Hutchinson describes its latest Challenger Tubeless road bike tyre as an all-season ultra-endurance and training tyre and claims that its new tech provides a lifespan of up to 10,000km, which if true could easily make it one of the best winter road bike tyres.
The Challenger Tubeless includes two new technologies that Hutchinson says makes it unique.
First is Hutchinson’s Hardshield puncture protection. This is made of two layers, which it says work together to provide a high level of puncture resistance, without impacting the tyre’s flexibility and comfort. It comprises a bead-to-bead polyamide layer, with a second Aramid strip under the tread, for extra protection where it is most susceptible to damage.
According to Hutchinson’s testing, while competitors’ tyres were typically penetrated with an applied force of 80 to 120 Newtons, the new Challenger Tubeless tyre could withstand a force of up to 170 Newtons, more than doubling puncture resistance over the least resistant tyres.
Hutchinson has performed some real-world testing as well, with three riders using the tyres pre-production in the last two editions of the Transcontinental Race, clocking up over 9,000 kilometres without a flat.
Sealant-free tubeless
The new tyre includes a second new Hutchinson technology called Airshield, which Hutchinson says eliminates air loss from the tyre, without needing tubeless sealant. It uses a sealing compound to coat the inside of the tyre itself and a second around the beads to make the system airtight.
The inside of the tyre incorporates a butyl layer (as used in a conventional inner tube), which can flex as the tyre moves, in place of the textile reinforcement that Hutchinson says is usual in tubeless tyres.
There’s a second abrasion-resistant coating which is applied to the beads, which Hutchinson says ensures a long-lasting airtight connection to the rim. Hutchinson says that this also obviates fabric reinforcement of the bead and so increases sidewall flexibility.
Hutchinson claims that the combination of its two new technologies means that you don’t need to use sealant in the tyre. If you were to get a flat, you could install an inner tube without sealant mess and repair the tyre…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…