Long Term Review: Wren Inverted Fat Bike Fork
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- čas přidán 19. 03. 2023
- One year ago, Wren sent me their 110mm fat bike suspension fork. With its unique inverted design, this fork has always been seen as an "underdog" in the fat bike suspension world. In this video, I discuss my experience with this fork over a year of riding on dirt, rocks, and all kinds of snow.
#mtb #fatbike #bike
Wren Fork - bit.ly/3M0bizV
5% Off RSD Bikes - Use code "5%yeararound" - rsdbikes.com
Budget Parts I Recommend:
Bucklos 4 Piston Brakes - amzn.to/3eJ2x1H
Gel MTB Saddle - amzn.to/3xjkdHs
My E-Bike:
Ride1Up Core5 - ride1up.com/product/core-5/?w...
Basic Maintenance Tools I Recommend:
Metric Hex Key Wrenches - amzn.to/3LV7P6v
Housing And Cable Cutter - amzn.to/3rZrQRj
Cassette Lockring Tool - amzn.to/3By2Vr9
Bottom Bracket Removal Tool - amzn.to/3gWlkVe
Chain Whip (or build your own) - amzn.to/34Jh0WV - Sport
Spot on review, it’s hard to beat the Wren, just did The Whole Enchilada on a 150mm set, didn’t let me down and even got set up advice from them. Plus they are fully adjustable on the trail with just a shock pump!
I have used and abused my 150mm wren fork for two full seasons on my hard tail and full suspension fat bike as well and I can say hands down!!! I have been able to ride the same trails and drops than my fiends on 140 - 160 mm full suspension regular bikes with no problem at all, and now with my full suspension fatbike it’s a killer. During summer season I put 29+ tires and clearance is not an issue, dialing it for summer conditions is easy just following the instructions and had no problem in cold weather. Initially I had the Mastodon in my mind but there not available and the shop had one Wren for immediate delivery and I took it. Definitely it changed the geometry of my hard tail fatbike from the 100mm Bluto to this one and it was for good. So, knock on wood but two years and no maintenance issues for now.
Those trails are absolutely beautiful, Montana seems like a good place go visit for mountain biking trip!
Had my Wren for just over a year, but didn’t ride much due to a spinal issue. That said, the installation and setup is very simple. Takes a little time to find the sweet spot but I found it easier than every other suspension fork I’ve used before. Regarding the service back up, it is market leading!! Called Russ with a question and as you experienced, super helpful human contact and precise guidance. The fact that the tools required are standard and they ship parts quickly without argument is, once again, market leading. I’ll be a Wren user for many years to come. Glad I spent the money on this fork as my first fat bike fork! Thanks for a great review!
Ryan Van Duzer on YT uses this fork on his Priority 600 HT with a Pinion gearbox. He does quite a few epic rides that take him days and weeks into the desert, mountains, and forests. He raves about this fork and he rides loaded up with gear. It may not be a fork designed for jumps or bike park, but it seems to be a great all around fork for trail and XC rides
Have a wren on the Priority 600x. Appreciated your thoughts here! I have had no issues and only love! Great stuff!
1700 miles on my Wren on my foes mutz..... Customer service is amazing. I too had a locked out damper issue that got replaced under warranty. Does it feel buttery soft like a lyrik, no seals have some stiction, make sure you maintain em or the fork really gets sticky. For middle of no where winter riding the simple nature of this fork is a huge plus. I think if they invested in a better set of seals, and fixed the damper issues it would be a more modern fork. In the end I like it, I push it hard, it works, looks cool
Great look at the Wren! My bluto has been less than stellar. Feel like every year I'm rebuilding it for one reason or another. Hearing the damper issue on the wren is a big bummer. Probably keep saving for the Mastodon like everyone else lol
Great video, you covered the “top three” very well. I would like to suggest one other fork for you to consider, the Lauf. On the up side, since there are no liquids to be affected by temperature. On the down side, there are no compression or rebound adjustments.
So far I love the wren! I don't think I have it dialed in though... I am sort of new and it seems like there are so many settings. I have watched a few videos but I think I need a wren for dummies video... hint hint...
I have had my Wren fatbike fork for 2 years. I blew out the damper, but they sent me a new one right away. All was good for a while, then the new damper lock out stopped working last week. I contacted Wren again, and a new damper is in the mail as we speak. I love the fork, especially compared with my previous Bluto, but I am not particularly jazzed about the two damper problems I have had. On a side note their costumer service is top notch.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I wonder what is causing the damper failure, but agree customer service is top notch. Im hoping they’ll take on the damper issue like they have some of the others in the past because I really like how this fork rides.
@@RideYearRound I am curious if other dampers could fit from other forks. I've seen some forks where people took damper from one fork installed into another. but not sure if that's feasible here, and if so which damper you need.
Nice review well done. I am curious if you had ever had the opportunity to ride with the Lauf fork?
I’m glad you asked. Originally they had a 225lb or so weight limit which basically ruled me out (except the middle of summer when I’m riding a lot more haha), but I just checked and they seem to have changed that all the way up to 287lbs which I’m well within. I’ll see if I can get my hands on one…
Thanks!
Thanks for your support!
Any bike packers out there mount ortlieb fork bags on a wren? It seems a big advantage of the inverted fork would be to remove the bags from the sprung weight. However I expect that you can’t use the lower guards making the fork more vulnerable to damage. I’d like to hear about any experience with this.
i have 3 fat bikes, 2 with the wren and 1 with the mastodon pro ext, need i say more?
Great review. It would be interesting to know why the damper failed, and where it failed and how it looks like. how did it feel like.
The seal broke somehow, there was fluid all over the bottom of the fork, but nothing visible inside. It felt “crunchy” would be the best way to describe it and the lockout didn’t work anymore.
@@RideYearRound For me this is a deal breaker. I I hope they will fix that. And I am curious if you can put a different damper in and if so which brand. or if there are any aftermarket dampers made for this fork.
Hi I’m in Australia I really like the wren fat bike fork but I am hesitant about it . We don’t have a reseller in Australia which means that I would have to send it back to the USA if it had any problems. So have you had any more issues with it.
I'm also in Aus and just bought one. Expensive bloody fork for us after you pay the import duty etc ($1330 AUD). I bought it because I wanted a quality fork with a straight steerer.. if you have a tapered head tube, it might be worth getting a Mastodon Pro as they're $300 AUD cheaper from Wiggle right now.
Mastodon comp gen 2 is $325 shipped right now
Hard to beat that. I think the pro Gen 2 is $450
Inverted design seems to be just prone to fail faster than a normal fork
I like the review, but basically, to sum it up, the fork had a complete and catastrophic failure in the first year. Sounds like the "its unreliable" crowd might be on to something.