Hutchinson was among those setting the trends a few years ago, when they released some of the world’s first tubeless cyclocross tyres, the Piranha and the Bulldog. The Hutchinson Sector was another tyre of note from the company’s range, one of the earlier tubeless road tyres to hit the market. Since those days, tubeless tyre technology has come a long way. Hutchinson’s early cyclocross tyre offerings were fine in concept, but hard cornering at one’s local cyclocross race would result in air loss (burping), making for a product that didn’t exactly instill confidence in tubeless tyre technology.
But, Hutchinson persevered. Later in the development cycle, they added a carbon bead which vastly improved the tyre and rim interface, resulting in a seal that is almost too good. In fact, some wheel manufacturers specifically warn against mounting tyres with carbon fiber beads, or else face the prospect of never being able to remove them.*
But with the advent of the Hutchinson Overide, the company may have overcome all of these hurdles, and at the same time, entered themselves into the increasingly crowded market of gravel tyres.
“The Overide is the tire for Gravel usage, whether occasional or intensive. Classic roads, degraded, paths or tracks, the Overide is the ideal mounting for versatile and improvised outings.”
“The 700×38 version has had more work on its central part to bring adhesion and rideability. In its Road Tubeless Ready version, its bead to bead reinforcement coupled to a lower pressure will blow away all the amateurs of transversal routes and long course journeys.”
Marketing hubbub aside, outwardly, the 38mm version of the Override has the makings of a solid, dry conditions gravel tyre that is foldable along with a 127tpi casing.
* I once I had to cut a pair of Hutchinson Sectors from a reputable brand of road wheels, because the incompatible carbon beads made them impossible to remove!
Weighing Them Up
Our Hutchinson Overides in 700c x 38mm weighed 421 grams and 437 grams respectively. This sample set is the tubeless variety, or “Road Tubeless Ready” as Hutchinson calls them, and the sidewalls are marked with “Protect’air MAX”, the company’s nomenclature for beefed up sidewalls and their own brand of tyre sealant. More on that later.
Mounting the Hutchinson Override 700c x 38mm Gravel Tyre
- Remove the valve core and inflate. This process allows a greater volume of air into the tyre and most times, will pop the tyre onto the bead.
- If this doesn’t work, apply something like Sleek Beeswax & Mink Oil Furniture Polish to the sidewall. This product is far better than soap and water, and will help seat even the most stubborn of tyres. This product can be purchased from your local furniture store or online.
- Once the dry mount test has been passed, install your favourite sealant and inflate. Don’t forget to keep a fingertip over the valve if you removed the core. This simple step will retain the air you just inflated; if you’re good at juggling, you can quickly re-install the valve core and still keep some air inside the tyre. Then, inflate to the desired pressure.
How do the Hutchinson Overide 700c x 38mm gravel tyres measure up?
Riding the Hutchinson Overide 700c x 38mm gravel tyre
The centre tread is a speed merchant. It isn’t quite smooth, rather, accentuated with tiny diamond-shaped protuberances that don’t hinder forward momentum, provided you’re keeping speeds on pavement below 25mph / 40km/hr. Above that, you will feel some resistance as the almost 40mm tyre casing cuts through the air – pushing a tyre of this size at speed is never an easy proposition, but it is much faster on paved surfaces than say an all-around gravel tyre such as the WTB Resolute.
However, there is more to this tyre than smoothing out rough pavement / bitumen. Continuing with the theme of diamonds, albeit larger, the tread increases in height from the edge of the center line of the tyre, all the way to the tread at each leading edge.
Summary
