Wren Stems???
 

Good morning! Anyone ever use a Wren stem? I'm looking to get a shorter stem for my steed and came across these stems. They're alloy and ridiculously light (80 grams for 70 mm.) So light that it makes me wonder if they'll hold up to hard use. Thanks!

They use a forging process. So that will allow them to go lighter but be as strong or stronger than just cast aluminum from others that don't claim any forging.

Yes, I saw that. I'm just wondering how strong they are. I'm not a weight-weanie, but I like researching such things, and it looks like the stems are ultra-thin.

Well I probably am a closet weight weenie myself. If I was to get another stem, it might be Wrens. I don't see anything about them that screams cheap crap for more money. And the one and perhaps only commonly touted incident seems to be more about failure that could have been caused by overtightening the bolts and stripping the threads. And then continuing to use the stem. And that's deserving of a Darwin Award for that person, if that was the reason for the failure.

Weekends are slow here. Maybe more will take notice that might have experience with Wren when Monday comes around and everyone is looking for something to divert their minds from the drudgery of their job. <grin>

I have several Wrens on different bikes. They are very light - so light that I worry a little about their strength. But I've never had a failure, and they do seem well made. They attend the Bike Expo in Philly, which is how I discovered them. They seem like nice people, although that doesn't really make their stems stronger.

The one issue I see could be for carbon steer tubes, most mention not having a stem with a cutout, so that could be a concern. If that does not bother you, then happy days.

I've read this from other reviewers. I think there's other alternatives out there where we don't have to worry about the Wren's stems strength. Kalloy makes a "stealth" stem that is very light and very reasonably priced.

I had one on my Aethos. It was light and fairly cheap. Due note that the inside edges of the stem are somewhat sharp. I went in mine and just hand sanded down any sharp edges, since this could be a problem on a carbon steerer

My thinking is that we should not go too light on parts that bear a lot of weight or pressure. Stems are so small anyhow that any weight savings are somewhat negligible for the average rider.

I've had a Wren 80mm / 17 deg rise stem on my XC MTB for over 6 years and many thousands of miles without incident. I ride fairly mild stuff (no big jumps) but there have been plenty of drops and rock gardens. I'd happily buy one again.