Cyclist
Hutchinson’s new Blackbird tyre is fastest and most durable race tyre to date
Hutchinson has launched its latest road tyre, the Blackbird Racing Lab, which supersedes the Fusion 5 and looks to match the performance of the best road bike tyres.
New features of the tyre include a revised Mach Tread 3.0 Compound rubber and new casing tech. Together, Hutchinson says that the tyre’s new design features result in a ten percent reduction in rolling resistance, while a 15 percent wider tread adds extra grip and cornering traction and is designed to work better with modern wide wheel rims.
The Hutchinson Blackbird tyre is made in France and available in 26mm, 28mm and 30mm widths, priced at £61.99 for the tubeless and £43.99 for the tubetype tyre.
Lower rolling resistance and 4,000km lifespan
The new Blackbird tyre is the result of four years of R&D in Hutchinson’s labs in Montargis south of Paris.
Hutchinson points out that the difference between staying rubber side down and a less pleasant outcome boils down to three square centimetres of contact surface. The Blackbird tyre’s new casing and wider tread rubber have been designed so that the tyre forms a contact patch with the road surface that’s wider than it is long, which Hutchinson says increases cornering grip and contributes to lowered rolling resistance.
The brand claims that the new rubber compound of the Blackbird tyre results in a 10 percent reduction in rolling resistance relative to its previous generation Fusion 5 tyre. At the same time, it says that the tyre’s lifespan is now over 4,000km, which it claims is a class-leading distance.
The new SwiftEasy 127tpi casing design used in the tubeless tyres is said to be core to the rolling resistance decrease. It bonds the tyre casing directly to the central polyamide puncture protection strip, rather than the two layers overlapping, as is normal practice. There’s then a further layer of casing stretching from bead to bead to increase the tyre’s airtightness.
Hutchinson says that the result is a more flexible tyre, with two layers, plus the puncture protection belt, under the tread and three layers in the sidewalls. This, Hutchinson says, reduces rolling resistance and adds extra comfort.
Only having two layers to the casing also results in a lower weight, with Hutchinson claiming 290g for the 28mm width. The tyre shape has been engineered so that it’s less bulbous and more U-shaped, improving compatibility with wider, aero rims. It’s a similar approach to that used by Giant in its Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheel/tyre system.
The new Mach Tread 3.0 rubber compound formulation is also claimed to make the Blackbird tyre faster. Hutchinson says that its high rebound and low rolling resistance result in a 25 percent increase in energy return from its contact with the road. It’s also claimed to be 10 percent harder than the 11Storm rubber compound used in the Fusion 5 tyre, and 75 percent more resistant to tearing, adding to the tyre’s cut resistance and longevity, without compromising grip.
We’ve got a set of the new Hutchinson Blackbird tyres in for testing here at Cyclist, so look out for our review that’s in the works.
Widths available, weights and prices
At launch, the Hutchinson Blackbird tyre will be available in tubeless format in 26mm, 28mm and 30mm widths. Hutchinson claims weights of 275g, 290g and 310g respectively. If you’re running wheels with hookless beads, the 28mm and 30mm widths are hookless compatible. There are both black and tan sidewall options for the 26mm and 28mm tyres, while the 30mm is black only.
If you are sticking with inner tubes, there’s also a Tubetype option. This doesn’t have the SwiftEasy casing, but offers the same widths and black or tan sidewalls and uses a three layer 127tpi casing. Claimed weights are 225g for the 26mm, 245g for the 28mm and 265g for the 30mm width.
Price for the tubeless tyres in all widths is £61.99 / €69.99, while Tubetype tyres are priced at £43.99 / €49.99.
Read our guide to the best tubeless road tyres for more summer tyre options.
The post Hutchinson’s new Blackbird tyre is fastest and most durable race tyre to date appeared first on Cyclist.