Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance tyre

The Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance is an excellent all-rounder at a good price. For fast group rides, commutes and café rides, they don't skip a beat regardless of weather. It provides plenty of speed yet good puncture protection, and is reminiscent of the excellent Continental GP 4000 II – with the added benefit of being tubeless ready without extra podge. Could be a little bit more supple, though.

This is not the only Fusion 5 – the range also includes the Galaktic (fastest) and All-Season (toughest) Fusion 5s, while this Performance version sits right in between. Tested here in 28mm guise, it's also available in 23, 25 or 30mm.

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After running tubes for the first few rides, I thought I'd take advantage of their tubeless ready nature. Having dabbled before I'm enamored with the concept and lower pressures, but put off by the faff (I'm looking at you, Cadex Race 25). The Fusion 5 experience, though, has finally convinced me tubeless is the way forwards.

Setup is as simple as thumbing the tyres onto the rims and squirting in a little sealant. The tyres seat and inflate with a track pump – and I tried them on a few wheelsets, as rims really can vary. I was amazed at how easily they went on all the wheels I tried – it's a good indicator that you'll find them easy as well.

The Fusion 5 Performance feels fast and grips well whatever the conditions, and even on greasy lanes. They're not the plushest on rough roads, though – I'd describe them as comfy-ish. There are more supple tyres out there: for example, the Vittoria Corsa Control does a miraculous job of smoothing bumps, probably thanks to its 320 threads per inch casing (the Fusion is 127 TPI).

For tubeless tyres that need denser, stiffer sidewalls to stop air leaking out, though, I think 127 TPI is a good compromise of comfort and durability.

These tyres hold air well – as well as a set of tyres with butyl tubes, in fact. Impressive for tubeless tyres which can sometimes be rather porous and need pumping up more often.

> Fitting tubeless tyres – learn how with this simple guide

At a claimed 270g for this 28mm size, and weighing in just 1g heavier on the RoadCC scales of truth, these tyres are impressively light – especially as Hutchinson claim they're good for 4000km. Having covered nearly 1000km on them myself with no sign of wear (or punctures), though, this seems a realistic claim rather than a figure randomly been plucked from the air.

At £39.95 the Fusion 5 Performance is great value – it rivals tyres of a much higher price.

The Hutchinson's closest competitor is probably the Continental GP 5000 TL, which not only has a considerably higher RRP (£69.95) but is also a fair bit weightier (306g vs 271g in 28mm). If you're looking for the ultimate in comfort then maybe these aren't for you, but in my experience, you can't expect a tyre with significantly higher TPI to last anywhere near as long.

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Overall, the Fusion 5 Performance is not be the supplest tyre, but other than that it delivers the complete package. I found it amazingly easy to fit and inflate, hard wearing and a brilliant choice for year-round training, whether on fast smooth rides or cruising through puncture-prone lanes.

Verdict

Durable, great value and fast tubeless tyre for year-round training