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Featured Review: Hutchinson Fusion 2 Tubeless
by gowideopen
Price Paid: $58.00 from ebay per tire
Review Date: August 5, 2009
Used product for: less than a month
Overall Rating: 
5 of 5
Value Rating: 
4 of 5
Bike Setup:
2005 Felt F1C
Summary:
The combination of the Hutchinson Tubeless road tires and the Dura Ace WH-7850 wheel set has transformed my 2005 Felt F1C from a harsh ride into a more compliant and easier bike to ride for longer distances. The bike is definitely more comfortable and easier to pedal. You will not feel at huge difference at lower speeds – i.e. climbing – but combo of the wheels and the tire seem to smooth the ride out at speeds above 18 mph. I do feel more responsiveness while climbing, however. I can certainly feel a massive difference over my old Ksyriums SSLs and Vittoria Rubino Pro Slicks on rougher road surfaces like the chip-seal that we encounter on many of the roads in Colorado. The bike seems to handle and corner better as well.
At 175 lbs, I’ve tried a variety of PSI but have settled in at 115. I did pick up a piece of wire in the front tire and it created a slow leak. When I first mounted the tires I did not use the Hutchinson Fast Air, but added it since that incident and it sealed the puncture. I have about 500 miles on the tires now with no further mishaps
Strengths:
1) Ride quality – has transformed my Felt in to more of a “Roubaix” type of ride.
2) Rolling resistance.
3) Easy to mount on the WH-7850s
4) No tubes (but I carry a spare in case of a large puncture).
Weaknesses:
No so far but they are pricey. I will be interested to see what competitive product appear in the next year or so.
Similar Products Used:
None. I will say that the WH-7850s also made a big difference even without the Hutchinsons vs. my 4 year old Kysriums SSLs. The SSLs seem to be a lot less aero and definitely more affected by cross winds.
Good to know that the Hutchinson Fusion tires mount easily onto the Dura Ace WH-7850 wheels. Not all wheelsets will fit the Fusion 2 tires for a perfect fit AND seal correctly. Plus, other wheelsets may seal with the Fusion 2 tubeless tires, but can be more difficult than getting a 6 year old to eat their vegetables than it is to mount the tires.
I am riding Tubless road tires sice 2.5 Jears…never get flat..and amazing riding quality…I ask Michelin…no Tubless road tires for the nexte 2 jears…Specialized is coming out with Tubless ROar Tires at the Exibition in Germany…I ask COntinental…but no aswer jet.
Hutchinson ..only weakness…little heavy…
Need tips and more info just contact me
aris69bp@gmail.com
I had these tires and loved them — while they lasted. I only got 600 miles out of them till the rear was toast. For the price, I don’t think I’ll buy them again.
I’ve been running these tires for about 10 months now. I’m not sure how one guy has used up his rear tire in 600 miles. I’ve got more than twice that on mine and it has just started to square off. I have these tires mounted on Campy Eurus wheels. I weigh about 190lbs and run 95/98 psi. The tires definitely feel better than tubed tires, and I can run much lower pressures (I’ve gone down to 85psi) offering better comfort without sacrificing traction.
I’ve got no flats in this 10 month period, but have had one problem with the front tire. Somewhere it has developed a slow leak. I haven’t been able to find anything that is causing the leak. Twice now in this 10 month period I’ve had to add more sealant, and once this is done it seems to be good for another couple of months. I’m sure if I really tried I could find what is causing the leak by putting the wheel in a tub of water, but adding some more sealant has been less work.
I’ve had no problems with the rear tire and it is still using the first application of sealant I applied. My rear tire doesn’t appear to be anywhere needing replacement yet. The cuts that are in these tires look pretty normal to me given their mileage. When it is time to buy new tires I’m going to get another set of Road Tubeless tires for my bike.
Derek
I have the new Hutchinson Atom….their flagship tubeless. Front is holding air, but the rear is not. I think they are fine for a day, but I just checked em both after four days in the garage. The front was as you would expect, down a little, but the back was to 20 lbs or so. I aired them up and put the rear in the tub. Tiny air bubbles are leaking around the tire, about two millimeters from the edge of the rim, where the bead folds up. I guess I should use a sealant. Odd, I never needed this with the Fusion 2 tubeless.
I found these tires VERY hard to get on my new Dura-ace carbon tubeless wheels (C24′s). I had to use a tire lever for the last little bit, even though the instructions say to do it by hand only. I have no idea how someone could do it by hand only.
Also, if you put the sealant in first (i.e Stan’s), it can make the tire a little slippery. Making it even harder!