Hutchinson has announced two new tubeless road tyres, one of which is claimed to be “the fastest tyre” it has ever made.
The new Blackbird Race tyre follows a little less than a year on from the original Hutchinson Blackbird, which was also claimed to be the French brand’s “fastest ever” tyre.
Hutchinson says the Blackbird Race takes ‘the DNA’ from the Blackbird, but uses a refined casing and compound that sees the weight and rolling resistance cut significantly.
Alongside the Blackbird Race, Hutchinson has also announced the Blackbird All Season tyre.
The Blackbird All Season is – as the name suggests – designed to be a fast ‘all-season’ road tubeless tyre, offering improved mileage and durability, as well as better grip in cold and wet conditions.
Blackbird Race
According to Hutchinson, the new Blackbird Race was “developed in conjunction with Intermarché-Wanty” (the WorldTour team it sponsors).
The headline improvements are a 10 per cent reduction in rolling resistance compared to the existing Blackbird, and a cut in weight from 286g to a claimed 240g for a size 700x28c tyre.
In terms of weight, that compares favourably to its key competition on paper.
A 28c Continental GP5000 S TR, for example, weighs 280g, while Vittoria’s Corsa Pro TLR weighs 274g in the same size.
Hutchinson says it achieved this reduction in weight and rolling resistance partly by cutting the weight of the “rubberised fabric” used in the casing by 22 per cent, and by reducing the thickness of the “central cross section of the tyre” by 23 per cent.
Hutchinson doesn’t say whether this reduced casing thickness will mean a concurrent reduction in durability or puncture protection.
However, it does claim that the “versatile nature” of the Blackbird Race means “it will be the tyre of choice for the vast majority of Intermarché-Wanty’s races throughout the year”.
Clearly, then, it won’t be reserved for time-trial duties or short road races.
The Blackbird Race also gets an updated tread compound dubbed “Mach Tread Ultimate”.
This builds on the Mach Tread 3.0 compound found on the previous Blackbird tyre and promises improvements to both rolling resistance and grip.
The Hutchinson Blackbird Race will cost £69.99 / €79.99 and is available in 700x28 or 30c sizes (with black sidewalls only).
Hutchinson says wider sizes are in development and that the Blackbird Race is compatible with hookless rims.
Blackbird All Season
Hutchinson says the Blackbird All Season completes “the Blackbird ecosystem”, with it "offering a fast, performance tyre that suits all conditions”.
The brand says a “bi-compound tread” is used to achieve this, with the Mach Tech 3.0 compound used in the central area and a new Safetread compound on the shoulders of the tread.
According to the brand, Safetread “maintains grip levels even in incredibly cold and wet conditions”.
The thickness of the tread is also increased by 24 per cent compared to the original Blackbird tyre, up to 2.1mm, which extends the claimed lifespan of the tyre from 4,000 to 6,000 kilometres.
Hutchinson says the sidewalls of the Blackbird All Season are reinforced using its Gridskin technology, which is a “snakeskin like knitted sidewall fabric previously only seen on limited edition Hutchinson tyres”. This is claimed to improve the tyre’s resistance to pinch flats and sidewall cuts.
Combined with a polyamide puncture-protection strip beneath the tread, Hutchinson says its “puncture protection is unmatched for a performance tyre”.
On the scales, Hutchinson claims a 700x28c Blackbird All Season weighs 340g, which is competitive with its key rivals.
Continental’s similarly pitched GP5000 AS TR weighs 343g in a size 28c, while Vittoria’s Corsa Pro Control TLR and Pirelli’s P Zero Race 4S TLR weigh 314 and 344g, respectively.
The Hutchinson Blackbird All Season is available in clincher or tubeless form, in 700x28, 30 or 32c sizes, and with black or tan side walls.
The tubeless version costs £63.99 / €69.99, while the clincher option is cheaper at £43.99 / €49.99.
Only the tubeless version is compatible with hookless rims.
Blackbird Ecosystem
Hutchinson says that rather than replacing the existing Blackbird tyre, these two new tyres complement it.
The brand says it “now offers a range of high speed performance tyres to suit all racing and riding conditions”, and suggests each tyre for the following riding styles:
- Blackbird Race: “uncompromising race tyre” that prioritises speed over all else
- Blackbird: “a balance of high-performance and everyday liveability”
- Blackbird All Season: “a performance tyre that can safely handle wet and cold conditions without sacrificing speed”
