Great for 29ers
Flat, wide, and great for 29ers, Soma's Odin Handlebar puts you in a position to shred. It's made of aluminum and features a comfortable backsweep design that won't put your hands too far back. Overall Rating:5 Value Rating:5 Submitted by deans Date Reviewed: August 30, 2012 Strengths: Like a flat bar but with sweep and zero rise. Stiff, perfect for climbing. Weaknesses: Wide! On the first time I rode with these bars, I clipped a branch and fell. But most people are smart enough to cut their bars to their preferences before riding an epic ride. Bottom Line: I am writing this review for the 31.8 version of this bar. It is almost the same as the 25.4, but with a thicker center. I installed these on my 29er Soma Juice.
I used to ride with a 110 mm stem with a negative rise to compensate for the rise on my old riser bars. It worked fine for a couple of years but it is not ideal and it looked ugly. Then I came across these bars and it was a match made in heaven. I switched to these bars and immediately switched my stem orientation. The 110mm stem was overkill with these bars so I switched to 100mm and that worked perfectly. Now I don't have much of my weight on the front wheel, improving my weight distribution. I have a tad bit more control over the bike because of the shorter stem and more leverage when climbing hills because of the 720mm width. I don't know why it says 715mm on the website because when I measured it, it came out as 720mm. The sweep is really comfortable, it is more than my old Gravity riser bars.
This is perfect for 29ers or those looking for an alternative to flat bars. These bars are gonna be on my 26" Chameleon soon.”
-- Dean (reviewed in mtbr.com)
odin
“Strengths: Offer a very relaxed position for the wrist, yet just enough to give feel control. The initial forward sweep offers good clearance for the knees when you want to stand and really grind out some hills. Wide enough to really allow you to open your lungs after a tough climb.
Weaknesses: A few more degrees of bend would be nice, but this is not enough to really complain about.
Bottom Line: It took several years and many bar and stem combos to dial in my ride, but the Soma Odin finally has me comfortable.”
-- CustomZ
Like the bend
“I really like the bend of this bar. It's more comfortable than a straight flat bar and after a bit of trimming feels like a dream. The only thing you might want to watch out for, which is personal preference, is upward or downward tilt. If it's too far downward they can feel a bit odd.”
