Wren Inverted Fatbike Fork | Install & Setup

Having no prior fork installation experience it was off to the interweb to do a little research.  I discovered that prior to installing the Wren Fork it would require some trimming of the steerer tube and the installation of a new crown race.
  
Not having a crown race on hand I contacted the fine folks over at Cane Creek who hooked me up with one of their premium 110 - Series models.  According to their literature the 110 – Series is backed by a crazy 110-year warranty.  With crown race and fork in hand it was off to my LBS (Canary Cycles) to trim the tube and install the crown race.

With the steerer tube trimmed and the crown race installed it was time to remove the Bluto. I discovered that it was not that big of a process - remove wheel, release cable ties, remove brakes, remove stem and tap with a rubber mallet while supporting the fork.

Installing the Wren Fork was pretty much a reverse process ensuring that there were enough headset spacers to match the new tube length and that the stem was snugged up and aligned correctly.  It’s important to note that the Wren can handle up to a 160mm rotor.  If your rotor is larger your will need to track down an adapter.

Wheel installation on the Wren requires a little more finesse than regular forks.  I found that the left (air) leg extends a tiny bit longer, but once both legs are aligned the supplied quick release axle will slide through.  Its also interesting to note that the axle can only be inserted from the BRAKE MOUNT (left) side of the fork and it is secured on the opposite side with a supplied nut.

So with the wheel installed it time to set the sag.   Wren does have a detailed procedure [LINK] on their site . . . but I will say that it involves balancing the volume in both the upper and lower chambers using a combination of psi and pump strokes.

When setting up the fork for your riding style its important to remember that a larger volume of air (more pump strokes) in the top chamber, relative to the bottom, will exhibit a more plush ride.  If the bottom chamber volume is larger (more pump strokes) the fork will exhibit a stiffer, more progressive ride. Through some trial and error I discovered that with 22 pump strokes in the top chamber and 6 in the bottom (60 psi) gave me the plusher ride I was looking for.  Cranking the damping counter-clockwise, slightly past center, gave me a little quicker rebound.

The installation of the carbon bash guards was very simple.  Pop the clamps on over the tube, slide in the guard and tighten the clamp.

The cable guides are equally easy to install. Slip the inner sleeve over the cable, slide it into the outer casing and zip tie the outer casing to the fork in locations to minimize rubbing.

With the fork installed its time to ride!

Check out Wren Sports | Inverted Fatbike Fork if looking for a little more detail on the Wren Fork.

Ride on!