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Hutchinson Adds Lightweight Road Tubeless, Absalon Black Mamba MTB, ‘Cross & More!

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2013 Hutchinson Toro Cobra Cougar 650B 27 XC mountain bike tires

Hutchison’s 650B offerings have been finalized – the Cobra, Toro and Cougar will be offered in widths from 2.1 up to 2.4 depending on model and version. All are shown above.

The Black Mamba (shown after the break) is a new low profile XC race tread developed with Julien Absalon for the Olympics. It’s a 425g tire in 26×2.0, and it’ll be available in a 29×2.0, too. Center knobs are shaped similarto the Cobra tread pattern, and side knobs are slightly taller. Works for front and rear just by turning it around.

Word is Niño Schurter saw Absalon training on them and asked Dugast to get that tread for him, too, for his 650B (er, sorry, 27″) tubulars. Hutchinson make the treads for Dugast’s tubulars. A few other riders are said to be mounting these up for the Olympics, too.

2013 Hutchinson Black Mamba XC mountain bike tire tread

The Black Mamba 26″, above, and the tread piece for the Dugast tubular below.

2013 Hutchinson Black Mamba XC mountain bike tire tread

2013 Hutchinson Squale and DZO downhill mountain bike tires

Squale and DZO are newer DH tires that are being raced by Nico Vouillez, Fabian Cousinie and Mick Hannah this week in Mont St. Anne. The Squale uses their 50 durometer RR compound with large split knobs all around. Unlike the Barracuda, it has transition knobs between the center and side knobs.

The DZO is a mud tire with tall spikes that have molded steps so if you is want to cut them down, you can get them all even.

CYCLOCROSS

2013 Hutchinson Toro and Piranha cyclocross bike tire

They went back to a Kevlar bead and standard clincher tires for the Toro CX and Piranha 2 CX. Last year they were tubeless ready, but they had concerns about the tight tolerances required for the carbon bead and found some real issues mounting to certain rims. With these, they say (though don’t necessarily endorse) you can use sealant and set them up tubeless.

They also have two new tubular ‘cross tires in the Toro and Black Mamba tread patterns.

ROAD TIRES

2013 Hutchinson Atom Galactik road tubeless and Intensive 28 road bike tires

With their Road Tubeless tires, they validate the rims from wheel manufacturers to ensure fit. So far, the list of partners that they’ve tested includes Shimano, Corima, Campy, Hutchinson (RT1), Fulcrum, A-Class, DT Swiss and Easton.

Two new Road Tubeless tires will be offered. The Intensive 28c tire is designed for Roubaix style riding or just crushing around town. The casing and bead are tubeless ready, meaning you’ll need sealant. It has a Hardskin reinforced casing and Kevlar belt for puncture protection. Retail is $99, weight is 295g.

The new Atom Galactik claims to be the first sub-250g tubeless tire. In their testing, it came out more efficient than their Pro Tour tubular, which is extremely expensive. They say it provides the ride quality and performance of the Pro Tour in a much easier to use (and cheaper) package. It’s full tubeless, so it doesn’t require sealant, and it’s a new natural rubber compound. At 240g, it’s lighter than a normal tire/tube combo and lighter than tubulars. It’s designed for competition, but should be durable enough for everyday riding. The Vendee U pro team just raced and won on these, and they’re hoping to move them into more of the pro peloton as wheel selection grows. Them pros seem to like carbon rims. $109 retail, 700×23 only.

In September, they’ll launch the Atom X-Light that uses the same natural rubber compound as the Galactik, has no puncture protection and comes in at 160g. It’s a standard tube-type clincher in 700×23.

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Evan
Evan
11 years ago

I think tubeless is an awesome idea for training, but for racing, you still cant beat tubulars. And you can find a standard tube style clincher tire/tube combo under 250 grams. And although a tubular tire weighs more then both, the weight savings in the wheels more than makes up for it.

DeeEight
DeeEight
11 years ago

Stop calling them 27″ unless you’re gonna start calling all the 700C mtb tires that AREN’T even 29″, as 28ers.

Marcassin
Marcassin
11 years ago

@DeeEight

It’s 28mm wide

BBB
BBB
11 years ago

“The Intensive 28c tire is designed for Roubaix style riding or just crushing around town.”
Please let’s stop this marketing/magazine nonsense.
28mm (or wider) has much more sense for most of types of riding especially if you’re heavy or the roads are bad.

Anello Grande
11 years ago

I thought some wheel manufacturers (Shimano is one), void your wheel warranty if you use sealant for road tubeless. http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/new-bike-gear-previews/shimano-ultegra-wh-6700

MarkV
11 years ago

Just like MTB, tubeless is such a great upgrade for road bikes. I have used it for two years and tell everyone to give it a try, it is the best. Say nice ride and nearly no flats. The two things holding it back are the lack of tire choices and the retail cost of tubeless tires. It is nice to see Hutchinson and a few others push this slowly forward, now make the retail prices more reasonable.

NWS Alpine
NWS Alpine
11 years ago

Great to see them expanding the line for road tubeless. The 28c tires is much needed as we start getting these wider rims. They are great for larger riders or for bad conditions. The hutchinsons are known for measuring much smaller than advertised so hopefully the 28c is at lest as wide as most other 25c tires.

Expense it a big factor as people tend to not want to drop their $40 gp4000s that ride so well. Competition should help drive the price down in the future. Schwalbe is releasing their top Ultremo ZX in tubeless this fall!

Colin-2
Colin-2
11 years ago

Running Stan’s Tape inside of a rim will effectively seal off the rim bed. I know this seems like a waste when the rim bed itself is sealed, but I have run DA tubeless wheels since they came out, and there is no corrosion. It also serves the purpose of making cleaning out old, dry sealant a breeze, just rip the tape off. And any weight weenies out there, a single layer of Stan’s is about 3-4 grams.

In my experience Shimano will almost always warranty stuff, that is just a little loophole they build in just in case the next biggest craze is solvent using some unknown, corrosive carrier.

Now where are my 300 tpi silk tubeless Frenchists? To me that is the only thing that tubeys have over tubeless.

Teezy
Teezy
11 years ago

Black mamba looks a little like the Michelin XCR Dry II of a few years back – ok, maybe if you squint.

As for Nino asking for that tread, either Absalon has gotten into his head or he is trying to get into Absalon’s before the games!

craigsj
craigsj
11 years ago

“Stop calling them 27? unless you’re gonna start calling all the 700C mtb tires that AREN’T even 29?, as 28ers.”

As soon as they stop calling 559 wheels 26″. After all, 650B is exactly 1″ larger than a 26er. Nothing wrong with calling it 27″, unless you have an agenda of course. You don’t have that do you, DeeEight?

DeeEight
DeeEight
11 years ago

@marcarssin…. I was refering to this part of the review…

“Word is Niño Schurter saw Absalon training on them and asked Dugast to get that tread for him, too, for his 650B (er, sorry, 27?) tubulars.”

Which had nothing to do with some 28mm width road tires. They were talking about the black mamba 2 inch wide tire tread pattern that is made into mtb tubulars by dugast. Hutchinson provides the tire treads for that. Nino rides 650B tubulars on his scott.

@craigsj… 650B RIMS are 1″ larger than 26″ rims in terms of bead seat diameters yes… but in terms of actual tire sizes used by the vast majority of riders today, they are more than an inch larger in diameter. Most 650B riders run 2.35s width tires which are 27.6 to 27.75 inches in diameter. Most 26er riders are using 2.2 width tires at most, which are about 26.25″ in diameter.

The people who led the reintroduction of the tire to popularity called it 650B, and that’s what the name should always have be. Calling them 27.5er or 27er is marketing fluff by people late to the game who think they need to act different to be noticed finally.

Daniel S
Daniel S
11 years ago

@ craigsj

The thing is, in the end most people running 29” wheels in reality are not really riding a 29” inch wheel … If you wanna make “smart ass” comments about 650b not being 27.5” stop calling 29” wheels as such because most of the time they aren’t so. Close but not actual 29”.

T.Guy
T.Guy
11 years ago

OK, now it’s the end of Dec. 2012 and where are these new road tubeless tires from Hutchinson? Comments Bike RUmor?

Dave
11 years ago

I second that. Where are the Galactik’s and Intensive 28MMs? I also haven’t seen the new Schwalbe Ultremo’s yet. The only new tubeless tires that are out so far are Hutchinson’s R2 & R3 TLRs.

You guys hear anything new?

dwiz
dwiz
10 years ago

I really feel the industy is missing a money making category by offering and really having them available before and during the season (umm Specialized being one of them), but Tubeless ready CX tires. Low pressure, little to no flat issues using sealant and your pocketbook is not getting raped from tubular wheels/tires/maintenance and time….Tubulars clearly have their place but are so high priced and the hassle of cleaning, gluing, the cost to do it, the time to do that as well. and no quick tire/tread changing options unless you are an elite level racer with that stuff available. Tubeless CX tires and wheels are, or could be a pocket of business, for those that can play in this arena. The big red S, has three tread patterns in a 2bliss design, but the bummer is they are not available-DURING THE TIME WE NEED THEM–……its just me providing an opinion over tubular options…and like an asshole everyone has an opinion!

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