Almost twelve months ago I received a pair of Hutchinson Python Tubeless Ready 29er to test. Running two bikes for 2011 made the testing process… testing. Although I was pretty much sold on running a 29er hard tail, I stuck with a trusty 26″ Scott Spark 10 for the majority of races I completed through the middle of the year. However I was keen to get time in on the Python’s as they are the elder statesman in the small knob, fast rolling gang. Kenda Small Block 8’s, Schwalbe Racing Ralphs, Geax AKA’s – and of course the new Maxxis Ikon are all aimed at a similar end use. My previous Python use had two concerns – sidewall strength and cornering confidence.
My use of the Pythons was restricted to training in the Greater Sydney region in April and May. It was wet, with sandstone, clay based mud, and tarmac road linking sections. For this, the tyres were really pleasing. They inflated on ZTR Crest rims very easily, and I wasn’t left too wanting in the conditions at the time. They were fast and efficient. but a Northern summer called, and my bikes needed homes. Enter Gary Harwood:
“Mike Blewitt was generous( and trusting ) enough to let me babysit his Scott Scale 29er for six weeks while he was overseas on his Multi country smashfest. The bike was well equiped with top end components but the only thing I was less than pleased with was the tyres. I’d ran Hutchinson Pythons on a 26inch bike a few years earlier and the jokes are still running about me spending more time going sideways than in a straight line.
My first ride around Manly Dam and I braced myself for the inevitable… Suprisingly, the 29er versions weren’t as bad as i’d remembered the 26ers to be. I’ll admit, they’re not the ideal rubber for the typical terrain of Sydneys Northern beaches, typically sand and loose rock. On Hardpack singletrack, the tyres slowly gave me more confidence than i’d remembered a few years earlier. I ran them roughlly at about 25psi front and rear. Across sandstone (even in the wet) grip was pretty good and I had no nasty suprises.
It was a trip up to Wisemans ferry one day that brought some old memories back. On loose sandy firetrail and at speed, cornering was a comlete gamble and I could never tell what the tyres would do next. I rode 70km’s that day with someone of similar fitness and I found them leaving me for dead on anything that was slighty declining or a little curvy. The Pythons really let me down that day and earlier suspicions were re feuled about their poor performance on the loose stuff.
A big suprise was the very wet Husky 100 last year. the race was very nearly called off due to ridiculous amounts of rain during the previous week. I wasn’t expecting much out of the tyres in the gloopy, muddy conditions but right from the start i was amazed how they handled in the mud. Apart from the knee deep puddles where we were forced to dismount the Pythons made the ride feel (almost) like a normal dryish trail. They were great across wet roots and not once did i have any major issues with trye performance. They really suprised me that day and i’d definately consider them as my next wet race tyre.
Maybe it was the bigger footprint of the 29er version over the 26inch tyre but i’d say the 29er has a better feel without a doubt. The python is a reasonably light and well wearing tyre with a good strong sidewall but for loose conditions I would stay well clear, but for a wet weather/mud tyre I think i’ll be investing on a set, at least for the 29er anyway!”
My sentiment matches that of Gary. The tyre is surprisingly good in the wet, but not great in loose terrain. I haven’t found them as durable as Gary. Although both myself and my Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team mate Graeme Arnott used them on the rear for the 2011 100 mile Highland Fling, I can’t count them as having a dependable sidewall. The sidewalls came out of that race fairly abraded and a training ride soon afterwards resulted in a significant sidewall tear and flat. I would happily recommend them as a fast rolling race tyre in terrain that lacks sharp and loose rocks. Not one for the ABSA Cape Epic, but certainly a good choice for places with softer soil and even a wet climate. Check out Hutchinson’s tyre specifications to see how their numbers stack up.