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Featured Review: Hutchinson Fusion 2
by JJsKHS

Price Paid: $25.00 at chainlove.com
Review Date: October 20, 2009
Used product for: 6 months
Overall Rating: 5 of 5
Value Rating: 5 of 5

Bike Setup:
Giant TCR C1, Ultegra, Ksyriums

Summary:
I ordered a pair of these this past spring after reading positive reviews and finding a deal online. Little did I know what kind of value I was getting.

I have ridden 2,000+ miles on these tires and raced on them about 10 times. I won’t attempt a superficial ride quality quantification other than to say “they ride swell”. They have never slid out in fast crit corners or crazy descents, even in wet conditions (taking proper precaution of course).

They have also not flatted once. In fact, the only time I have had to pull them off the rim is when my crappy tubes have ruptured at the valve stems. By the way, the ease in which you can pull these tires on and off the rim can’t be overstated. I hardly needed to use levers even when they were brand new.

My pair are starting to show their wear and I’ll be replacing them soon. They have all sorts of miniscule cuts in the center tread from a season of abuse and the sidewalls are starting to fade (still, never a flat from the road). And I am 100% positive I will replace them with an identical pair of Fusion 2’s.

These tires may or may not stand toe to toe with your $60-$70 boutique tires, but for what it’s worth, they’ve more than proven themselves to me. All season long, through rainy races and over patches of gravel on my most ridden routes, every time I’ve looked down I’ve been reminded of the stubborn quality of these Hutchinsons. The name is ingrained in my mind as I have praised these tires to my riding buddies all season.

Not to mention that they also look really sharp.

Strengths:

• durability
• a child could put them on a wheel without using levers
• solid cornering grip in both wet and dry conditions
• looks

Weaknesses:

• Hutchinson is a weird sounding name (seriously, that’s it)

Similar Products Used:
Michelin Pro2Race

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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.