Hutchy Pythons: Useless or just a bad run?

[Westie]

I've got stock Hutchison Python 26x2.0 (not the kevlar bead ones) on the NRS. So far both the front
and rear have suffered from weak sidewalls resulting in splits. The first time it was probably a big
hit on a sharp rock or stick that ripped a 2" hole in the rear tyre. The second time was today when
I got my bike delivered back to me via Courier guy (the LBS is about 150km away) after the bike was
serviced. The front side wall had a
1/2" scuffed in appearance split in it with pea-sized portion of tube bulging out.

LBS says "Oh. Surprised that the guys didn't pick it up. They were riding around and it was OK. We
have another one in stock we can sell you." The Courier guy says "It was sitting in the back of the
van on top of cardboard boxes..." All I know is that it WASNT there when I washed the bike (incl.
sidewalls) before taking it into the shop.

Is this something that the Pythons are prone to doing, or am I just having a run of bad luck.
Because I don't like having to shellout $75 every 8 weeks...

While I'm at it, can anyone recommend a some decent winter tyres for me to try? Wet grass fields
like a rugby pitch with a 1/2" water on it, loamy mud, sheep and cattle tracks, beech forest, coarse
gravel, a small amount of yellowish hardpacked slick clay. Very much a XC style of riding.

Westie!

 

[Chris]

> Is this something that the Pythons are prone to doing, or am I just having
a
> run of bad luck. Because I don't like having to shellout $75 every 8 weeks...

I'm a big Hutchinson fan, and have had no problems with any of their stuff. Though I haven't used
the Pythons specifically, they seem to use an identical rubber compound on the XC stuff, just the
tread pattern changes. IF I'm wrong about this, and for some reason Pythons have a thinner/weaker
sidewall, I'm sure people will point this out. Also, Hutchy has what they call an Airlight version
of some stuff that, because there is less to the tire, likes to wear faster and give easier than the
rest. See if that's what you had; that may be the reason.

> While I'm at it, can anyone recommend a some decent winter tyres for me to try? Wet grass fields
> like a rugby pitch with a 1/2" water on it, loamy mud, sheep and cattle tracks, beech forest,
> coarse gravel, a small amount
of
> yellowish hardpacked slick clay. Very much a XC style of riding.

The Hutchy Mosquitos are a great slop tire. They throw off mud real well, and even if they look real
caked, seem to grip well no matter what. They are great in total slop and real dry hardpack, but
suffer in between. I am running them now (UST version) for the wet, shitty Maryland winter. They are
a bit heavy, though, but with the whole bike caked in mud, 200 grams worth of tire shouldn't make a
difference. I have also found that the IRC Seracs are awesome in everything, but as they are not a
dedicated mud tire, don't pull through sludge like the Mosquitos. Anything by Michelin sucks.

>All I know is that it WASNT there when I washed the bike (incl. sidewalls) before taking it into
>the shop.

I know if gave my bike to the LBS perfect, and it came back with a blown tire, I wouldn't be the one
paying to put new Pythons on.

Chris

 

[Sorni]

"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I've got stock Hutchison Python 26x2.0 (not the kevlar bead ones) on the NRS. So far both the
> front and rear have suffered from weak sidewalls resulting in splits. The first time it was
> probably a big hit on a sharp rock or stick that ripped a 2" hole in the rear tyre. The second
> time was today when I got my bike delivered back to me via Courier guy (the LBS is about 150km
> away) after the bike was serviced. The front side wall had a
> 1/2" scuffed in appearance split in it with pea-sized portion of tube bulging out.
>
> LBS says "Oh. Surprised that the guys didn't pick it up. They were
riding
> around and it was OK. We have another one in stock we can sell you." The Courier guy says "It was
> sitting in the back of the van on top of
cardboard
> boxes..." All I know is that it WASNT there when I washed the bike (incl. sidewalls) before taking
> it into the shop.
>
> Is this something that the Pythons are prone to doing, or am I just having
a
> run of bad luck. Because I don't like having to shellout $75 every 8 weeks...
>
> While I'm at it, can anyone recommend a some decent winter tyres for me to try? Wet grass fields
> like a rugby pitch with a 1/2" water on it, loamy mud, sheep and cattle tracks, beech forest,
> coarse gravel, a small amount
of
> yellowish hardpacked slick clay. Very much a XC style of riding.

Can't really help with the "winter tyres" advice, but Jenson USA has 2.1 Mythos XC's (the good ones
-- Kevlar, rust sidewalls) on sale for $12.50 each. Even better than PricePoint's 2-for-34.98, and
those are the cheaper black sidewall versions...

Bill "rubber frugality, baby" S.

 

[John Morgan]

> Is this something that the Pythons are prone to doing, or am I just having
a
> run of bad luck. Because I don't like having to shellout $75 every 8 weeks...

I ran Hutchinson tires for a couple of years. (Both Mosquitos and Pythons). I found that they DO
have a very thin sidewall and carcass. They're a lightweight racing tire. Top performers in my book,
but not so great for average trail riding because they are prone to flats and other sorts of tire
damage. By this, I mean... on more than one instance when I got snake a snake bite (due to low
inflation and/or sharp rocks) instead of just piercing the tube, I pierced the tube AND tire due to
its thin carcass....one time I did both tires on a single rock.
http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/MTB/strawberry.html

So anyway... I had the same problem as you... my tubes were poking out the holes in my tires. One
gash was so large I had to replace the tire. The other one was only about 1/4 in long, so I just
patched the inside of the tire with a regular tube patch. Worked well... I rode that tire until all
the tread was gone and never had any problems with the patch.

My only other problem with them is that almost every ride I would get miniscule cactus punctures.
This lead to endless numbers of slow-leaks. Now I run the heavier Tioga DH's to prevent it. No flats
or slow leaks since I installed them 6 months ago! =)

-John Morgan

 

[Westie]

"John Morgan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Is this something that the Pythons are prone to doing, or am I just
having
> a
> > run of bad luck. Because I don't like having to shellout $75 every 8 weeks...
>
> I ran Hutchinson tires for a couple of years. (Both Mosquitos and
Pythons).
> I found that they DO have a very thin sidewall and carcass. They're a lightweight racing tire. Top
> performers in my book, but not so great for average trail riding because they are prone to flats
> and other sorts of
tire
> damage. By this, I mean... on more than one instance when I got snake a snake bite (due to low
> inflation and/or sharp rocks) instead of just piercing the tube, I pierced the tube AND tire due
> to its thin carcass....one time I did both tires on a single rock.
> http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/MTB/strawberry.html
>
> So anyway... I had the same problem as you... my tubes were poking out the holes in my tires. One
> gash was so large I had to replace the tire. The other one was only about 1/4 in long, so I just
> patched the inside of the tire with a regular tube patch. Worked well... I rode that tire until
> all the tread was gone and never had any problems with the patch.
>
> My only other problem with them is that almost every ride I would get miniscule cactus punctures.
> This lead to endless numbers of slow-leaks. Now I run the heavier Tioga DH's to prevent it. No
> flats or slow leaks since I installed them 6 months ago! =)
>
> -John Morgan
>

Thanks guys. I've had all the same problems including the tiny, multiple puncture problems (thistles
in this case). I quite like the tyre for it's light weight (it is the "Air light" construction) and
the tread pattern works well for me in dry, hardpack conditions like summer. The sidewalls just
can't take much punishment. My riding is certainly on the conservative side so I'm disappointed to
find them being destroyed so fast. I'll try replacing this one this time and I'll see how they go.
I'll move up to something heavier next time.

Westie

 

[shootek]

Do you think that the UST version has the same problems. I think it is not so thin. But it probably wears down as fast as the non UST version.

 

[John Harlow]

"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I've got stock Hutchison Python 26x2.0 (not the kevlar bead ones) on the NRS. So far both the
> front and rear have suffered from weak sidewalls resulting in splits.

I never had a problem with mine splitting, so maybe you did get a bad run. However, the Pythons on
my NRS didn't perform very well traction-wise. I have since switched to UST Mosquitoes; they are far
better in the muck.

 

[Jd]

"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I've got stock Hutchison Python 26x2.0<snip woes>

Useless.

JD

 

[Jronan3847571]

The sidewalls are on the weak side, but it is a very light tire, my complaint was that they were not
very round, one to the point that it was not usable. When i went to complain to the manufactrer, I
could not find a website. Jim

 

[Tsheer]

"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I've got stock Hutchison Python 26x2.0 (not the kevlar bead ones) on the NRS. So far both the
> front and rear have suffered from weak sidewalls resulting in splits. The first time it was
> probably a big hit on a sharp rock or stick that ripped a 2" hole in the rear tyre. The second
> time was

For what it's worth, I've ridden Python Air Lights on my MTB for for 4 or 5 years at 1,000
miles/year with no problems, in Southern California.

 

[Supabonbon]

"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I've got stock Hutchison Python 26x2.0 (not the kevlar bead ones) on the NRS. So far both the
> front and rear have suffered from weak sidewalls resulting in splits. The first time it was
> probably a big hit on a sharp rock or stick that ripped a 2" hole in the rear tyre. The second
> time was today when I got my bike delivered back to me via Courier guy (the LBS is about 150km
> away) after the bike was serviced. The front side wall had a
> 1/2" scuffed in appearance split in it with pea-sized portion of tube bulging out.
>
> LBS says "Oh. Surprised that the guys didn't pick it up. They were riding around and it was OK. We
> have another one in stock we can sell you." The Courier guy says "It was sitting in the back of
> the van on top of cardboard boxes..." All I know is that it WASNT there when I washed the bike
> (incl. sidewalls) before taking it into the shop.
>
> Is this something that the Pythons are prone to doing, or am I just having a run of bad luck.
> Because I don't like having to shellout $75 every 8 weeks...
>
> While I'm at it, can anyone recommend a some decent winter tyres for me to try? Wet grass fields
> like a rugby pitch with a 1/2" water on it, loamy mud, sheep and cattle tracks, beech forest,
> coarse gravel, a small amount of yellowish hardpacked slick clay. Very much a XC style of riding.
>
> Westie!

May want to try something with less threads per inch (TPI). The Pythons have a 120 thread count,
which makes them ride more nicely (according to manufacturers). But the small threads can be more
susceptible to sidewall tears than 60TPI tires. This isn't based on a whole lot of personal
experience -- I used to have Michelin Hot tires, which were great -- big knobs, low weight. But I
kept blowing out the sidewalls before the tread was half gone. The reason I got was the high TPI
made them more delicate around sharp rocks and such, which are prevalent here. It sorta makes sense.
Or, at least, I can think of an example which, perhaps spuriously, explains it: think of two
hammocks, one with 60 big, thick ropes, another with 120 thinner strings. The 120 may be more
comfortable, as your weight is better distributed. But it wouldn't hold up as well to a knife. Just
something to consider. If it helps, 60tpi will typically be cheaper too. /s

 

[Chris]

> Thanks guys. I've had all the same problems including the tiny, multiple puncture problems
> (thistles in this case). I quite like the tyre for it's light weight (it is the "Air light"
> construction) and the tread pattern works well for me in dry, hardpack conditions like summer. The
> sidewalls just can't take much punishment.
My
> riding is certainly on the conservative side so I'm disappointed to find them being destroyed so
> fast. I'll try replacing this one this time and I'll see how they go. I'll move up to something
> heavier next time.
>
> Westie

Again, the IRC Serac is a superweet hardpack tire...lots of grip, and very little rolling
resistance. It may not help you now, what with messy winter riding, but as I've never had any
problems with IRC toughness, give them a look.

Of course, I've never had Hutchy problems either..

Chris