My experience: I have used the combination of the SKS Mud Max Downtube & Xtra Dry Rear Fenders on my road bike for the last two years whenever the weather turns wet.

Usability: 2/5
Installation: 5/5
Style: 1/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Overall: 2/5

Summary:

SKS makes a line of fenders, the Mud Max Downtube & Xtra Dry Rear Fenders, geared toward use on performance bikes where the frame and fork design prohibit the use of traditional fenders. Bicycles built with low tire clearance, lack of eyelets and fender bolt holes, and full suspension frames all can still have fender coverage with these products. They are also built to be easily removed within seconds if you want to go sans fenders.

While very adaptable to nearly any frame style and well built, these fenders offer minimal coverage and are not well suited for everyday bike as transportation use.

These fenders are sold as separate units, not a set, are available at most bike shops for about $10 each. Each fender comes with all the parts you need to install.

Why I choose these fenders

I ride an older steel road racing bike to work every day and for transportation in general. At the time I purchased the SKS Mud Max Downtube & Xtra Dry Rear Fenders, fender options were very limited for bikes that were not built to accept standard fenders. Recently, SKS and Bike Planet have come up with fuller coverage fenders that can be mounted to these kinds of bikes. I’ve ordered a pair of SKS Raceblade Bicycle Fenders that will be arriving shortly for testing and an upcoming review.

Closeup of the Xtra Dry Rear Fender

Installation & Build Quality
These fenders are a breeze to install having me ready to head out the door in less than a minute if I think I need them. The Mud Max Downtube Fender has two thick rubber bands that wrap around your down tube. These bands have holes punched along them that wrap around hooks on the underside for variable adjustability. The Xtra Dry Rear Fender wraps around your seat post with a thick nylon band. At the end of the band is a plastic piece that hooks into the fender to lock it in place.

The documentation was pretty non-existent on the versions I purchased, but the design is pretty intuitive so that was not a problem. The locking mechanism on the back fender does take a little practice to lined up right. It you don’t line it up right, it can pop off when you hit a bump. The rear fender can be a problem if you do not have much seat tube or another seat tube installed item like a rack. Also, after you’ve used the front for a while, it is near impossible to install without getting your hands dirty as the rubber bands hook on the bottom where all the dirt is.

The build quality is high as you would expect from a German manufacturer. The plastic parts all feel sturdy and the nylon and rubber parts have not deteriorated in a noticeable way in the last two years of use.

Mud Max Downtube Fender

Usability and Style

The design of these fenders is a compromise in coverage to fit the largest variation in bike frame designs. The rear fender does a very good job of preventing the rooster tail of the back wheel, however it does little to cover the spray near the lower part of the wheel. The front is only slightly better than the down tube at blocking spray essentially keeping it off my face but little else. The front fender also works as a giant sail when riding into the wind (I like to ride fast so this is a problem.) When riding in wet pavement, my legs and arms get pretty splattered. That’s OK on clean roads, but it there is any mud or grim on the road my limbs look like a Jackson Pollock painting by the time I get where I’m going.

As for style, these things are ugly. I ride a lugged steel Italian bike and these fenders do not compliment it well. This means I only put the fenders on when I think these is a good chance of rain. That has meant I’ve been caught out in the rain without fenders several times because I had not bothered to but them on. Not that their coverage would have done me a lot of good.

Final Thoughts on the SKS Mud Max Downtube & Xtra Dry Rear Fenders
With the new quick install fuller fender options now available from SKS and Planet Bike, there is no need have to compromise to get fender coverage on performance bikes. I’d pass on these unless these new options won’t fit your bike or you don’t mind getting your legs and arms wet.