Tire Review: Hutchinson Piranha CX Tubeless Ready Cyclocross Tire
Racing and Riding Impressions: The Hutchinson Piranha is currently only one of three ’cross tires officially made for tubeless use, but you’re able to run the tire with a conventional tube as well. The tire’s low-profile knobs and large volume create a large contact patch, especially with low pressure, providing good traction and low rolling resistance on grass, soft dirt, and pavement. When surfaces got loose, with the Piranha on the rear, climbs required a lot more finesse, and braking traction suffered. Although Hutchinson rates its Bulldog tire as the better of the two in mud performance, the Piranha doesn’t pack mud, but pedaling and braking traction were significantly compromised in sloppy conditions. The center knobs are surrounded by a larger, slightly raised, textured platform, which did not seem to offer any traction benefits but may provide additional puncture resistance. The grey tread and short knobs showed faster wear than average. The Piranha is a fast, comfortable tire that works well as a rear tire on grass and soft dirt.
Ed. Note: For more details on tubeless use of both the original non-carbon bead and newer carbon bead versions, see our updated review of the Hutchinson Bulldog tire.
Hutchinson Piranha CX Tubeless Ready cyclocross tire. © Cyclocross Magazine
Width (listed / measured): 34mm / 33mm
Weight (listed / measured): 405g / 389g
MSRP: $ 49.95
TPI: 127
