Hutchinson Fusion 2

Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Anything with a tailwind

Bike Setup:
Scott Addict R2 w/ SRAM Red

Summary:
In a word...worthless.

These tires came stock on my Scott Addict R2. I have the black/red ones, and while they look great. They don't perform. On perfect concrete roads, they are just slow, not a hazard. As soon as you get on a chip seal road or anything that isn't smooth, you will have problems. Several times I had to struggle to stay upright in a turn. I would take a turn and hope that my bike wouldn't go shooting out from under me. I was able to avoid falling for about 300 miles of use, but then I took a turn and it finally happened.

I recommend spending a little extra money and going with something better. If price is an issue then make sure you buy something else.

Strengths:
look cool

Weaknesses:
poor cornering, poor rolling resistance

Similar Products Used:
Specialzed Mondo

Price Paid:  $900.00 at Internet

Favorite Ride:
Moto 60cm Sprint

Bike Setup:
Old Asian steel bike I spent a winter fixing it up. Very Nice Now.

Summary:
IRC RoadWinner II Tires
27" x 1-1/8"
100p.s.i.

Strengths:
I am a good weather rider. Dry Only!
27x1-1/8" tires are sort of hard to come by for old steel bikes, but I wanted narrow and higher pressures. This was one of them taht fit the bill.

Weaknesses:
Look nice for what they are and thats a cheaper tire. Paid about $18.00 bucks for them.

Similar Products Used:
Con. "UltraSport" 27x1-1/4"

Price Paid:  $30.00 at Performance

Favorite Ride:
Lonely backcountry roads

Bike Setup:
Performace R-101 frame with Shimano Tiagra and Alexrims R390 rims.

Summary:
I was going to review this tire when I passed 2,000 miles on it, but I missed.

They now have 2548.6 miles, and only 2 flats.

One was a small puncture that I did not notice until the next day.

The other was during the torrential downpour of the San Fran to LA ALC ride. (Everyone flatted, that's what we got for riding on Hwy 1 in the bike lane through a river...)

They started to show signs of wear almost immediately, but every tire I've ever had has done that. They now have multiple small cuts and fractures in them, but they still perform! They have never once lost traction in corners, even in the wet, they roll nicely, and they hold up well on some pretty rough roads.

All in all, the best tire I have ever used. This will be the first time in my 20+ years of cycling that I will buy the same tire twice.

Maybe after 3,000 miles...

Strengths:
Corner and roll well, install easily, no flats, quiet, everything

Weaknesses:
Show signs of wear early, but did not effect tire in any way.

Similar Products Used:
Vredestein, Michelin, Specialized, Continental, Panaracer, many many more...

Price Paid:  $25.00 at chainlove.com

Favorite Ride:
hilly Missouri backcountry

Bike Setup:
Giant TCR C1, Ultegra, Ksyriums

Summary:
I ordered a pair of these this past spring after reading positive reviews and finding a deal online. Little did I know what kind of value I was getting.

I have ridden 2,000+ miles on these tires and raced on them about 10 times. I won't attempt a superficial ride quality quantification other than to say "they ride swell". They have never slid out in fast crit corners or crazy descents, even in wet conditions (taking proper precaution of course).

They have also not flatted once. In fact, the only time I have had to pull them off the rim is when my crappy tubes have ruptured at the valve stems. By the way, the ease in which you can pull these tires on and off the rim can't be overstated. I hardly needed to use levers even when they were brand new.

My pair are starting to show their wear and I'll be replacing them soon. They have all sorts of miniscule cuts in the center tread from a season of abuse and the sidewalls are starting to fade (still, never a flat from the road). And I am 100% positive I will replace them with an identical pair of Fusion 2's.

These tires may or may not stand toe to toe with your $60-$70 boutique tires, but for what it's worth, they've more than proven themselves to me. All season long, through rainy races and over patches of gravel on my most ridden routes, every time I've looked down I've been reminded of the stubborn quality of these Hutchinsons. The name is ingrained in my mind as I have praised these tires to my riding buddies all season.

Not to mention that they also look really sharp.

Strengths:
- durability
- a child could put them on a wheel without using levers
- solid cornering grip in both wet and dry conditions
- looks

Weaknesses:
- Hutchinson is a weird sounding name (seriously, that's it)

Similar Products Used:
Michelin Pro2Race

Price Paid:  $27.00 at amazon.com

Favorite Ride:
Through the country, with the wind at my back...

Bike Setup:
Scattante with Ultegra 6500 Groupo

Summary:
Purchased after researching online for a few days. I have put about 100 or so miles on them, no complaints. Did fine on an 80 miler in the cold with a little rain. Big upgrade over Forte GT2s which I never had a problem with. They hold pressure a little longer as well.

Strengths:
Easy to mount, didnt even need levers.

Weaknesses:
none yet.

Similar Products Used:
Forte GT2 700x25