Hutchinson has unveiled the Caracal Race, a new gravel bike tyre claimed to be “the fastest gravel tyre on the market”.
The Caracal Race is said to beat unnamed competitor models “by up to 35 per cent”, according to “independent [rolling resistance] tests commissioned by Hutchinson”.
According to the French brand, the Caracal Race achieves this level of performance thanks to technology borrowed from its latest flagship road bike tyre, the Blackbird.
This includes a lighter, more flexible casing and an updated tread compound, both of which are claimed to make the Caracal Race tyre faster rolling and “more resistant to tearing”.
The Caracal Race features a slick central tread paired with ”pronounced side knobs” for added off-road cornering grip.
The trade-off, however, is that the Caracal Race doesn’t feature a dedicated puncture protection layer beneath the tread. As a result, Hutchinson recommends it's “best reserved exclusively for races on hard packed gravel or for all-road” use.
Given this, Hutchinson is also launching a hardier version – called the Caracal – which uses the same tread on a thicker casing, with “a Hardskin bead to bead puncture protection layer”.
This tyre is claimed to offer “a more versatile balance of performance and durability”, making it more suitable for “everyday riding” off-road.
Available now, in a size 700x40c and with tan sidewalls, the Hutchinson Caracal Race costs £54.99 / €59.99 per tyre.
The Hutchinson Caracal is available in a size 700x40c and with black or tan sidewalls. It costs £49.99 / €54.99.
Both the Caracal Race and Caracal are compatible with hookless rims and are claimed to weigh 475g per tyre.
Blackbird-inspired
Hutchinson says the Caracal Race was designed to be “the fastest gravel tyre on the market”.
The brand boldly claims the Carcal Race is “the fastest gravel tyre on the market” and exhibits “up to 35 per cent” less rolling resistance than unspecified competitor tyres, according to independent tests it commissioned.
As such, the brand looked to its recently developed Blackbird road bike tyre – said to be the fastest road bike tyre it has ever produced – for inspiration.
The first technology ported over from the Blackbird tyre is the ‘SwiftEasy’ casing, constructed from a 127 TPI (Threads Per Inch) fabric.
Hutchinson says this features only two layers of overlapping fabric beneath the tread compared to three on the sidewalls, which improves the flexibility of the tyre and reduces rolling resistance.
According to the brand, this change alone led to a 40 per cent reduction in rolling resistance compared to other similar gravel tyres in its range.
The tread on the Caracal Race is also said to be optimised for the lowest rolling resistance possible.
This is due to its new “high performance" Mach Tread 3.0 compound and semi-slick design.
Hutchinson says its Mach Tread 3.0 compound is the most efficient it has developed, claiming it offers “25 per cent rebound”, meaning more of the energy put into compressing the tyre is “returned into forward motion” while riding.
More tear resistant
The new tread is also claimed to be “10 per cent harder and more resistant to tearing” than Hutchinson’s previous best compound.
This is claimed to result in “75 per cent better performance in tear tests”, without sacrificing grip.
As noted, the Caracal Race gravel tyre eschews a dedicated puncture protection layer beneath the tread.
The central tread area is also completely slick (in order to reduce rolling resistance), with knobs only on the shoulders for off-road cornering grip.
As a result, Hutchinson recommends it only for all-road use or hard-packed gravel racing on dry days.
Hutchinson’s Caracal Race tyre is available now and costs £54.99 / €59.99 per tyre.
Handmade at Hutchinson’s factory in France, the Caracal Race is only available in a size 700x40c and with tan sidewalls. A single tyre is claimed to weigh 475g.
Hutchinson Caracal gravel tyre
Because the Caracal Race is intended only for racing, Hutchinson has also developed a version of the Caracal tyre with improved puncture protection and durability.
Compared to the Caracal Race, the Caracal tyre uses a thicker, 3x127 TPI casing combined with a bead-to-bead ‘Hardskin’ puncture protection layer.
Casing aside, the Caracal uses the same tread pattern as the Caracal Race, but swaps the Mach Tread 3.0 compound for the bi-compound found on Hutchinson’s existing range of gravel tyres.
This compound is said to combine a harder central portion, for improved durability and reduced rolling resistance, along with a softer compound on the tread shoulders for improved grip.
Hutchinson says this results in a tyre that is “still incredibly fast rolling” but is more suitable for “everyday riding” thanks to its added puncture protection.
The brand doesn’t specify an exact performance differential between the Caracal and Caracal Race, however.
Like the Carcal Race, Hutchinson’s Caracal tyre is only available in a size 700x40c, with a claimed weight of 475g per tyre.
It is slightly cheaper, though, at £49.99 / €54.99 per tyre.
