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Are you looking to smooth out the ride on your bike? Eliminate pinch flats? Reduce rolling resistance? If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you should consider switching to tubeless clincher tires. Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless road tires not only ride as smooth (or smoother) than the nicest riding tubular tires, but they can be repaired with a tube (just like a standard clincher), offer some of the lowest rolling resistance on the market (thanks to eliminating friction between the tube and tire), and eliminate pinch flats.
Some common concerns and questions about tubeless are answered below:
Q) "Do I need special wheels to use tubeless road tires?"
A) While there are tubeless specific rims and wheels available, tubeless road tires can be installed on virtually any pair of standard clincher rims by simply replacing the rim tape and buying a simple tubeless valve stem.
Q) "Why, with all these benefits, aren't tubeless tires more common?"
A) Excellent question. Tubeless tires are not more common because some of the biggest brands in tires have been trying to suppress the technology. When Hutchinson won the competition for the universal standard for road bikes, some of their big competitors decided to downplay the technology instead of investing in the tooling and further development to produce tubeless road tires. These companies think that many bike shops and consumers will not even try the technology if they don't offer it. We think these companies are being short-sighted and underestimating the industry. Conversion to tubeless is almost inevitable in the long-term. Try a pair and you will understand why.
Q) "How much does a complete Hutchinson Fusion2 set-up weigh compared to a clincher?"
A) A Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless and tubeless valve stem weigh 305 grams while a Continental GP4000S with Continental Light tube weigh 298 grams. We call that a negligible difference at best.
Q) "How does a Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless road tire work?"
A) In its simplest sense, the Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless tire uses an ultra rigid triangular shaped carbon fiber based rim bead, instead of the traditional rounded wire or Kevlar bead, in combination with a liquid sealant, to create a virtually air tight seal between the tire bead and the rim. Tubeless specific wheels have a special bead shape that allows this system to seal with little to no sealant, but most any standard clincher will seal up well by simply adding a tubeless valve stem and tubeless specific rim tape.
Q) "In addition to tubeless tires, what else do I need to convert a pair of wheels to tubeless?"
A) In addition to a pair of Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless tires, if you are converting a pair of standard clincher rims, you will need two tubeless valve stems, tubeless rim tape and tire sealant for tubeless tires. If you have a sealed wall rim, like a Mavic Ksyrium or R-Sys, you will likely not even need tubeless rim tape as the rim wall is already sealed.
Installation also often requires access to compressed air (from a compressor or CO2 inflator) so that you can get the tire bead to initially catch. Once the tire is inflated, a standard bicycle pump works fine to maintain tire pressure.
Q) "What are the downsides to road tubeless tires?"
A) The only potential drawbacks are that tubeless tires usually require compressed air to initially install, Hutchinson is the only company currently offering tubeless road tires, and they are different, so you have to learn something a new (not hard, but new) to install them. Thankfully, Hutchinson makes excellent tubeless road tires (under their own name as well as for Specialized) and, once you understand the technology, installation and maintenance is not difficult.
Q) "What tire pressure do Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless road tires use?"
A) One advantage of the tubeless design is that it does not require high tire pressure to combat pinch flats and lowering tire pressure does not increase rolling resistance the same way that tube friction does in a standard clincher. We know riders over 180 psi who ride their tubeless under 90 psi for maximum comfort. However, Hutchinson suggest choosing your pressure based on your weight as follows:
- Riders under 130 lbs = 87 psi
- 130-150 lbs = 95 psi
- 150-175 lbs = 101 psi
- 175-195 lbs = 109 psi
- 195 lbs + = 116 psi
Q) "How long have tubeless road tires been on the market and what does the future look like for tubeless technology?"
A) We first tried tubeless road tires in 2007. Since then, we have become more convinced than ever that tubeless is the future as they simply offer greater performance and ride than a standard clincher. Our distributors ran out of tubeless often last summer and told us it was one of their best selling products. This also indicates that a rapid transition is occurring as more and more riders make the switch.
Q) "How do tubeless road tires compare in price to a standard clincher?"
A) Quite well. A tubeless tire, valve stem and rim strip priced within $5 of many of the most popular clincher tires (Michelin Pro Race, Continental GP4000S...) with a light tube and rim strip.
Give us a call if you have other questions, otherwise, order a pair and you'll see why we like them.
Some common concerns and questions about tubeless are answered below:
Q) "Do I need special wheels to use tubeless road tires?"
A) While there are tubeless specific rims and wheels available, tubeless road tires can be installed on virtually any pair of standard clincher rims by simply replacing the rim tape and buying a simple tubeless valve stem.
Q) "Why, with all these benefits, aren't tubeless tires more common?"
A) Excellent question. Tubeless tires are not more common because some of the biggest brands in tires have been trying to suppress the technology. When Hutchinson won the competition for the universal standard for road bikes, some of their big competitors decided to downplay the technology instead of investing in the tooling and further development to produce tubeless road tires. These companies think that many bike shops and consumers will not even try the technology if they don't offer it. We think these companies are being short-sighted and underestimating the industry. Conversion to tubeless is almost inevitable in the long-term. Try a pair and you will understand why.
Q) "How much does a complete Hutchinson Fusion2 set-up weigh compared to a clincher?"
A) A Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless and tubeless valve stem weigh 305 grams while a Continental GP4000S with Continental Light tube weigh 298 grams. We call that a negligible difference at best.
Q) "How does a Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless road tire work?"
A) In its simplest sense, the Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless tire uses an ultra rigid triangular shaped carbon fiber based rim bead, instead of the traditional rounded wire or Kevlar bead, in combination with a liquid sealant, to create a virtually air tight seal between the tire bead and the rim. Tubeless specific wheels have a special bead shape that allows this system to seal with little to no sealant, but most any standard clincher will seal up well by simply adding a tubeless valve stem and tubeless specific rim tape.
Q) "In addition to tubeless tires, what else do I need to convert a pair of wheels to tubeless?"
A) In addition to a pair of Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless tires, if you are converting a pair of standard clincher rims, you will need two tubeless valve stems, tubeless rim tape and tire sealant for tubeless tires. If you have a sealed wall rim, like a Mavic Ksyrium or R-Sys, you will likely not even need tubeless rim tape as the rim wall is already sealed.
Installation also often requires access to compressed air (from a compressor or CO2 inflator) so that you can get the tire bead to initially catch. Once the tire is inflated, a standard bicycle pump works fine to maintain tire pressure.
Q) "What are the downsides to road tubeless tires?"
A) The only potential drawbacks are that tubeless tires usually require compressed air to initially install, Hutchinson is the only company currently offering tubeless road tires, and they are different, so you have to learn something a new (not hard, but new) to install them. Thankfully, Hutchinson makes excellent tubeless road tires (under their own name as well as for Specialized) and, once you understand the technology, installation and maintenance is not difficult.
Q) "What tire pressure do Hutchinson Fusion3 tubeless road tires use?"
A) One advantage of the tubeless design is that it does not require high tire pressure to combat pinch flats and lowering tire pressure does not increase rolling resistance the same way that tube friction does in a standard clincher. We know riders over 180 psi who ride their tubeless under 90 psi for maximum comfort. However, Hutchinson suggest choosing your pressure based on your weight as follows:
- Riders under 130 lbs = 87 psi
- 130-150 lbs = 95 psi
- 150-175 lbs = 101 psi
- 175-195 lbs = 109 psi
- 195 lbs + = 116 psi
Q) "How long have tubeless road tires been on the market and what does the future look like for tubeless technology?"
A) We first tried tubeless road tires in 2007. Since then, we have become more convinced than ever that tubeless is the future as they simply offer greater performance and ride than a standard clincher. Our distributors ran out of tubeless often last summer and told us it was one of their best selling products. This also indicates that a rapid transition is occurring as more and more riders make the switch.
Q) "How do tubeless road tires compare in price to a standard clincher?"
A) Quite well. A tubeless tire, valve stem and rim strip priced within $5 of many of the most popular clincher tires (Michelin Pro Race, Continental GP4000S...) with a light tube and rim strip.
Give us a call if you have other questions, otherwise, order a pair and you'll see why we like them.
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