About black hoops

Earlier this year I switched tyres, replacing Schwalbe Durano Plus with Hutchinson Fusion 5 Kevlar Pro Tech. In other words, I replaced wired tyres with much lighter foldables. Strava tells me I've done very nearly 400 miles on the new rubber now, so what's the verdict?

My primary concern with tyres is always puncture resistance. There's nothing that grinds my gears more than squatting down at the side of the road in the pissing rain, getting covered in cack whilst trying to get tyre levers under tight-fitting rubber. Honestly, if I'm within five miles I'd rather walk home, pushing the bike. So I was a little bit disappointed, if I'm being honest, to pick up a puncture in one of the Hutchinsons, despite their move-touted Kelvar-iness. Reader, I walked home, pushing the bike and silently swearing the whole way. But punctures happen. This, like >90% of all the punctures I've had in the last three years, was picked up on a cycle path, where detritus of all sorts accumulates. Honestly, is it any wonder I prefer the road? But I digress - the Hutchinson's puncture can be written off to bad-weather cycling, I hope.

Beyond puncture protection, what else can I tell you? The Hutchinson tyres are much lighter than the Schwalbe, less than half the weight. This, I guess, is down to not being wired... and, you know, not having the extra 5mm of rubber that the Schwalbe's start off with. As it is, I coupled the change of rubber with new lightweight tubes and a shiny new and (guess what) lightweight wheelset, and can really feel the difference. And that's not all - being foldable, the tyres feel a bit more forgiving, more pliant - they soak up the bumps a bit better, is what I think I mean. I say "think" because the difference is marginal... but it is there. This takes a bit of getting used to - I've cycled over bumps and thought, "Uh-oh, tyre feels a bit flat," but it isn't - it just gives a bit more going over whatever the obstacle is. This pliancy probably means they won't last as long as the Schwalbe, but time will tell on that score. One thing I can tell you already though is that they are much harder to get onto the wheel - you might want to think about three levers, rather than two, unless you have thumbs of steel...

Oh, and there's grip. I don't think the Hutchinson's are quite as grippy as the Schwalbe were. Whether this is down to the more pliant rubber or some other characteristic, I'm not sure. What I can tell you is that there are corners I've had to ease off slightly for, in the wet, that I didn't before. Of course, this could just be because I'm arriving at them faster, on my new lighter wheels...

TLDR: lightweight, comfortable hoops that promise much and, thus far, are delivering. Not perfect though: hard to get on, and could be grippier through wet corners. ★★★★☆

BUY: Hutchinson Fusion 5 Kevlar Pro Tech, currently £33.99 from Wiggle