Hutchinson Blackbird road bike tyre review: Not the fastest rolling, but great in many other areas

Hutchinson is a relative newcomer in the road cycling tyre market of late, but has actually got a long history of performance road tyres and road tubeless going back to the early 2000s. Now firmly back in the road tyre market, the Blackbird represents the top of the range offering from the brand currently aimed squarely at the best road bike tyres market segment. Starting life making bicycle tyres in 1890, the company still makes their tyres in France which makes up a huge part of their heritage.

Available in 26, 28 and 30c sizes with hookless compatibility on the latter two sizes, the Blackbird is a modern race day tyre designed to be tough enough to use across all seasons of racing while still being speed focussed. This puts in the same sort of classification as the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S or Vittoria Corsa Pro Control, but possibly a bit more between them and the Vittoria Corsa Pro. It still maintains a puncture protection belt unlike time trial specific and super-fast rolling options, but that adds to usability and durability, especially in the UK. A weight of 285g also sees it be pretty competitive against other tyres in this category, with rolling resistance performance being reasonable rather than standout, according to our own lab tests. 

At £62/$64 per tyre it certainly sits towards the lower end of the price spectrum, and with good grip, reasonable rolling resistance, and decent durability it offers pretty good value for money.

Design and specifications