Hutchinson Overide Tires: Checkpoint

Hutchinson Overide Tires: Checkpoint – by Grannygear

I have been on the speedy Hutchinson Overides in the 38mm size for some time now and it is time to update things.  I have been using the Topstone as more of an All-Road bike so it has seen a lot of pavement, some of it bad, but not always, and some dirt but nothing too nasty. (Note- The intro post on these tires can be found here.)

Going back and forth between the WTB Resolutes on the Lynskey and the Overides on the Topstone, you can get a feel for the lost volume in that 38mm tire.  Now I only notice this in sandy or bad soil conditions, but that is a big hit, dropping to a 38mm wide tire from a 43mm wide tire.  So I have stayed away from heavy dirt use on the Overides. For me, it is just not enough tire for our neglected dirt roads if that was the main use.

But back off a bit in surface conditions and the Overides are up to the task.  On the road they sure seem fast enough to me, and there is not enough tread to worry about any deflection under fast cornering on the road.  I have run them at around 60psi and they spin along well enough. On hard dirt surfaces they are just as fast and steer well, only giving up performance when things get loose and deep.

Out of the saddle it is somewhat easy to get the rear tire to break traction, like on a smooth dirt climb with a top layer of sand or gravel.  In this regard the IRC Bokens showed they were superior with that soft rubber compound.  Wear has been minimal, so I do wonder if these Overides are on the ‘durable’ side of rubber composition.

They have been a great companion for mixed surface rides and I recently mounted up a set of 35’s on Mrs. Grannygear’s new bike (soon to be revealed) with the plans for some casual mixed surface riding and wine tasting excursions.  The Hardskin casing so far has not been damaged at all, but that might just be luck and, as I have said, I have not been in the rough and tumble with these.

Recently I had the worst crash I have had on a bike in quite some time.  The result was a broken collarbone, a badge of honor in some ways, at least in the cycling crowd.  “Welcome to the club”, the cycling ER doc said.  Thanks.  I had the front end of the Topstone skate away on me in a flash of light, dust, and dismay.  The road was dropping rapidly under a canopy of trees.  Harder than concrete, the dirt was, with a light cover of small gravel over it.  I was going pretty good, but not at the limit, I thought.  In the drops, braking, sweeping left…sliding left…crashing left.  Never even got my hands off the bars.  Boom.

Was that the fault of the Overides?  Maybe.  There is not much in the way of knobs on these, but the ground was so hard that no knob would have been penetrating anyway.  No way of knowing, really, but I expect it was simply too much speed and not enough caution.  Meanwhile, I type this with one hand.

I think this does bring up the point that we are basically taking fat tired road bikes into the dirt and that requires a bit of caution.  There is not much grace when the line is crossed.

I expect to use these tires at least until something fast and in this size comes along that needs reviewing, so let’s circle back a bit later.  Meanwhile, I am very happy with them although I will be taking corners in the dirt with a bit more caution.

Editor’s Note: The other contributors and the owners of Riding Gravel would like to extend our wishes for a speedy and complete recovery for Grannygear.

Note: Hutchinson sent the Overide tires for test and review to Riding Gravel at no charge. We are not being paid nor bribed for this review and we strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout.