Hutchinson Fusion 2 Ultra Road Tire

I originally went for these because they were on killer special online. I had been running Vredenstein Fortezzas all year and was extremely pleased by their puncture resistance and ability to hold high PSIs. However their relatively low lifespan and very square wear pattern were starting to turn me off, along with the high price tag.

The first racing bike I ever had came with Hutchinsons and I remember never really having any problems with them. It was a lower grade bike, so I'm sure the model of tire was as well. I reasoned that if they worked well, then Hutchinson's top end of tires would work pretty well too. I waited until now to review to get at least a few miles in (about 500 at this point) and see how they did.

The first thing that most people seem to value is puncture resistance, and these do not disappoint. The roads around here are pretty average and the only blemish so far is a small, very shallow cut on one of them. I'm pretty happy with this because, on one or two occasions, I've noticed glass in the road too late to do anything about it and pretty much ran right over it.
As far as wear goes, the front tire basically looks like it did the day I put it on. The rear tire is starting to show some minimal signs (again, after about 500 miles) and the wear pattern is good. I'm sure I'll get a good 2500 miles out of them, maybe.
This is my first tire since using Vredesteins at about 140-145 PSI. I run these at just under 120, usually and they feel great. Before Vredesteins, I used Michelin Pro 2 Race at the 120 PSI range and I think these Hutchinson's feel better than they did. I'll let the scientists etc. figure out whether lower pressures are faster or slower than higher ones, but I can say that I don't seem any faster or slower on my usual routes than when I was running higher PSI tires.
Since it's so late in they year, I haven't raced on them, so I haven't subjected them to extreme handling/cornering situations yet. Having said that, I have felt very comfortable and confident in the tight situations that I have encountered. I have no way of quantifying it, obviously, but the grip feels good.
I would definitely recommend them to anyone as long as you can find a good deal on them. I got away with only paying about $25 per tire, so they are worth it. Having said that, I don't think any tire is worth the $65 price tag that some of them boast, including these at full price.
The only reason I didn't give it a full five stars is because I have not raced on them and I have not used them to their life's end to see how well they truly hold up.

These tires are great. I got a set for my new neuvation wheels and have loved everything about them. First of all the grey/silver looks fantastic. Not boring like black, but not super edgy like solid red or blue. So far they have worked out really well. They corner very well on dry roads and even on rainy rides they have held up better than any previous tire I have owned. Overall a great tire for anyone, but especially a good training/racing tire. I don't have the budget to buy separate sets for training and racing so these do a terriffic job overlapping!

I was a pretty faithful Specialized tire guy but got tired of replacing them because they’d wear out to quick over the course of the year. I bought a pair of these Hutchinson’s after researching them pretty thoroughly. I’ve had them on for about 1000 miles and they rock. They roll smooth on flats, climbs and most importantly descents. I’ve hit a lot of rocks and they’ve stood up to the conditions and beating. And they look good on my bike.

I used to ride the Panaracer Stradius pro... I'd get flats with those tires about once every 50 miles...

I've been riding on these tires now for 6 months, and I've hit a few rocks, rode through glass, and just generally beat up on it and they've held up really well.

The grip on the downhills is superb.

These treads roll nicely in rainy wet or desert dry. They grip well and have hardly worn.

Dana reviews the Fusion 2 in the last section of this video.

http://videos.roadbikereview.com/?bcpid=1529573320&bclid=1815816745&bctid=1818365002