Hutchinson Bicycle Tires (France) - Press Release: Racing Lab: developed with the world’s best riders, using the highest standards of quality and innovation. Handmade in france.

Develop. Test. Improve. Repeat. This is the philosophy behind the new Racing Lab range from Hutchinson. After a sensational debut on the gravity segment with the Griffus Racing Lab, the brand is expanding its Made in France range developed thanks to a close collaboration with its athletes, with a new XC offering. On the menu: new Race Ripost XC tri-compound, new reinforced version and new colour.

The Racing Lab range grows with an XC offering:

Initially developed to meet a demand from its international XC champions (including David Valero MMR Factory Racing Team), the new version of the Skeleton Racing Lab has been revised and optimised to integrate the brand's Made in France - performance range. By enriching its Racing Lab range, Hutchinson wishes to highlight its know-how, built in particular thanks to the collaboration between its R&D department based directly on the French manufacturing site and all of its professional riders. This proximity makes it possible to take athletes'; feedback into account in order to integrate them into the product development process through numerous tests and prototypes.

Skeleton Racing Lab: The new fatal XC weapon:

An ultra-light and rolling tire ; that was the initial demand of the athletes. Designed in 2.15 width, the Skeleton is willingly larger (53mm) than the other XC models in the range, with a shape made for modern XC racing. It’s the perfect ride at low pressures, thanks to Hutchinson’s best XC casings. It provides excellent rolling and distortion performances to support the most technical riders and respect the new requirements of cross-country races. Front or rear mounted, the Skeleton will be indispensable on dry or mixed terrains. From the profile design, a spinal column can be seen, giving the tyre its name.

All the different knobs are articulated around this and link together to ensure permanent contact with the ground and harmony in the tyre’s construction. Regarding the compound, Hutchinson decided to use the Race Ripost XC concept, consisting of three compounds and dedicated to pure performance. The brand has been discussing with athletes and testers for a long time to find the compound that would be best for intensive practitioners and competitors. Race Ripost XC is dedicated to pure rolling performance. Tightly bonded to the casing, it is hard in the central section to ensure fast rolling, comfort and flexibility on both sides to provide grip and deformation.

The Skeleton Racing Lab will be available in 29 x 2.15 and will be available in three new versions:

A version reinforced with a Hardskin textile grid from bead to bead, positioned on the 66TPI casing. This reinforced model has been developed to meet a rather typical demand for XC marathon, ready to face long distances safely. It's a perfect compromise for races like the Transvesubian for example.

A "tan wall" version, which in addition to its appealing colour also brings additional comfort. Indeed, the technical process which makes it possible to obtain the « tan » colour also contributes to increased flexibility due to the mixture not containing carbon black. Thus, the casing deforms even better than the black version. This may remind some of the behavior and comfort of tubulars. In order to make the most of all its benefits, the brand advises monitoring tyre pressure. Given its flexibility, it is possible that 0.1 bar more than for the "black" version results in better ride sensations.

A "black wall" version, focused on lightness and speed, a notable asset for speed enthusiasts during XC competitions.

Racing Lab : develop, test, improve, repeat.

Based in our historic factory in Chalette-sur-Loing, France, our racing department has contributed to the success of the greatest champions such as Julien Absalon, Myriam Nicole, or Rémi Thirion, and today Cécile Ravanel, Isabeau Courdurier, David Valero, Joshua Dubau and others. It is a space where engineers, designers and athletes develop products together that meet the demands of competition at the highest level, through numerous experiments, tests, prototypes and advanced analysis. From these optimised performance products comes a new range: Racing Lab.