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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.

Bontrager set out to create a tire that excelled in aerodynamics and rolling resistance. We put this tire up against the competition and it did not disappoint. In fact, once you hit 17 mph* you start to shave seconds off your ride compared to the next best-in-class tire. We’re talking about an increase of:

• 6.37 seconds in a 10k time trial
• 31 seconds in a 40k time trial
• 183 seconds (more than 3 minutes) during an Ironman cycling leg.

This translates into quicker time trials, more energy after the cycling stage of a triathlon or your fastest commute ever.

* with a 10 mph headwind

To learn more, stop by the Bontrager booth at the 70.3 Ironman event in Oceanside, California on April 2nd and 3rd.