“Best in class” puncture protection and high durability claimed for the new road tyre
(Image credit: Hutchinson)
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.
Hutchinson claims superior puncture protection and durability from its new tyre construction (Image credit: Hutchinson)
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.
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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 its puncture protection and sealantless technologies make the Challenger Tubeless tyre super-durable (Image credit: Hutchinson)
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 once you get home, which should be music to the ears of anyone who's ever had a puncture in a tubeless tyre that the sealant wouldn't handle.
It’s also going to cut down on tyre maintenance, as there’s no need to top up the sealant as it dries out, as is normally the case with tubeless tyres. Hutchinson does suggest that you could add sealant as a belt-and-braces solution though, if you wanted to.
Hutchinson Challenger tyre specs and prices
The new Challenger tyre is available in 25mm, 28mm and 32mm widths (Image credit: Hutchinson)
Other specs for the Challenger Tubeless tyre include a three-layer 127tpi carcass and a new Endurance Bi-Compound rubber in the tread, with softer shoulders for grip and a harder, 2.3mm thick central tread for low rolling resistance and high durability. Hutchinson says that this is double the thickness of some competitors.
The Challenger Tubeless tyre will be sold in three widths, all with a suggested retail price of €59.99.
The 25mm weighs a claimed 385g and has a recommended running pressure of 94psi (6.5 bar) and maximum pressure of 101psi (7 bar).
The 28mm width has a claimed weight of 400g, a recommended running pressure of 87psi (6 bar) and a maximum pressure of 94psi (6.5 bar).
Finally, the 32mm is said to weigh 450g and Hutchinson recommends running it at 72psi (5 bar), with a 79psi (5.5 bar) maximum tyre pressure, although all these numbers sound a little on the high side to us.
Hutchinson will also sell a non-tubeless version of the Challenger tyre in the same widths and with a tan sidewall option for the 28mm tyre.
At 385 grams, the 25mm Hutchinson Challenger Tubeless tyre is quite a bit heavier than the 304g weight of the Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR all-season tubeless tyre in 25mm width, although you need to add a slug of sealant to the Conti tyre, which would add another 40g or so.
Hutchinson is claiming superior durability and its SRP is lower though, which might tip the decision for long distance and winter riding.
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Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.
