The first thing we look at is the tread. The tread has fine, closely spaced lugs in the center, which should provide some traction, but above all low rolling resistance. Banana-shaped cross lugs provide additional grip. At the very outside of the tire is another row of slightly more massive lugs, which are intended to prevent the tire from smearing when the bike is leaning heavily. According to the manufacturer, the 29x2.10 inch tires weigh 580 grams and can be mounted on both the front and rear wheel.

If you are still wondering why tires that come from France have the English name "Hutchinson", here is some information: The American industrialist of British descent, Hiram Hutchinson (1808-1869), founded a rubber factory in 1853 in Châlette-sur-Loing, which was the predecessor of Hutchinson SA. Hutchinson still produces at this site in France today - 165 years of company history - respect!

The assembly of the Skeleton

There are things a tester looks forward to more than mounting lightweight cross-country tires using the tubeless method. We are therefore eager to see how this will work with the Skeleton tires. The tire can be easily slipped over the rim by hand. Half mounted, we pour in 60 milliliters of sealant - also from Hutchinson - press the second tire sidewall over the rim with our thumbs, attach a standard floor pump, pump a few times and with two loud "pops", the tire jumps to the desired position and seals immediately. Aha, don't get too euphoric now, the front wheel is still on. But here, too, we are not disappointed, as fitting is similarly easy: life can be so simple. The piston of the floor pump is raised and lowered until the digital pressure display stops at 1.7 bar.

The Skeleton in cross-country use

All theory is gray, so the fine Hutchinson tires finally get to "play" with us. We set off on asphalt and quickly gain speed. You can hardly hear anything from the tires, what a difference to the rubber we usually have fitted. Slightly downhill and still on tarmac, we shoot towards the first 180-degree bend, put the bike in and bang, we're around. The rounded profile with the protruding side lugs allows the bike to corner beautifully and you have to make a real effort to get to the outer lugs. Fortunately, these are stable enough not to snap off immediately. We continue on hard forest ground. The picture here is the same as before on asphalt: it rolls great and loves bends. On loose ground, the protruding side lugs initially cause a few adrenaline rushes, as they start to engage very late. Once you get used to it, however, it is easy to handle. The tire pressure could even be a little lower: At 1.7 bar, the tires still prove to be very laterally stable.

Now in spring, many forest floors tend to be soft and slippery. Here, the fine-tread Skeleton naturally quickly reaches its limits. Although the tread is so open that it does not tolerate dirt accumulation, there is not much grip to be felt and you smear away in all directions. On climbs, you are well advised to keep your backside and therefore your weight on the saddle. This way, it is still possible to make progress with great effort. However, as soon as the ground has a consistency beyond soggy corn flakes, the fast-paced ride can continue without any problems.

During the rather short test period, the tires did not show any increased or unusual wear on the sidewalls or tread.

Conclusion

The Skeleton loves hard surfaces and also performs very well on gravel and wet forest floors. Only when it gets muddy is the fun over. It allows fantastic lean angles in corners and has stable side lugs as a lifeline. Hutchinson has thus found a very good balance between weight, puncture protection and grip. The tire will definitely find its way from the test bike to the private cross-country bike. This should also answer the question of whether Hutchinson should continue to produce tires or baguettes.

www.hutchinsontires.com
www.velok.ch