2 layers of plastic bags with less than stellar results.

Now that I am wondering how to progress further in my training as I ask about it here : https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/10334-parallel-bars-too-wide-seeking-suggestion-on-next-stage-of-training/ , I wanted to be sure that leaving rings outside is really not a good idea for longevity of the rings.

Ah, the buckle rust. Definitely try to avoid that!

You can set up a sling and a carabeener for rapid set-up so that you don't have to re-thread and reset your rings each workout. It will reduce your setup time from a few minutes to a few seconds, which is very handy.

If you're not sure what to get for that, I strongly urge you to check IronMind's website and get some of the daisy chains that go along with the hip belt. One pair of those (meaning two daisy chains) will last you forever and are as strong or stronger than the rings.

You could probably prolong the life of the cams by applying a rust-proof paint or other coating. 

As Josh said, the sun is probably the biggest issue for the rings themselves. Setting up some sort of quick attachment system is what I would recommend. But you still have to make sure the mount point you install is weatherproof. 

Clear polycarb will yellow and become more brittle in the sun.  Adding the black pigment changes things quite a bit, making it faritly uv resistant.

Polypropylene is also good in the sun, nylon not as good, not sure what the straps are made of. 

Of course weather exposure is going to cause wear and tear much faster than indoor use, that's just a fact of life.

I have had 2 sets of mine outside for a number of years without any issues. They are not in direct sun currently, but spent about a year in direct sunlight for the majority of the day. Only issue I ever had was when I wanted to use them during those summer sunshine hours ... ouch!

- Chris

chobbs said:

I have had 2 sets of mine outside for a number of years without any issues. They are not in direct sun currently, but spent about a year in direct sunlight for the majority of the day. Only issue I ever had was when I wanted to use them during those summer sunshine hours ... ouch!

 

- Chris

Hello Chris! Thanks for your kind reply and input.

It is interesting to note your experiences. I take it that the cam buckles also remained relatively in the same condition as when they arrived? No rusting etc?

Here the cams accumulate too much dust and there is a small layer of rust near the teeth. Hence, I believe that really I have no option but to manually set up the rings and dismantle them every time. It takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes to do so but there really is no other choice

Joshua Naterman said:

Ah, the buckle rust. Definitely try to avoid that!

 

You can set up a sling and a carabeener for rapid set-up so that you don't have to re-thread and reset your rings each workout. It will reduce your setup time from a few minutes to a few seconds, which is very handy.

 

If you're not sure what to get for that, I strongly urge you to check IronMind's website and get some of the daisy chains that go along with the hip belt. One pair of those (meaning two daisy chains) will last you forever and are as strong or stronger than the rings.

Thanks for your reply again Joshua

Indeed I am simply removing the rings now after my workout. Setting and dismantling takes ~10-15 minutes so something to speed up the process is welcome. 

I am looking into the website right now, but I suspect even if I find what is needed, I would need to import them here and....well....I am a bit wary now as my last product never got delivered :/ . It was a supplement from Nova Adam I'd ordered from bodybuilding.com....never reached here and I've pretty much given it up as it's been over 5 months. Anyhow, I digress.  Let's see what can be found in that site.

Thanks again for all your input!

Cole Dano said:

Clear polycarb will yellow and become more brittle in the sun.  Adding the black pigment changes things quite a bit, making it faritly uv resistant.

 

Polypropylene is also good in the sun, nylon not as good, not sure what the straps are made of. 

 

Of course weather exposure is going to cause wear and tear much faster than indoor use, that's just a fact of life.

Ahan that is interesting, seeing that you and Joshua seem to differ on polypropylene degradation. I'd been considering sourcing an outdoor rope for rope climbing and was wondering to get manna or polypropylene. 

I think I will put this idea on hold for the time being and simply focus on my current routine.

Nilan said:

Hello Chris! Thanks for your kind reply and input.

 

It is interesting to note your experiences. I take it that the cam buckles also remained relatively in the same condition as when they arrived? No rusting etc?

 

Here the cams accumulate too much dust and there is a small layer of rust near the teeth. Hence, I believe that really I have no option but to manually set up the rings and dismantle them every time. It takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes to do so but there really is no other choice

Hi NIlan,

Yes the buckles have been in the same conditions. Since we moved to our current location pretty much all of my equipment has had to be outside. My Olympic bars and bumper plates have accumulated a decent amount of rust, but I haven't noticed anything on the buckles. I will check them out today and post back if otherwise.

You could always take them down and clean them in a vinegar wash every month or so. Rust really isn't a big deal and takes a long time to do any lasting damage anyway. 

In regards to ways to setup quicker, I would hook a carabiner into an eyebolt then, rather than thread the the straps through the bolt, you can just slip it into the carabiner and out when you are finished. No undo-ing of the straps necessary. That should save a significant amount of time. This is presuming you have a convenient way to reach to the height they are hung from.

- Chris

Polypropylene is the least durable of all synthetic fibers in regards to UV, with Nylon being quite good and polyester being the absolute best (excluding certain highly expensive synthetics).

I believe the straps are nylon, and that's quite good enough. Nylon handles UV very nicely.

in short, polypropylene<nylon<polyester, with nylon and polyester being significantly better than polypropylene.

They all weather pretty nicely though, in absolute terms. If you have the straps out in full sun all day, you want them to be nylon or polyester.

Mine just got wet as a result of training in my local park Hope they don't rust.

Just dry off the buckles and you'll be fine.

Yes thats what I did when I got home. I must admit I feel so badass when training in the rain:)