Road Cycling - Hutchinson Carbon Comp

Bought a used road bike that had the Carbon comps on Ksryrium SSCs. They had at most 500 miles on them when I got them. I have put another 600 on them and man, they do not hold up well at all. They have pits, slices and the sidewalls are cracking bad. Granted I have had three or four flats with them between the two, but the deterioration is unreal compared to the Vittorias on my other road bike. I always pump before I ride and keep em between 105 and 115 PSI. They have never seen water other than a minor puddle. Is this thir limit(1000+ miles)? I have heard good things about these tire and my LBS is offering a set of Team Once Carbon Comps for 30 beans. I plan on buying them regardless because of the minimal bling and I do like the ride of the tire. What higher performance tires hold up well? BTW, I am 210 lbs and do 100 to 120 miles a week.

I guess I'm having better luck than you are (knock wood). Mine which were new on my Arenberg are approaching 1k miles and they look perfect with no flats scars or other signs of distress. I wiegh 170 so that may make a difference and I run em at 110.

Flats are hard on tires! It's not the hole so much as the deflated air pressure and subsuquent cutting into the sidewall by the rim.

I've been using Carbon Comps for a while now and like them fine for the price ($22 each). The tread is quite soft so they do pick up lots of cuts from glass and sharp rocks. Dispite this, they seem to hang in there until the tread is worn though. They remind me very much of some of the Michelin tires I've owned: same 127 tpi casing, same ride characteristics, same soft tread, same type of packaging materails. Makes me wonder if Michelin makes them? At any rate they are OK tires in my opinion. Sounds like yours have suffered to much abuse, time to retire them?

Good luck.

Ed

I have been running Fortezza for two years. I bought some of the Carbon Comps on sale from Performace last fall. I put them on in the late spring and find the same problems with them you listed. Picks up lots of flints and glass, cuts all over. This will be the last set I buy, back to the Vredesteins for me!

i like my hutchison's. i rotate them > 1k and get an entire 4k season out of them. i pump them to the max 120psi. i think vred forezza's are great too.
i lose ~10-15 psi per week, so i pump 2X/week. i switched to them because of the price ($22) . the debate continues. my buddy swears by conti 2000, unfolded.

i had a carbon comp on my bike for a while. it was the front tire on my road bike, it worked really, really well. but yeah, pitting, wearing out, slices...then i put it on the rear of one of my track bikes (desperate times called for desperate measures), and in two weeks the tire was toasted. the carbon compound tires seem to shred a lot faster than uh "normal" tires...the hutchie was nice as a front, but i don't think i'll use one again anytime soon...i got some free gatorskins from work, and i love 'em.

The Hutchinson's came standard on my bike. Over 1500 miles later they are still going great. They *do* pit a bit as they are a softer tyre. I can't complain at all, but I'm going to try the Continentals next time around to get some comparison. So far, I like what I have though - no flats and no real issues and I've gone over some nasty gravel several times.

if anyone is looking for a good, lightweight flat-resistant tire, the panaracer pasela is super durable and lighter than the gatorskin. the only problem i can think of that anyone might have with it is the tread. it's got little nubbles all over it that might slow you down...but i never noticed it on my fixie...they also run a little small. i got a 700x25 and it fits more like a 23. but it's a great tire nonetheless. and so are the gatorskins.

I recently got the performance brand forte pro kevlar. I was amazed at the smoothness of the ride compared to the fortezzas I had been using. Each inflated at 125 lbs. They're a bit lighter than the fortezzas too. Haven't put many miles on them and the roads I ride are pretty free of debris with the exception of the random broken bottle...

Vfredstiens are great for training and racing, they are very durable for their performance. I did not get chips and cuts in the tires, nor did I get flats. They even withstood some road items that would have caused flats on lesser tires. I would definately buy them again. However, they are not that sticky in corners, and I don't trust them as much when it's wet. High PSI really cuts down on rolling resistance.

The Carbon Comps are inexpensive and perform very well. They REALLY grip the road, even in wet conditions. I haven't come close to slipping. These tires give me more confidence in we and corners than the Vfredsteins... but there is a trade off. They ARE very soft! And are prone to cuts/chips. I have not had a flat on these tires.. but I'm only at about 500 miles right now. I would say that with the lighter weight and sticky.. making them great for racing, not so great for training.. but you can certainly use them for that.

I think it's all about how and where you ride. I had about 450 miles on the tires and examined them, noticing no cuts and minimal wear. The next day, I let my friend(who is 25lbs heavier than me) ride my bike for 15 miles. When we got back, BOTH tires had small cuts, even a small rock imbedded in the front tire. The rear wheel was also out of true. It think this guy just plows over stuff. He's also a slower rider than me and 215lbs. I have commuted on these tires through the city for a total of about 150 miles with no problem. This guy rides it for 45-50 minutes and it's worse than the 450 or so miles I had put on them. By comparison, this guys bike has the Vfred Forretza's and there are no cuts/damage and minimal wear.

So Forretzas are better for durability and fast training, the Carbon Comps are your race tires... but at $22(less with 20% off coupon at performance) they can certainly work as a training tire. If you get just one tire, and don't mind paying the price, get the Forretza Tri-Comps. Bire Tires direct has them for $34 each.


I think how and where you ride makes a differ

I put about 2100 miles on my Carbon Comps before the threads in the rear wheel started showing thru... I switched out the rear with a Specialized Mondo Pro... so far I like it.. gonna switch out the front in a week or two... it's not really worn out yet.. but has a lot of slices and junk... they are decent tires, especially for the price, but they didn;t really hold up as much as I would have liked

jeff

LOVE THEM! I've had great luck with them and will buy them again!

my hutchinson carbon comps have a huge flat spot down the center after only 2 weeks a 550 miles. i got them cheap at my LBS but i think instead of training/racing tires they are just race tires.