Hutchinson Fusion 2 tubeless 700x23c tyre

Tubeless MTB tyres have been around for a while and while they're still niche there's plenty of people who swear by them. I suspect road tubeless will go the same way: the hassle of fitting them will put many people off but those who do try these Fusion 2 tubeless tyres will be rewarded with excellent feel and low rolling resistance.

To fit tubeless road tyres you'll need a few bits and bobs: sealing rim tape, a valve, some latex solution and, of course, the tyres themselves. I've seen kits with all the stuff you need retailing for as much as £200 but this is a nonsense; you can pick up everything for two wheels for about £85 if you shop around, which is about the same as the RRP on two of these tyres.

Fitting the tyres is fiddly, you can read my experiences here  but basically I'd budget for a wedge of time and a CO2 inflator to make the job a whole lot easier. Once they're on the 'tubeless' moniker on the side is the only thing to give them away, and although they need topping up a little more than a tyre and tube they don't require any special treatment.

So if it's a fiddle, then why switch? MTBers make great sway by a tubeless tyre's ability to resit pinch flats, meaning you can run lower pressures for better grip. That's not so much of an issue on tarmac, but there is a good reason to try them, and that's the ride quality.

Rolling resistance is noticeably lower, and the tyres feel very supple and sure footed on all surfaces. I've used (and liked) Fusion 2s before although I've never found them to be the grippiest, but the tubeless version is a notch above the standard tyre. I still found its limits on wet shiny downhill tarmac, but on climbs they were superb. For most of the test I ran them at 100psi; I had a few runs at lower pressure to see if the tyres performed better but to be honest I preferred them harder and it didn't seem to affect the rolling resistance at all.

It's only fair to report that I completely wrecked one of the test tyres: I hit a sharp rock that dented the rim and put a one-inch gash in the carcass of the tyre. Obviously the latex didn't seal that but with an improvised tyre boot and spare tube I was able to complete my ride, and the damage to the tyre didn't spread. I'm convinced that any other tyre would have suffered a similar fate given the circumstances, so it doesn't reflect badly on the Fusion 2. Fitting a tube was straightforward, if a little messy due to all the latex solution. I've seen reports that these tyres are hard to fit by hand but I didn't have had any problems in testing.

Apart from that incident I've had no punctures on the Fusion 2s. Whether small holes have in fact been sealed by the latex when out riding it's difficult to say, but having prodded the tyres with various sharp implements in the workshop I can reliably say that the liquid does its job when there is an intrusion, sometimes instantaneously and sometimes with a bit of pressure loss.

Verdict

Overall these are good quality tyres with a great ride feel and superbly low rolling resistance. Some of the benefits of running tubeless translate well to the road and others are less applicable, but overall the ride quality is the main benefit. If you're up to the job of fitting them, they're certainly worth a try.