August 11th, 2009 by 
thien
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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.
August 17th, 2009 at 8:52 am
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.
August 24th, 2009 at 2:08 am
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
August 25th, 2009 at 8:18 am
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.
August 26th, 2009 at 7:01 am
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
October 19th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Try finger tightening the valve stem washer against the rim. It can work itself loose over time & air will leak out around the plastic stem mount inside the rim & escape through the tiny vent holes in the rim itself. The literature that comes with the WH-7850-sl’s suggest changing the stems every year or so to improve that seal @ the rim hole ( sounds pretty expensive to me). I’ve been running the fusion2’s with the dur-ace wheels for 1.5 years now with stans inside & was impressed until air started leaking as above. You can run them flat for a short ride home but it feels awful tough on the rims. With the lower pressures it’s a better concept for MTB’s. Just my 2 cents worth…
October 29th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I have almost 4,000 miles on my Hutch fusion 2-way tubeless tires (on Campy 2-way Eurus wheels). One flat from a big spike that “nailed” my rear tire. About 1200 miles or so in rear for longevity seems typical for many of us. Secret is to soap the rim as well as tire for install and use the hutchinson slim tire stick to install as necessary. Absolutely love them . Fast, low rolling resistance, not harsh, corner like crazy and “almost” flat free. And No I don’t even use sealant in them and they still don’t flat easily. Never going back!!
October 29th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
To find source of small leaks is easy with the tubeless. Just dunk the tire into a tank of water a bit at a time. Unlike tires with tubes this will tell you where the leak is. I had one small one at the valve so I tightened the inner core a pinch and it went away.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I’ve been riding Fusion 2 Tubeless on Corima Aero’s - they make the Hutchinson Carbon Tubeless wheelset. Fantastic ride and now onto my 2nd set of tyres. I’ve had a weird problem occurring though. After seating the tyres and keeping pressure to below recommended pressure,air seemed to be escaping slowly. Placing the tyres in a basin revealed tiny air bubbles escaping through the sidewall of the tyre from several locations. Sealant seems to be solved the problem, but I’m interested whether anyone else has experienced this.