Hutchinson are often overlooked when it comes to tyres, but these are not to be missed. Listed as an Enduro tread, we think the Barracuda is a bit too heavy, at 995g, but it’s a great UK downhill tyre.
The casing is a superb compromise between being burly tough with structurally supportive sidewalls and giving the compliance needed for traction.
Coming up wide for a 2.3in tyre, its width is accentuated by the prominent yet well supported side rail. This gives a superb edge to lean on for the aggressive rider.
There’s loads of space between the knobs for flinging off the inevitable UK slop and the opposing ramped centre knobs deal with braking and powering out of corners superbly.
The tyres’ weak point is the relatively hard tread compound. This rears its head in rocky or rooty situations, where they just don’t hold on as well as tacky downhill tyres would, but it does mean they are fast rolling.