The Blackbird
is the next exciting chapter in this story. An evolution that is a
result of over a century of equipping champions and turning Hutchinson's
consuming passion for innovation and performance into technologies that
propel the sport of cycling forward.
Four years of extensive research and development have gone into creating the Blackbird,
resulting in the fastest tyre every developed by Hutchinson. Rolling
resistance has been improved by 10% compared to the previous generation
Fusion 5 but with an increased class leading lifespan of over 4,000 km
of real-world riding.
Central to the reduction in rolling resistance is Hutchinson's new "SwiftEasy"
casing design. This new construction sees the tyres casing wrapped
around the bead then bonded directly to a central polyamide puncture
protection strip instead of the usual process of overlapping these
layers.
A final layer of casing runs from bead to bead to reduce air leakage. SwiftEasy
casing ensures a much more flexible point of contact with the road,
greatly enhancing both rolling resistance and comfort while reducing
weight due to the use of just tow layers of 1227 TPI casing. The result
is a super-fast, comfortable and lightweight tyre, the 28mm Blackbird weighing in at a competitive 290 g.
Another technology debuting on the Blackbird is "Mach Tread 3.0",
the fastest and most efficient tread compound that has every been
developed b y Hutchinson. The compound is a completely new formulation
with incredibly low rolling resistance and high rebound that gives an
increase in energy return of 25% when it comes into contact with the
road.
Mach Tread 3.0 is also 10% harder than the
previous 11Storm compound, meaning the tyre has improved resistance to
tearing if cut by road debris and has an impressive lifespan of over
4,000 km. These improvements come whiles till retaining the same high
levels of grip found in Hutchinson's previous generation of performance
road tyres.
The tyre has been specifically designed around modern,
wider rims, with a tread surface that is 15% wider than previous
generation tyres. This combined with the more flexible SwiftEasy
casing means the tyres contact patch with the road is wider than it is
long, enabling aggressive cornering and reducing rolling resistance.
The
tyre is available in both Black and Tan Wall colourways across a range
of three sizes: 26, 28 & 30 mm. Weighing 275, 290 & 310 g
respectively. The 28 and 30mm versions are hookless compatible.
The Blackbird is also available in a Tubetype version that forgoes the SwiftEasy
casing to offer enhanced puncture resistance necessary for a tubed
tyre. The tubed versions are also available in Black and Tan Wall
colourways and weight 225, 245 and 265 g.
Features
- Colour: Black
- Size: 700 x 30
- ETRTO Size: 30-622
- Tubeless Ready (TR), fits tubeless rims with no inner tube and also standard rims with inner tube.
- Bead: Folding
- Protect'Air (PA) 1mm anti-puncture protection for worry-free riding without gaining weight or losing performance.
- Hutchinson's fastest compound ever developed. +25% energy return, +10% hardness, +75 tearing performance vs 11 Storm.
- Weight: 275g