Hutchinson Kraken Racing Lab Hardskin MTB XC Tyre

The latest addition to the Hutchinson's XC / Trail range, the Kraken Racing Lab is the remarkable result of close collaboration between designers, engineers and XC Hutchinson athletes. The objective? Develop a fast, agile, and reassuring tyre thanks to the addition of high lateral knobs to allow maximum confidence in cornering or rough terrain.

• Tubeless Ready (TR), fits tubeless rims with no inner tube and also standard rims with inner tube
• Race Ripost XC (RRxc), specifically tuned rubber durometers to promote low rolling resistance and increase grip
• Size:  29x2.3 & 29x2.4
• Weight: 700g

Hardskin protection - Get full-coverage flat protection with Hardskin. Originally created for their mountain bike tyres, this hardy fabric grid layer is integrated into the casing to fend off punctures and cuts from sharp objects. Bead-to-bead coverage means you’re protected on the sidewalls as well as the tread, but it won’t change that sweet Hutchinson ride quality you love.

Central tread - The tread, with its "chevron" shape, comes from Hutchinson's XC background and has been inspired by the Skeleton. The Kraken maintains this characteristic "backbone" which is proven to supply great performance, but its overall design has been upgraded to improve traction and braking. To create a more versatile tyre, the knobs were built higher and with a greater volume, whilst the "chevron" shape has been opened up. The rolling performance is guaranteed by the knobs' orientation and the continuous height of the central tread.

Intermediate - The intermediate smaller knobs are distributed further apart than those on the central part. Their height, positioning and shape have been carefully studied to work somewhat like suction cups on tentacles, contributing to the Kraken's traction. Homogeneously distributed along the surface, the knobs also improve the tyre's puncture protection.

Side knobs - The side knobs of the Kraken are based on the strengths of the Cobra but upgraded. To provide maximum confidence in cornering, they're massive compared to the central and intermediate ones. Those side knobs have also been inspired by the aggressive Griffus 2.5: they are linked in pairs and their "buttresses" run down the sidewall to strengthen the structure during distortion, reinforcing the grip. As the ultimate goal of this agile tyre is to provide maximum assurance in all circumstances, the combo Kraken – Kraken is already a favourite of their pro-XC athletes.