New Tires - Fusion 3 vs. Intensive (Tubeless)

[hairylegs]

Hey Guys -

After a late fall and winter filled of long rides my tires are showing signs of major wear and scars. I'm riding the tubeless Fusion 3 by Hutchinson on my Dura-Ace wheels. I've been doing a lot of long rides in prep for my double century in two weeks. I've got a rear rack that I've been putting on for overnight trips with panniers and I'm wondering if I should consider the wider, durable Intensives over the Fusion 3. How much "slower" will this make me? How much longer will these guys last realistically? Most of my wear seems to come from obstacles making minor tears more than real wear of the road - so is there an advantage at all? Curious to what the wise souls of this board think!

Thanks always for any input!

[crownjewelwl]

i think you mean intensives? the atoms are the "race" tires.

Originally Posted by hairylegs

Hey Guys -

After a late fall and winter filled of long rides my tires are showing signs of major wear and scars. I'm riding the tubeless Fusion 3 by Hutchinson on my Dura-Ace wheels. I've been doing a lot of long rides in prep for my double century in two weeks. I've got a rear rack that I've been putting on for overnight trips with panniers and I'm wondering if I should consider the wider, durable Atoms over the Fusion 3. How much "slower" will this make me? How much longer will these guys last realistically? Most of my wear seems to come from obstacles making minor tears more than real wear of the road - so is there an advantage at all? Curious to what the wise souls of this board think!

Thanks always for any input!

[hairylegs]

My bad! Yes. Will edit post above!

[rnhood]

For randonneuring or credit card type touring where you will carrying some added weight I would lean towards the more durable Intensives. I don't think the performance tradeoff is anything to talk about given the type riding you will be doing.

If its for general road riding such as training, events (metrics, century and double centuries) etc., then I would stick with the Fusions. They will have a little better road feel and performance. And you can fill them with sealant if you are worried about flats. But I suspect they will do just fine as is.

[Tim Porter]

hairylegs; I barely have a double century on my new Intentsives yet (just put them on last week), but I think they'd be ideal for that kind of riding. I've used the Fusions, too, and I don't think the Intensives will slow you down in the least. They're very smooth. I rode a group ride with them on Saturday where we had some fast descents, some steep climbs and some twisty gravelly roads and they were really nice--much better than I had expected. They are tough to get on the rim at first, but you probably know that. I think for a training tire type of deal and for long rides they'd be ideal. HTH, Tim

[dekindy]

Slow you down, you are kidding, right?

I am a 200lb rider and an Intensive give me 3,000 miles plus on a rear which is twice as much as a 4000S; so they wear very well.

Have some Fusion 3's that I have not tried yet but only have them because I got them at a great price and wanted to see if they would be faster.

[Tommasini53]

I'm just a year into riding tubeless. I've used both Intensives 25c and Fusions. I liked both very much. But I'm liking the Intensives more since they have shown to be more durable and they come in 25c. Good luck on your double century.

[hairylegs]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate all the thoughts here! I guess I'm actually not concerned so much about speed, but comfort. Read a couple of reviews on the Intensive that talk about them being a bit harsher than the Fusions... Oy. I'm sure either would be great. I can get the Intensives for $10 cheaper a tire...so that might be what makes this decision an easier one!

Anybody who's experienced both notice a difference in feel? Dying to be as comfortable as possible for 13+ hours in the saddle in a few weeks!

Thanks again!

[dekindy]

I have ridden Fusion 2's and Intensives and cannot tell that much difference in ride, if any. Cannot recall durability but it seems like the Fusion 2 was as durable as a 4000S. I have ridden an Intensive on the front and back the last two seasons. I would like to put a Fusion 3 on front to see if it rides smoother but I cannot wear the dang Intensive (probably has 6-6,500 miles on it) out that's on the front.

I am considering rotating the Intensive to the back and putting a new Fusion 3 on the front when the rear Intensive has to be replaced, which will be soon. Despite having removed and reinstalled the same Intensive time several times without damaging the bead I don't like to do that anymore than I have to.

I do wish the tires had wear indicators; I miss that feature.

[dekindy]

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/whe...rs-270679.html
Here is a good discussion including a few comments on Intensive model comfort.

Below is Serotta's reply to my question about road tubeless conversions.

"Tubeless tires - Yes, we converted the Zipp 101s for tubeless. It's common practice to do this with many non-tubeless rims and we've also done it with HED. Many of us at the factory ride them in the winter and some will even race on them. Stan's NoTubes has done a great job promoting the tubeless concept for road bikes. They are sponsoring many elite and grassroots teams as well as entire race series. The only current limitation is there are only 2 tires available but soon the IRC Formula will be in the US.

Best,
Steven

Steven LeBoyer
Director, Fit Lab Services
Serotta"

Deleted telephone number and a reference to another question I had asked Serotta to comment on.

[hairylegs]

I ended up ordering Fusion 3s. This discussion helped - I appreciate it! I don't see doing a lot of riding with the panniers, but if I do I will likely switch to Intensives. For now with a the big ride coming right up I'm sticking with what I know!