M.U.D. stands for Multi Utility Design, and this German-engineered carbon fork offers viele möglichkeiten for gravel riding and beyond.
Josh Weinberg, Allygn
Allygn is the component brand of Berlin-based bicycle builders Fern-Fahrraeder. Founder, designer, and fabricator, Florian Haeussler, originally started the sibling brand to be distinct from the custom bikes he makes in-house under the name Fern, as the components are for the most part, contracted out to other manufacturing partners. Starting with the Diamond Rack, and recently expanding to include a larger Grill Rack, Carbon Fenders, and Micro Pannier Racks, the M.U.D. Fork is the brand’s newest product.
Five years in the making, the M.U.D. fork (Multi Utility Design) fills a sweet spot in OEM or aftermarket offerings: a standard-ish 400 mm axle-to-crown measurement (395 in this case) with sleek design, accommodates a tire up to 29 x 2.25” wide, and packed with mounting and routing options.
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The short of it: A versatile, feature-packed aftermarket gravel fork with clearance for wide tires.
Highs: Elegant aesthetics and profile with a stock paint finish that is unique yet congruent. Geometry offers a balanced ride quality when loaded and not. Modern tire fitment for both race and recreational use cases. Feature-packed at a competitive price and weight.
Lows: Fixed rake position limits bike compatibility without impacting geometry. Max native rotor compatibility of 160 mm. Limited two-year manufacturer warranty (most comparable products have a five-year warranty).
Price: US$556 / €580 / £418 / AUS$869 (note, prices are linked to exchange rates to the Euro and will fluctuate)
Specs
- Max tire size: 29 x 2.25”
- Axle-to-crown height (A-t-C): 395 mm
- Rake: 55 mm
- Mounts: 3-pack blade mounts, fender mounts, crown light mount
- Brake compatibility: Flat mount for 140-160 mm rotors
- Routing: Internal brake and dynamo routing, plus through steerer for dynamo charging devices
- Actual weight: 610 g with uncut (long!) 400 mm steerer and all hardware, including axle; 550 g for fork alone without hardware and uncut steerer; 490 g with cut steerer (258 mm)
Chubby tires, please
The mainstream bike industry is finally starting to embrace the use of high-volume tires across a range of gravel bikes – from recreational to race bikes, including the likes of the Lauf Seigla or the more recently released Allied Able, which can both clear a large 29 x 2.25″ MTB tire. The shift has taken years to coalesce and, in the interim, has left riders with either finicky solutions for fitting larger rubber in their bikes and/or shoehorning in tires that are outside manufacturer clearance recommendations. For years, however, true plug-and-play compatibility for wide tires has been the territory of smaller brands and custom framebuilders. Yet finding the right fork, with the perfect balance of axle-to-crown height, offset, and accoutrements like accessory mounts and dynamo routing, was somewhat of an elusive quest.
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