Hutchinson Fusion Long Distance
By James Sharp

Earlier this year, I reviewed Hutchinson's Fusion Comp road tire. I had summed the tire up as "The tread life isn't anything to write home about, but the cornering grip, coupled with a lively feel make this a nice race day tire. It doesn't hurt that it seems pretty flat resistant. If only it had a longer tread life..." Well, Hutchinson acknowledged the tread life and, while keeping the Fusion Comp as their race tire, made the Fusion Long Distance. The promise was tire that performed as well as the Fusion Comp, but has a longer lasting tread compound. I couldn't wait to try it.

Using their 4 Extrusion technology, Hutchinson placed rubber designed for cornering grip on the sections where the tire would make contact as it's leaned over. The center of the tire uses the harder, more wear resistant rubber. Under the tread, Hutchinson used an aramid layer for puncture resistance. The cornering compound -- what Hutchinson calls GMP -- is a granular compound reinforced with silica... what that means to me is that I can lean over in a corner as hard as I have the guts to and the tire will hold. I've cornered as hard on the Long Distance as I did on the Fusion Comp and felt that the Long Distance gave up very, very little -- if any -- to the Comp.

In truth, I found that the Fusion Long Distance performed as well as the Fusion Comp in almost very area. They are slightly heavier, but not enough for me to notice -- we're talking 20g or less, per tire. Even though they have a puncture resistant layer, I couldn't feel it -- something I can't say about other rough riding anti-puncture tires I've used in the past. I never had a flat using the Long Distance. For flat resistance, I'd say that this is a good tire.

The only problems I had were with some splits in the casing. I contacted Hutchinson and they told that my tires were older ones and had sat in a warehouse. This could have caused some age related defects in the casing. They promptly sent me a new set and they've been trouble free ever since. Even with the casing issue, they didn't flat. Because the newer tires didn't exhibit the same problem, I'm going to chalk this one up to aging as Hutchinson suggested -- meaning that the old tires on blowout online might not be the best deal -- and not an inherent problem with the design.

Summary: If you are looking for a tire that corners like a race-day only tire, but won't wear out in a month, take a long look at Hutchison's Fusion Long Distance tire. They list it as a race tire, but I think it makes a great all around tire, too. The weight is low -- 230g -- and the puncture resistant layer helps to keep your ride uninterrupted. The Fusion Long Distance retails for $55

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com; see what else he's working on at his blog -- Lactic Acid Threshold.

For more information, contact:
Hutchinson Tires
E-mail: marketing.cycle@hutchinson.fr