Hutchinson Equinox Road Bike Tire

I ordered a set of these to replace some stock Specialized Pro Cippos that were dying fast. After a sidewall blowout on the Pro Cippo rear (140-160 psi too high for an old tire?), I threw one of these on my rear wheel. I blew three tubes before I realized that the bead was exposed and abrasive due to lack of coverage by the rubber compound. I looked at the other unmounted, new tire and saw that it had the same issue. Are they cheap, especially on Bonktown ($10/tire)? YES. Are they reliable? NO. Weighing reliability v. cost... I will use these on my fixie around town. I won't use them on my road bike, even for training. I'm simply unwilling to carry two extra tubes and multiple CO2s as a precaution. Also, if it's a group ride, I don't want to flat, get dropped somewhere "unpleasant" or possibly dangerous (some of the Indianapolis group training rides cut through some rougher neighborhoods). My training time and quality is important to me and that greatly outweighs a couple $$. Besides, the difference in cost has already been eaten up by the number of tubes that I've gone through. As a replacement for these, I bought some Vittoria Rubino Pro Slicks on Bonktown for $19.99/tire. Lighter than the Equinox and better quality by far (5 stars for the Vittorias).

I bought two of these tires. After about 500 miles there was obvious deformation and bulging. I got a flat and could see that the bead was exposed. I figured it was a fluke and that the tire was just defective so i threw the other one on and the exact same thing happened. I paid 10.00 for it and it really wasn't even worth that when you figure in lost tubes and getting flats on rides. I do not reccomend this tire.

There are good things about these tires. They ride well, corner well and are more flat resistant than some expensive high end tires (I'm looking at you ProRace 3, the most puncture/flat-prone tires EVER). The problem is that they are bulging and deformed and blow off the rim violently. Try riding a 6 mile decent on a brakeless fixie when your front tire explodes off the rim at 35 mph and tell me that these tires are worth the price.

Rode this tire for about 200 miles, and the center of the tread developed a little zig-zag and a bulge that showed tire casing threads. Lowered the pressure and "limped" home. I put a brand new one on, and on the first ride of about 60 miles, there was another zig-zag in the tread and a bulge forming. I bought three of these initially, and the third one is going in the trash brand new in the package.

I bought 3 off of bonktown for about $28 total. I them on my fixie which I use to get around town (~20miles/week). The first two lasted about ~300 miles and were worn and cut up and needed to be replaced. The last tire got put on and almost immediately the side wall started to crack and fray. Very low quality, but you get what you pay for

I mounted these tires about 150 miles ago, and I've finally decided that I just can't put up with them anymore. In the past two weeks, I've had 3 flats, 2 of which were on one ride. Granted I've been riding on country roads, but these things pretty much let everything through. Like the other review states - you get what you pay for.

I got into an accident and bent my rear rim but was still okay to ride on. But the tire itself tweaked. Never had that happen. The sidewall and or the tread warped(bent). The tire now has a "s" or "Z" in the tread when looked at straight on. I also notice them breaking loose from the ground when I corner hard.

this tire was installed less than 1 month (maybe 400 miles max) before the sidewalls warped. no over inflation, kept it at recommended psi. also got a flat a few day before the sidewalls bent all out of whack. loved them up until i had to replace them last night. :( checking on warranties at the hutchinson website. grrrrr.

I rode these tires for about a month with no problems, until I hit a bump and bent the rear tire, something I've never seen happen before. Until Hutchinson creates a more reliable sidewall, I'd stay away from the Equinox.

Overall: If you get them pretty cheap they are good for commuting but won't last for years. I like to use them on my trainer. I don't consider them for race purposes. I would not reccomend these at retail price. Handling: I do really like how this tire handles and the tear drop shape seems to keep a good contact patch on the road. It does seem to cause the bike to lean over pretty fast on the corners. The center tread does have a low rolling resistance but not much grip. I don't feel near as confident taking these into a wet corner fast as I do on my 4000s tires. Weight: I have four of these Equinox tires, two have a wire bead, the other two have a kevlar bead. The wire beaded version is heavy at about 340 grams. The kevlar version is about 250 grams. Construction: There are a few issues with these tires, the construction is so-so. The center strip is not centered on one tire and another is a bit wiggly. For some reason I get pinch flats pretty easily with this tire. I use conti 4000s on my aero wheels and never pinched flat on that same exact road. I also had one tire get a slight bump in it affecting the roundness. Otherwise they all started very round. Wear: I use these tire 25% of the time but they have 50% more tread wear than my Conti 4000s. So they are wearing pretty fast.

I have used the tires for commuting about 75miles per week. No problems. However the new design is very hard to get on and off of the rim so make sure that you have three pry bars to remove it just in case you get a flat and have the pleasure of changing it on the side of the road.

I have been riding these for about 4-5 months on my commuter. They have had good traction, do feel a little slick, but the durability isn't there. Worth the $10 I paid for them on bonktown