Hutchinson is claiming its new wider Blackbird Race tires are the French brand’s fastest ever, denouncing previous industry claims that wider tires lacked optimal rolling resistance.
“The industry believed that wider tires would hinder performance. We wanted to challenge that. With the 32mm and 34mm Blackbirds, we want to demonstrate precisely that this vision is outdated. A wider tire performs better: it filters vibrations, provides damping, and, above all, delivers a level of stability you feel immediately, especially in high-speed corners, says Hutchinson product manager, Martin Chuchu.
However, these bold claims aren’t without white paper to back them up. According to Hutchinson, after sending out 30mm and 32mm tires for independent testing, the results yielded a 5% gain in efficiency for the wider tire. Moreover, the tests also revealed a marked improvement in comfort and grip, particularly in the case of the 34mm variant.
“The tests highlighted three benefits of our new wider tires, better rolling resistance, grip, stability and ride comfort. The energy saved from the lower rolling resistance and reduced fatigue far outweigh any aerodynamic penalty from the increased tire width, while wider rims enable even lower tire pressure for increased comfort,” explains Hutchinson.
The 32mm and 34mm Blackbird Race tires are tubeless-ready and hookless compatible, which sell for €79.99.
Hutchinson
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