Hutchinson Toro review

Over the years I’ve had various tires from Hutchinson, all have turned out to be awful, the worst of the lot was the Mosquito’s that came on my old Slayer. Why on earth would I pay up for yet another set of Hutchinson’s? Well, Hutchinson promises that this tire uses their Hardskin technology which they claim prevents punctures better and has lower profile tread knobs which make the tire roll better and pick up speed well. My personal reason for choosing these was a combination of their claims about the tire and the 1.85in specific mud tire which not only has great mud performance which I need where I ride but also increases the tiny amount of rear tire clearance on my Trance to something that’s almost respectable. To my surprise it was apparent from the first ride that although the Trance had gained over a pound in weight in the form of a Shimano Alfine hub and extras that these tires are fast, they roll well and pick up speed much better than other square block tires, this is probably due to the low profile tread which has less give than others which means a more direct power transfer. I chose to have the standard 2.15in tire on the front for more control and grip. These tires are a bit weird in terms of grip, several times I’ve felt them going only for the side knobs to kick in and regain control, they also drift a bit but seam to grip really well for braking and pedalling, never spinning in the mud. They shed crap nicely too. So far I’ve had no punctures (touch wood). For a tire that feels like a hard compound I’m a little concerned by the wear on the rear tire but I’ll wait on that until I’ve done more mileage on them. They’re quiet tires but they have a unique sound which I like and a floaty feel which every other tire I’ve had has lacked, particularly as I run them pretty hard. So I happily recommend these tires, they’re the best tires I’ve had yet and a major step up for Hutchinson, they’re also French which is a plus point and the price is reasonable. Link: Hutchinson.