ODUB Handlebar

The DMR ODUB is Olly Wilkins' signature handlebar, and it has quietly become one of the most respected alloy bars in mountain biking. Two decades of riding everything from dirt jumps to XC went into the shape, and the result is a 5° upsweep and 8° backsweep that feels immediately familiar whichever bike you bolt it to.

The clever bit is the spiral butting. By varying the wall thickness along the length of the tube, DMR have made the ODUB stronger and lighter than anything they had produced before, with a measured amount of compliance where you actually want it. Pinkbike measured 31 different handlebars and concluded that the 31.8mm ODUB in 50mm rise should be the most comfortable of the lot, deflecting 5.97mm under a 24kg load. Less buzz through your hands on a long, rough descent, and no weight penalty for it.

It is not just rider tested. The 35mm, 50mm and 65mm rise bars have all passed the EFBE Tri-Test at GR-Gravity and DH level (CAT5), which puts them well beyond the standard EN safety tests. EFBE build their test programme around real data collected from hard riding, then run strength, fatigue and overload cycles on the same bar, so a pass genuinely reflects the abuse the bar will see on the trail.

Going aluminium rather than carbon was a deliberate choice. As Olly puts it: "Carbon seems a dangerous option when you're clamping brakes, dropper levers and gear shifters onto it, not to mention throwing your bike in the back of a van. Handlebars are not a product I want to worry about failing, and the ODUB bar fits that."

Pick the 31.8mm clamp version if you want to keep your existing stem, or the 35mm clamp for the stiffer, wider option. Rise choices run from a low 20mm through 35mm and 50mm up to a 65mm high rise that suits dirt jump and DH bikes. The Vapour Blast versions add DMR's exclusive vapour-blasted treatment, an ultra-matt finish available in Vapour Black, Vapour Silver and Vapour Bronze. True to form, the bars ship with no packaging at all, with the barcode printed on the product itself.

Features

• Spiral butted tube - strength, comfort and fatigue life without added weight
• DH certified - EFBE Tri-Test pass for DH and Gravity use, CAT5
• Perfect sweep - 8° back, 5° up, dialled in over years of testing
• Rise options - from 20mm up to a 65mm high rise
• Clamp options - 31.8mm or 35mm bar clamp
• Vapour Blast finish - ultra-matt vapour-blasted treatment in Black, Silver or Bronze
• Signature product - designed and perfected by DMR pro rider Olly Wilkins
• Zero packaging - no box, no waste, barcode printed on the bar

Specification

• Material: 7050 heat treated, spiral butted aluminium
• Clamp diameter: 31.8mm or 35mm
• Width: 780mm (31.8mm clamp) / 800mm (35mm clamp)
• Rise: 20mm, 35mm, 50mm or 65mm depending on option
• Upsweep: 5°
• Backsweep: 8°
• Certification: EFBE Tri-Test pass, DH and Gravity, CAT5
• Weight: 335g
• Colours: Black, Vapour Black, Vapour Silver, Vapour Bronze

Reviews

Pinkbike - "If you subscribe to the widely accepted theory that compliance buys you comfort, then you should buy the most compliant handlebar that fits the intended purpose. To that end, of the handlebars we have measured so far, the 31.8mm DMR O'Dub bar with a 50mm rise should be the most comfortable bar of the lot. It is the most compliant bar tested with a deflection of 5.97mm under the 24kg load. And it's the most affordable."

off-road.cc - "The ODUB is a great value, no-nonsense alloy handlebar that just works well across the board, with a perfect blend of compliance and strength and a really comfortable shape, as well as a wide range of rises to suit most riders."