Hutchinsons Blackbird Racing Lab TLR road tyre is a level up from the their Fusion 5 Performance. The art of cycling ultimately boils down to one thing: three square centimetres of contact between your tyres and the road. This small surface has been at the heart of Hutchinson's story since its inception in 1890.

Four years of extensive research and development have gone into creating the Blackbird, resulting in the fastest tyre every developed by Hutchinson. Rolling resistance has been improved by 10% compared to the previous generation Fusion 5 but with an increased class leading lifespan of over 4,000 km of real-world riding.

Central to the reduction in rolling resistance is Hutchinson's new "SwiftEasy" casing design. This new construction sees the tyres casing wrapped around the bead then bonded directly to a central polyamide puncture protection strip instead of the usual process of overlapping these layers.

A final layer of casing runs from bead to bead to reduce air leakage. SwiftEasy casing ensures a much more flexible point of contact with the road, greatly enhancing both rolling resistance and comfort while reducing weight due to the use of just tow layers of 1227 TPI casing. The result is a super-fast, comfortable and lightweight tyre, the 28mm Blackbird weighing in at a competitive 290 g.

Another technology debuting on the Blackbird is "Mach Tread 3.0", the fastest and most efficient tread compound that has every been developed b y Hutchinson. The compound is a completely new formulation with incredibly low rolling resistance and high rebound that gives an increase in energy return of 25% when it comes into contact with the road.

Mach Tread 3.0 is also 10% harder than the previous 11Storm compound, meaning the tyre has improved resistance to tearing if cut by road debris and has an impressive lifespan of over 4,000 km. These improvements come whiles till retaining the same high levels of grip found in Hutchinson's previous generation of performance road tyres.

The tyre has been specifically designed around modern, wider rims, with a tread surface that is 15% wider than previous generation tyres. This combined with the more flexible SwiftEasy casing means the tyres contact patch with the road is wider than it is long, enabling aggressive cornering and reducing rolling resistance.

The tyre is available in both Black and Tan Wall colourways across a range of three sizes: 26, 28 & 30 mm. Weighing 275, 290 & 310 g respectively. The 28 and 30mm versions are hookless compatible.

The Blackbird is also available in a Tubetype version that forgoes the SwiftEasy casing to offer enhanced puncture resistance necessary for a tubed tyre. The tubed versions are also available in Black and Tan Wall colourways and weight 225, 245 and 265 g.