Hutchinson Blackbird Race road tyre review: Faster, lighter, grippier, and still great value

The Hutchinson Blackbird Race tyre is brand new for 2025 and builds on the previous Blackbird tyre. It is currently being used in the WorldTour by Intermarché-Wanty with their star rider and Green Jersey winner from 2024, Biniam Girmay. It’s significantly lighter than the previous Blackbird; at 246g it now sits in the realms of some of the lightest race day high performance tyres which is noticeable especially when making accelerations, or on steep climbs.

Although we haven’t got it as part of our rolling resistance testing, Hutchinson claims the new tyre is 10% faster, and back to back testing does lend itself to saying the new Blackbird Race does roll faster. A 'Mach Tread Ultimate' compound and 'Ultraswift' casing being the lead changes attributed to these performance enhancements.

It is unfortunately still only available in more limited sizes, at 28 and 30c, which are both hookless compatible. However the brand does state that wider models are in development. A £69.99/$79.99 RRP per tyre also makes this one of the cheapest of the best road bike tyres on the market. The mix of low price, solid rolling performance, and low weight giving it good grounds to be a superb tyre option that should be considered by speed seekers.

Design and specifications

Gone is the Mach Tread 3.0 of the previous tyre. Mach Tread Ultimate is the new top of the pecking order from Hutchinson. It claims that this new compound is the fastest that it has ever made, with a 10% gain in wattage efficiency in the 28mm tyre, and even more in the 30mm. No test speed or direct watt savings are given for this claim however. The previous Mach Tread 3.0 was designed to offer greater rebound performance, so return of energy over rougher road surfaces, however there are no such claims with the new Ultimate and no specifics on tear resistance either.

Another new technology is the Ultraswift casing, taking over from the SwiftEasy previously used. It still uses three layers of 127 TPI casing wrapped around and bonded to a puncture protection belt, with only two layers on the top of the tyre to reduce rolling resistance. This is the same arrangement as the standard Blackbird. Hutchinson claims this new casing helps reduce the weight of the rubberised fabric by 22%, while reducing central thickness by 23%, something often attributed to better rolling resistance and backed up in our testing.

• What is TPI and why does it matter?

Hutchinson also states that the new casing is more flexible and supple, giving a greater perception of speed as well as enhancing grip. The total weight comes in at 246g for a 28mm tyre, close to the 240g claimed and 40g lighter than the previous Blackbird weighed in. For the 30c option, 255g is the claimed weight. These however are the only size options at present, although both are hookless compatible. Hutchinson says that wider models are in development, but no time of release has been given yet. There is also only the black colour option available at present, dropping the tan/gum wall option previously seen on the standard Blackbird.

Performance

Starting off, the Blackbird Race tyres are the new easiest tubeless tyres to fit and by quite a margin. The previous Blackbird were also impressively easy to get on, but the Blackbird Race are a breeze to put on without any form of levers or much elbow grease to get the final bit of tread over the rim. Pumping with a track pump was then all that was needed to get them seated with no sealant leakage issues at all. This also made life easier when I did experience one tyre burp related deflation thanks to a heavy impact on the edge of a pothole. Armed with a handpump, I was easily able to get the tyre to reseal and resit, something that has proven difficult previously with a handpump vs gas canister.

Set up on a pair of Shimano 105 WH-RS710 C46 TLs with 21mm internal and 28mm external width, the Blackbird Race came up at 28.32mm, comfortably around the advertised 28mm width. As with the previous Blackbird’s these are directionally mounted tyres so be sure to get them fitted the right direction for optimal grip.

Getting them out on the road, the difference in weight is actually noticeable pretty quickly compared to both the previous tyre, but also a lot of other ~300g tyres. Weight wise these are lighter than everything we tested in our rolling resistance test besides the Panaracer Agilest TLR, which were 2g lighter. This meant that accelerating up climbs or even sprinting out of corners or away from junctions, the tyres felt instantly spritely. 

Given they are on the furthest point from the centre of rotation, when attempting to change speed that weight has a greater lever effect and requires more force to accelerate. Tyre weight certainly isn’t noticeable when cruising along the flats, nor even when climbing at a consistent speed, but accelerating is where this low weight really shone through and was genuinely quite impressive in this case. 

This reduction in weight doesn’t appear to have had any impact on puncture protection either. At no point in testing did I have any punctures (bar the burping impact), or anything that required sealing. Going over the tyres after a good 600km on poor road surfaces with hedge trimmings and various filth, the tread still looks in good conditions and there are no nicks across the surface of the tyre. The reduction in tread depth will however have likely reduced the lifespan of these tyres. The previous Blackbird boasted a 4000km lifespan, although it’s not certain if that was front or rear tyre, or an average of both. However, even if that has halved, that is still an exceptionally long wear life for a race day tyre, and my 600km of test riding does not appear to have got close to nearing any noticeable signs of wear.

The only slightly odd change between the Blackbird Race and the Blackbird is that these new tyres feel slightly harsher than the previous generation. Given they use a 127 TPI on both, with the same layering, it’s hard to pin down why this might be. They don’t bounce on rough surfaces, and the grip in both wet and dry conditions is still superb. They just appear to be a little harsher to ride on at the same pressures.

Obviously another big claim with these tyres is the improved rolling efficiency. Hutchinson’s "10% faster" rolling claim vs the last Blackbird does not come with any watt numbers or speeds tested at. If we take the brand at its word and apply that 10% saving across the rolling resistance testing we conducted, we can assume that at 9m/s and 11m/s the new watts required for the Blackbird Race are 13.32w and 20.07w respectively, taking 10% away from the results for the regular Blackbird. This still has them behind the Continental GP5000 S TR by 3.32w and 4.07w, but it does put them in line with the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR RS and Vittoria Corsa Pro. 

However both of those are significantly more expensive and heavier. Out on the road, the Blackbird Race certainly feel faster than the Blackbird in back to back testing on the same wheelset. They are clearly still likely giving up some performance to the class leading fast rolling tyres though.

Value

At £69.99 per tyre, the Hutchinson Blackbird Race are still an impressively competitively priced race day tyre. When we look at the Continental GP5000 S TR, Pirelli PZero Race TLR RS, Vittoria Corsa Pro they are all in the £80/$100+ per tyre region or higher. The GP5000 S TR are notably faster based on testing and perception though, and face less of a weight penalty. 

There are similarly priced tyres with similar performance levels, namely the Schwalbe Pro One TT, but this forgoes a good level of puncture protection and durability being a TT tyre. That then leaves the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport R and Challenge Criterium RS, which are similar price, similar rolling, and also similar weight. However both face issues with durability as well as potentially ease of fitting as is the case with the Challenge tyres. Specialized and Panaracer also have some faster rolling options in the same price bracket, but these do not offer tubeless so miss out on the potential to seal any smaller punctures.

I’ve been able to test the Pirelli, Continental, and Vittoria tyres, and can say that the Hutchinson do perform better in a few areas. Durability wise, I will confidently say the Blackbird Race will last longer than the others, and are also far easier to fit. The weight is also better and noticeably so compared to the Vittoria and Pirelli. Grip is also superior to them, while being on par with the Continental. There is of course the issue of tyre width, as at present the Blackbird Race is limited in that respect. However, as an all-round solidly performing tyre, these are very effective, and only really miss out a bit on total rolling resistance, but do so while appearing to maintain better longevity and puncture resistance, so perhaps a worthwhile trade.

Verdict

The Hutchinson Blackbird Race tyres are a very solid improvement over the Blackbirds in several key areas that make them a more ideal race day and performance tyre offering while maintaining a very similar price point. They have a reduced lifespan, which is the main trade-off for the enhanced rolling resistance and greatly reduced weight, but for those wanting peak performance, it’s a worthwhile exchange. It also maintains the excellent all-weather grip and becomes an even easier tyre to fit. It does however still have limited size options and feels a bit harsher on rough roads.

It's also not the fastest race day tyre offering, with several tyres offering better rolling resistance. However, in most cases that comes with either an increased price, reduced longevity and puncture protection, increased weight, or lack of tubeless compatibility. If you want the best all-round performance money-no-object, then the Continental GP5000 S TR are still the halo offering. However, if you want a great mix of speed, grip, longevity, ease of fitting, tubeless, and light weight, then the Blackbird Race are a very worthwhile consideration.