Submitted by
Thomas Vacek
a Cross Country Rider
from Ithaca, NY
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2003
Strengths: Before mudmachine, my face was covered in road slime. After mudmachine, my entire front body stayed dry and dirt free. You save money in the long-run by not having to do as many loads of laundry! It's worth it
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
BUY THIS FENDER. If you commute using your bicycle to work or on campus (if you are a college student), then you need this fender! If you are a downhill racer, then you DEFINITELY NEED THIS FENDER. It really is worth every penny!
Similar Products Used: I have talked to people with T.H.E fenders, and other fenders. Simply put, all other fenders are crap.
Bike Setup: 2nd generation TREK y-11, hope m4 brakes, sid race rear shock, shimano XTR crankset, chris king ISO hubs laced to WTB laserdisc rims, XTR cassette, marzocchi x0fly fork, salsa skewers - THE LIST GOES ON
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Submitted by
Aquaholic
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2002
Strengths: Strong, unique, sturdy mounting bracket, well engineered
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
If you want a strong, well thought out fender, then check this one out. The ABS plastic is burly, not flimsy like the competition's fender. The carbon fiber plastic looks sexy. It has an old-style Yamaha YZ Moto-X look to it as well.
But the thing that impresses me most about this product is the company behind it. The folks at Mudmachine went out of their way to see that I was satisfied with the fender, Initially, the starnut that holds the fender to the crown was to big for my new Fox Fork. After some correspondence with the folks at Mudmachine they came up with a modified starnut that worked out perfectly. They really made me feel like I was pampered. Their followup is incredible! A lot of aftermarket companies would be best served to take note on how this company takes care of it's customers.
Bike Setup: 1998 fisher level betty f1, hayes, rock shox, azonic stem, xtr
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Loch Miwa
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2000
Strengths: Good coverage keeps the mud off you and the bike. Thick, molded plastic is incredibly strong. Very well made and they look great.
Weaknesses: Since the brackets are steel, they are a little heavy. If you count grams, this fender isn't for you.
Bottom Line:
Having seen the T.H.E. and other fenders in local bike stores, I wasn't very excited about paying $40 bucks for a couple of pieces of very thin plastic. Between me and the bike, weight really isn't an issue, so it's well worth the extra few ounces to get some REALLY high quality fenders that will last a while.
The coverage is great with either the DH (bigger than I needed) or the XC (the one I have). The rear fender (which mounts like a brake booster) is great also.
I can't say enough good things about these fenders or the service I have received from the company.
If you want great fenders that work well, look good, and will last, BUY THESE!!!
Similar Products Used: Also purchased the rear fender!
Bike Setup: Specialized Rockhopper FSR w/ Judy XL DC fork
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Submitted by
Geoff Graham
a Downhiller
from Pullman
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000
Strengths: Superb customer service!!! The fenders are big and beefy and can take the many over-the-bar encounters I tend to do. Not too many people have them so they're sort of an exotic accessory. When I go to clean my bike I don't have much work to do because the fenders keep most of the dirt and mud off the bike. They really do their job when it comes to mud and they are the best looking fenders out there by far.
Weaknesses: The only thing I have found is the rear fender brace tends to bend a lot due to the generous tire clearance which it was designed for. This repetitive bending causes work hardening which makes the ductile spring steel brittle and breakage occurs. With any good aftermarket component there may be some neccessary tweakage to ensure complete utopia.
Bottom Line:
Thank you Grant!!! Listen up everyone! If you are looking for fenders then look to these. The fenders themselves are top notch and very dourable. The front fender is also the only one out there that resembles a YZ fender with the shaped front section. Anyways there was a small error when it came to the sticker color for my rear fender. I e-mailed Grant and he took care of it right away. I recently broke the rear fender brace due to repetitive bending and once again he took care of it. This is by far the Best customer service I have ever received! These fenders do what their supposed to do. If every company had this type of customer service then Universal Cycles might not have gotten my order wrong THREE times! I wasn't going to review these fenders because they just sit there doing their job. I can't speak highly enough of these fenders or this exceptional customer service after I got an e-mail from Grant saying he'd take care of the broken brace for me. Thank you once again Grant. Listen to what people are saying about this company.
Weaknesses: Weight (it's a downhill bike, who cares?)
Bottom Line:
First, let me stress that although I have been riding mountain bikes for almost 10 years now, I had my first downhill race yesterday. I knew that conditions at Beech Mountain (NC) would be very wet and muddy, so I realized I would need fenders. As I would be using my everyday freeride/XC bike for the race, I was a little worried about how to set it up. I called up this company, now called Mud Machine (not Sex Macheen) and got ahold of Grant. In talking to him I learned that he was a downhill racer and so I asked him a few general questions about racing. He was extremely helpful and super nice in helping me figure out how to set my bike up for optimal performance. He also made certain that my fenders went out next day air (as I had of course waited until the last minute to order). When I got my package the next day, I found not only my merchandise but also a handwritten note expressing how much he enjoyed helping me out and wishing me luck in my race. As for the fenders themselves, they were well made, good looking, and easy to mount up to my bike. They did a great job of keeping mud from getting thrown up on me during the race, and took 4 (yes, 4) HARD crashes over two runs without damage. I had several people at the race remark on the cool design of the rear fender and the apparent durability over the much more common THE fenders (of which I saw several broken examples, including one that sheared in half from the wind while being carried on a car's roof rack). To sum it up, GREAT customer service, excellent product, and the knowledge that if this guy ever decides to manufacture any other DH related products, I'll buy them. I'm getting his numberplate next. BTW, I didn't do too badly, considering it was my first race and a VERY tough course, I finished in the top 1/3rd of the class (beginner). I'm hooked!
Bike Setup: GT I-Drive XCR 1500, formula discs, Marzocchi Z-1, Wildgripper DH tires, full XT/XTR, Hell Bent Ti bars
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Submitted by
t isaacs
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2000
Strengths: durability, ease of installation, EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
Weaknesses: none in my humble opinion
Bottom Line:
First things first, this is the best customer service I have received in the 10 years that I've been involved in bicycling. A small mix up in shipping was quickly acknowledged and corrected and handled better than any retail experience I've ever had. DURABILITY! High quality plastic is used in these fenders unlike the salad tray construction of other companies. Ease of installation was greatly appreciated as well. Thinking about fenders? Check out www.sexmacheen.com you can't go wrong.
Bike Setup: Trek 8000 and Specialized Ground Control AIM
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Submitted by
MIke
a Cross-Country Rider
from Naples and Notre Dame
Date Reviewed: August 10, 1999
Strengths: Supper Strong carbon finish
Weaknesses: rear fender attaches with a steel break booster so there is a weight issue
Bottom Line:
With a little bracket manipulation it keeps the crap off your components and your face while the other riders are wiping their goggles four peppers for the weight five for the bottom line
Strengths: Super strong plastic and braket that won't break when you crash. You don't worry about it breaking while you are riding
Weaknesses: It doesn't have any like the others
Bottom Line:
Superier materails and construction make the SEX MACHEEN the best fender out on the market, no exceptions. Other fenders might look nice and trick but after putting them through the test, they all break.
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