Hutchinson Fusion 5 All Season 11Storm TR Kit

The Hutchinson Fusion 5 All Season 11Storm is a fast, grippy and durable tyre with easy tubeless installation at a price that matches key rivals, packaged here as a pair with everything you need to get them up and running.

Hutchinson was a pioneer of road tubeless tyres back in the early 2000s and while it doesn't have the market to itself anymore, it is still producing top-quality tyres. These Fusion 5 All Season 11Storms are ideal for mixed weather conditions, with lots of grip on wet roads and durability that should easily cope with the harshest roads.

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The Fusion 5 has been around for a few years now. I tested the 'Performance' version back in 2017, which replaced the Fusion 3 (they skipped the 4). Hutchinson trumpeted the new tyres' improved traction, rolling resistance, durability, comfort and puncture resistance.

By and large, most tubeless road tyres on the market now are of the tubeless-ready variety, as tested here. These are very similar to regular road tyres but require sealant to form the airtight seal on the rim. Tubeless-ready tyres are often lighter than 'road tubeless' (see below) and easier to fit to the rim; they can also be used with an inner tube.

Another 'standard' is road tubeless, which Hutchinson was involved in the development of, with Shimano, back in 2006. The key difference is the use of a layer of butyl rubber that ensures an airtight seal can be achieved without sealant. It's similar to Mavic's UST standard. Hutchinson makes both types so it's essential to decide which you need before you click the buy button.

> Read more about tubeless tyres in this guide

Back to the Hutchinson Fusion 5 All Season 11Storm Tubeless tyres. The ElevenStorm rubber is peppered with a 'specific grooved design for wet terrain' and there's more compound thickness, 1.6mm to be precise, for better durability and kevlar reinforcement for greater puncture resistance.

It's well known that tread patterns make no difference to a road tyre, and I couldn't appreciate any discernible benefit of the grooves. What the tyres are, though, is surefooted and predictable on wet and mucky roads, so the tread compound works nicely.

They are sold in 25 and 28mm widths in tubeless-ready, and there's a 23mm option for road tubeless and tube type clinchers. Why anyone in this day and age would choose a 23mm tyre for winter riding is beyond me, unless tyre clearance is severely limited. The 28mm width tyres were a great match for the Cannondale Synapse I largely tested them on, combining with the carbon frame to deliver velvety smoothness on all road surfaces.

Although you can buy the tyres separately, for £39.95 each at rrp, the kit includes two tyres and everything you need to get up and running and convert your tubeless-ready wheels to accepting the tyres: tubeless tape to cover the spoke holes, tubeless valves with removable cores and a plastic tool for removing said cores, and a bottle of the company's own Protect'air Max sealant. For £89.95 that's pretty good value – Schwalbe's Pro One Tubeless Tyre Set is £136. The Hutchinson kit with 25mm tyres is £99.95.

Getting the tyres installed was as easy as tubeless should be. I slung them onto two different wheelsets I had available at the time, some carbon Parcour wheels I'm testing and a pair of Cannondale Hollowgrams. Inflation was trouble-free on both, only needing a regular track pump to put the tyre onto the bead and add sealant through the valve. Air retention has been excellent, with very little lost over the course of a week.

Over several months of testing through a myriad of weather conditions, these tyres have impressed. The speed feels good with a rolling resistance comparable to a Schwalbe or Continental equivalent. Website bicyclerollingresistance tested these tyres and found them 'best in class', you can read their report here. 

Hutchinson claims the tyres will 'be able to blithely pass the 5000km mark with performance and comfort', and while I've not racked up nearly that many kilometres, durability has been excellent. The tyres show no signs of damage, no cuts or holes to speak of.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 of the best tubeless tyres for winter

Puncture resistance is a tricky thing to asses but I've not suffered a single flat during the test, and my local roads are hardly the easiest on tyres.

Wider tyres are commonplace these days and I've long since been won over by them. A 28mm tyre makes a good compromise of weight, aerodynamics, traction and comfort, and these Hutchinsons display very good ride comfort. They do trade-in a little cushioning for ruggedness but road feel is good – there's nothing wooden or harsh about them at all.

The regular Hutchinson Fusion 5 impressed with its traction and these are as surefooted on slippery roads as it gets. I can happily bomb down my steepest descents and sail through the corners safe in the knowledge that these tyres will continue to grip. They cope under heavy braking as well, the sort required when a car/pheasant pulls out suddenly in front of you.

Hutchinson has been doing some very good tyres over the years and this tubeless model is a fine choice for winter and spring riding when the roads aren't at their best. They're fast and grippy, and durability and puncture resistance is very good. I'm happy to leave them on my bike until they wear out.

Verdict

Fast, grippy and durable tyres with everything you need in the box for easy tubeless installation