Hutchinson unveils its fastest and most durable tyre to date

Hutchinson, the French cycling tyre brand, has announced the launch of Blackbird, its latest generation of performance road tyres.

Four years of research and development have gone into creating the Blackbird, resulting in “the fastest tyre ever developed by Hutchinson”.

Rolling resistance has been improved by 10% compared to the previous generation Fusion 5 but with an increased lifespan of more than 4,000km of real-world riding.

Central to the reduction in rolling resistance is Hutchinson’s new SwiftEasy casing design.

This new construction sees the tyres casing wrapped around the bead then bonded directly to a central polyamide puncture protection strip instead of the usual process of overlapping these layers.

A final layer of casing runs from bead to bead to reduce air leakage. SwiftEasy casing ensures a more flexible point of contact with the road, improving both rolling resistance and comfort while reducing
weight due to the use of just two layers of 127TPI casing.

Another technology debuting on the Blackbird is Mach Tread 3.0, the “fastest and most efficient” tread compound developed by Hutchinson.

The compound is a new formulation with low rolling resistance and high rebound that gives a claimed increase in energy return of 25% when it comes into contact with the road.

Mach Tread 3.0 is also 10% harder than the previous 11Storm compound, meaning the tyre has improved resistance to tearing if cut by road debris.

These improvements come while still retaining the same levels of grip found in Hutchinson’s previous generation of performance road tyres.

The tyre has been specifically designed around modern, wider rims, with a tread surface that is 15% wider than previous generation tyres.

This, combined with the more flexible SwiftEasy casing, means the tyres contact patch with the road is wider than it is long, enabling more aggressive cornering and reduced rolling resistance.

The tyre is available in both Black and Tan Wall colourways across a range of three sizes, 26mm, 28mm and 30mm, weighing a reported 275g, 290g and 310g respectively.

The 28 and 30mm versions are hookless compatible.

Blackbird is also available in a tube type version that forgoes the SwiftEasy casing to offer enhanced puncture resistance necessary for a tubed tyre.

The tubed versions are also available in Black and Tan Wall colourways and weigh a claimed 225g, 245g, and 265g.

Hutchinson tyres are distributed in the UK by Windwave.