Road Bike Tire Test: Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance TL 25

The Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance is the most all-round version of the new Fusion 5 tires. When compared to the very fast Fusion 5 Galactik, the Fusion 5 Performance adds a layer of Kevlar puncture resistance material to protect better against punctures and uses the HDF 5.2 compound instead of the HDF 5.1 compound. According to Hutchinson, the HDF 5.2 compound is optimized more towards grip and durability while the HDF 5.1 is mainly optimized for speed.

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Just like I did with the Fusion 5 Galactik (read review) and Fusion 5 All Season, I'm testing the tubeless version of the Fusion 5 Performance. A regular tube type (clincher) version is available as well. The biggest difference between the tubeless and the regular tube type can be found in the bead area and on the inside of the tires. The tubeless versions have an extra layer of rubber on the inside of the tires which takes care of keeping the air in at the very high air pressures used on road bikes.

I'm not really into speculating about the rolling resistance of tires, but I do expect the regular tube type versions of the Fusion 5 tires to perform very close to the tubeless versions when used with a 100 grams butyl inner tube. When used with a latex inner tube, I'm pretty sure the regular tube type versions will be a bit faster than the tubeless versions.

Specified weight of the 25-622 Fusion 5 Performance is 315 grams; my sample came in at a slightly heavier 323 grams. On my 17C test wheel, at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.8 bars, the Performance version measures 26 mm wide and 23 mm high which is pretty much spot on to the rated size.

The total thickness of the tire at the center of the tread comes in at 3.0 mm. 3.0 mm is a good thickness and comparable to most other all-round tires like the Conti GP4000S II (read review), Schwalbe One (read review) and Michelin Power Competition (read review) which all come in close to 2.5 - 3.0 mm. The sidewalls have a thickness of 1.3 mm which is much thicker than the non-tubeless tires which mostly come with 0.5 mm thick sidewalls.

After the excellent performance of the Fusion 5 Galactik (read review), I was looking forward to testing the other versions of the Fusion 5 tires. Rolling resistance of the Fusion 5 Performance is a bit higher than I hoped it would be. At the highest air pressure of 120 psi / 8.3 bars, rolling resistance comes in at 13.1 watts. 13.1 watts is a bit higher than the best performing non-tubeless all-round tires which come in close to 11.0 - 12.5 Watts.

Compared to the very fast Fusion 5 Galactik, you'll lose about 3 watts per tire when going for the Performance version. What you do gain when going for the more all-round Performance version is a compound that is optimized more towards grip and durability, a Kevlar anti-puncture breaker, 0.5 mm more tread thickness, and 0.25 mm thicker sidewalls. If you look at the things you gain, 3 watts lost isn't that big of a deal.

The Fusion 5 Galactik scored 9 points in the puncture resistance tread test which is quite low. The extra Kevlar anti-puncture belt and 0.5 mm thicker tread of the Fusion 5 Performance add 2 points to this score to end up at 11 points. As the sidewalls are much thicker, the sidewall puncture score comes in at 7 points which is a good bit better than most other high TPI road bike tires (3-5 points).

One of the biggest advantages of tubeless tires is the ability to use a sealant that can seal most small holes of up to 2-3 mm. Although you might lose some air, you'll have a much bigger chance of getting home without doing roadside repairs. In general, the thicker the tread and sidewalls, the easier the sealant can seal the hole.

I was impressed by the low rolling resistance of the Fusion 5 Galactik. Going with the Fusion 5 Performance over the Galactik results in close to 3 watts of extra rolling resistance per tire. For these 3 watts per tire, you do get better puncture resistance, grip, and durability in return. If you're looking for an all-round tubeless tire that will be hard to flat when used tubeless, the Fusion 5 Performance fits the bill perfectly.

When looking at the other tires in the all-round non-tubeless class, rolling resistance of the Fusion 5 Performance is a bit higher (1-2 watts) when looking at tires like the popular Conti GP4000S II (read review), Schwalbe One (read review), and Michelin Power Competition (read review). With these small differences that will be hard to notice, it all comes down to grip and durability.