Hutchinson Excel

Price Paid:  $15.00 at Local Bikeshop

Favorite Ride:
Anything with little traffic and lots of road

Bike Setup:
Gradually building toward Ultegra (right now a mix of lower grade shimano parts)

Summary:
This tire seemed great at first. I've ridden over just about everything: jagged metal of all kinds, rough and broken concrete, broken car light covers, and glass (even ran over a the jagged part of a broken bottle and broke it further) all without doing any damage to the tires. However, I've been keeping the tire pressure at its max (since it's a lowly 100psi) and after only a few hundred miles the sidewalls have begun to separate from the tread.

Strengths:
Hard to puncture: ran over things that would have gone right through most SHOES and didn't have a problem.

Weaknesses:
Outside of puncture resistance, not very durable
Low psi limit
Not the lightest tire

Similar Products Used:
Don't really keep track.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
All Ultegra

Summary:
I **had** a pair of these come stock on my Ironhorse road bike. After about 1500 miles, the front tire developed an "S" curve in the tread along the rim. I pulled the tire and found the cords inside had seperated from the wall, causing the deformity. Ok, so I figure it's a one-off problem. Two weeks later my rear tire does the same exact thing. This leads me to the conclusion that these tires are CRAP! With plenty of tread left, the tires are gone due to poor manufacturing.
After seeing this type of failure, I would not trust any Hutchinson tire on my ride. It's just not worth it.

Strengths:
Thier round

Weaknesses:
Poor manufacturing quality control. Tires failed with pleanty of tread left.

Price Paid:  $18.00 at MEC

Favorite Ride:
Any

Bike Setup:
Classic Italian steel with Campy Veloce

Summary:
I slapped a pair on my "training" bike after I wore out my old tires.
They generally seem to work okay. Good grip cornering when they're new.

Not as light as the semi-racing tires I'm used to. A bit on the heavy and sluggish side compared to those. Likely due to the thick tread. Once you get going, the rolling resistance seems okay, not too bad.

They do have a funny, high profile, giving them a very "skittish" tendency, e.g. the flop side to side very readily.

Great for commuting tire. Not so good for performance tire.

Strengths:
- Inexpensive
- Durable

Weaknesses:
- A bit sluggish and heavy
- Tall, peaked profile

Similar Products Used:
Panaracers, Specialized Turbo, various Vittoria's

Price Paid:  $9.00 at Bike Nashbar

Favorite Ride:
Texas Hill Country

Bike Setup:
2002 Bianchi Eros

Summary:
This is a followup review. I no have 650 miles on these tires and they are GREAT. I rode in the MS 150 from Houston and Austin and about 200 riders had flats from a person who threw tacks on the course. Considering the rough roads and the saboteur, these tires rode well. I have also continued training on them and did a charity ride for MADD without incident. I tell, you, on these rough, graveled pavement in the HOT Texas sun, and even on slippery pavement, these tires are a godsend. I will transfer these tires to my new wheelset without hesitation. They are due to be rotated, also.

Strengths:
resiliency, handling in the rain, and sure cornering grip in dry and wet weather

Weaknesses:
slightly heavy versus others, but these tires are tough.

Similar Products Used:
Continental, Michelin Eriliums, Vredestein Ricorso Road, Vittoria Integra Pro

Price Paid:  $9.00 at Bike Nashbar

Favorite Ride:
Texas Hill Country or Berkshire Mountains

Bike Setup:
2002 Bianchi Eros that is stock except for TIME Equipe pedals and Selle Italia Pro Link Gel saddle.

Summary:
Put these on my Bianchi Eros, which I use for fitness and charity rides. I admit that their sale price caught my eye and I figured, "Why Not?" Of course, using an inexpensive tire on an $1100 bike may be a bit loco. Supposedly the US Postal Service team used this brand of tire, so it has to have SOME credibility, right? My Vittorias started to split after only 600 miles, my Michelin Eriliums handled like mush, and I have Vredestein Ricorso Roads on my single speed (they seem okay)

Strengths:
This tire rides well in the Texas heat and in the rain. I haven't felt this confident in the wet weather since I had Conti Ultra 2000's in the early 1990's. I will see how they hold up in this year's MS 150 from Houston to Austin.

Weaknesses:
Slightly heavy, but hey, I use them for fitness and charity rides, not "real races".

Similar Products Used:
Kenda, Continental Ultrasport 2000, Vittoria Pro Integra, Michelin Erilium, Vredestein Ricorso Road.