Tested : Ben’s Hutchinson Griffus Racing Lab Tyre Review.

·Thursday 3 October 2019

In the UK you don’t see many Hutchinson Tyres out on the trails, so Ben has been out on the Griffus all summer to put it through its paces.

Hutchinson have been around for years but only recently with some input from some very fast riders have they got back to their former glory. Ben has been testing their new Griffus tyre and was suitably impressed.

Key features:

Triple compound Race Ripost Gravity construction
66tpi casing
27.5 and 29″ sizes
2.4 and 2.5″ widths
1050g tested
£43.99 RRP
HutchinsonTires.com

Over the past couple of years Hutchinson have bought out a couple of really decent tyres that have been steadily gaining traction with the UK riding public. The latest addition, the Griffus is a tyre borne out of their EWS race programme and has been developed under the wheels of some pretty handy racers including Isabeau Courdurier who is probably a lot shorter and a lot faster than you.

Sold as an enduro race tyre for dry, rocky and mixed conditions the Griffus cuts a familiar profile with more than a passing resemblance to a Maxxis Minion DHF which is no bad thing. This is a tyre from their new ‘Racing Lab’ range that is designed without compromise to be ridden and raced at the top level.

The Griffus is available in 2.5” as tested here and 2.4” which has the same tread pattern with slightly lower profile knobs for faster rolling use on the rear. We ran the 2.5” up front on a few test bikes, including the Cannondale Habit, NS Snabb 130 and more recently the Santa Cruz Hightower. In 29” form as tested here, the 2.5” tyre weighs in at 1050 grams.

On summer trails, baked hard and running fast the first thing you notice is that it feels really similar to the Maxxix Minion 3C EXO that it replaced. The only difference is that you can run a couple of PSI less with the Griffus as it has a heavier casing that is actually pretty similar in feel and weight as the new EXO+ casing from Maxxis. It is supportive, very predictable and the tall centre knobs offer good braking performance in dry and loose conditions.

In loamier and more wooded trails the Griffus cuts in well, with the 2.5” size striking a good balance between damping, grip and precision. It is simply an easy tyre to ride fast on with predictable feel as you lean the bike in to turns. Despite being sold as a dry tyre I think that the Griffus is a bit more versatile than that. In the wet and slop, simply drop a little pressure and the supple casing and soft rubber means that it is a capable tyre in all but the worst winter conditions.

What do we think?

Overall I really liked the Hutchinson Griffus and think it is a viable option for all round use on the front of a trail or enduro bike. It didn’t puncture during the test and it has minimal signs of wear and tear so should last a long time. Add to that the fact that it is £20 cheaper than a Minion in the comparable EXO+ casing and you have a winning tyre.