Sunday, August 26, 2007

New Hutchinson Bulldogs

Hutchinson Bulldog 34c cross tire

I have been riding these new Hutchinson Bulldog cross tires for a couple of weeks now, and as a guy who loves his tubulars, I have to say that these are great tires, even though they are clinchers. Mounted up on a set of the beautiful white DT Swiss RR 1450 Mon Chasseral wheels, DT's 'light' climbing wheels, this setup was very light, and fast. I ran just under 40psi in both front and rear.

As mentioned, I love the ride of tubulars, and have ridden my wife's setup on occassion, Ksyrium SL's with Kenda Small Block 32c tires - which I dislike as much as long visits from in-laws. Her setup is harsh, the wheels are too flexy and unpredictable in corners, and sketchy all around. My preferred setup are my Reynolds Cross carbon tubulars w/ Dugast 34c Rhinos, which I run around 32-35psi in. So going to an all aluminum wheel w/ a clincher, admittingly I was skeptical.

To my surprise, my first ride out, I warmed up quickly to this new setup. The wheels proved to be stiff laterally for great cornering, but supple enough to smooth out the ride. The 34c Hutchinson Bulldogs complimented the wheels, with predictable grip in various conditions, supple ride, not too mention a cool Euro appeal in their silver/ black skin, pairing nicely with the white scheme of the wheels.

After hitting the Lower Loop trail up in Crested Butte on my Indy Fab Planet Cross, I found this setup to be much more. The wheels hooked up nicely on loose climbs and descents, and were a blast to ride through the corners. I never felt like I was over-riding the wheels, and even ran down a couple of mountain bikers.

Perfect pairing


Back on the campus cross course, perfectly timed sprinkler systems afforded me the opportunity to turn some wet laps on the grassy lawns. Off-camber, downhill and tight turns were no match for these tires and wheels. I pushed hard through the turns, and lept out of the saddle on the steep inclines with not a hint of any slipping. Even on very slick corners these tires grabbed like velcro.

So would I race this setup? Absolutely. The Hutchinson Bulldogs paired up with the DT Swiss Mon Chasseral's provide a inspiring package that would benefit any cross rider. These will be seeing much more action this season, including some races.

6 comments:

ScottyD said...

What tubes you running with that set up to go 40PSI without pinchs? How well are they hooking up in tight fast corners?

34x18 said...

I threw some Specialized AirLight road tubes, have yet to pinch flat. They hook up great in fast corners, no rolling over or breaking loose.

Dave Haygarth said...

Look good - not many grassy or dry races here in the UK but I'm sure they'll have their place.

34x18 said...

You don't need a grassy course for these, they are classified as a mud tire, so any slick conditions and these tires will shine.

34x18 said...

check this posting on cyclingnews.com
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2007/shows/eurobike07/?id=results/eurobike073
for the latest on Hutchinson, or got to:

www.hutchinsontires.blogspot.com

MRussell said...

I just ordered a set, and am looking forward to seeing how they roll. They'll be mounted to the tried 'n true OpenPro-Ultegra combo.

What is the approximate weight rolling on 'em (bike + you) for a 40psi inflation?

be well.