First Ride: Hutchinson's New Kraken XC Tire

So, what's a Kraken? A quick Wikipedia search returns that it's a "legendary cephalopod-like sea monster of gigantic size in Scandinavian folklore. According to the Norse sagas, the Kraken dwells off the coasts of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors." For our purposes, it's an XC tire but, it sounds aggressive to me.




Design & Construction

Hutchinson's goal in developing the Kraken was to create a fast and reassuring tire with tall knobs to give more confidence in rough terrain. The tire has a larger volume to give more traction and allow riding with lower pressures. While the tread has been inspired by the Skeleton with its chevron shape, its overall design has been modified to improve traction, braking, and versatility. The knobs are higher and with more volume and the chevron has been opened up when comparing to the Skeleton.

The side knobs of the tire are based on Hutchinson's Cobra but taller, to aid in cornering. They draw from the Griffus 2.5 and are linked in pairs, with buttresses running down the sidewall of the tire to strengthen the structure of the tire when being pushed hard into turns. The smaller intermediate knobs are distributed slightly further apart than the ones on the center of the tread. Referencing the sea monster from folklore, Hutchinson claim the knobs are made to work like suction cups on tentacles with the height, positioning, and shape reflecting that. The placement of the knobs is also claimed to improve puncture protection.



Ride Impressions

With 22psi in the front and 23 in the back tire I found that I had ample traction in a variety of conditions, ranging from dry and dusty to rainy, with lots of optimal dirt in-between.

The tires roll well and are predictable. Cornering traction is excellent (for an XC tire) with the taller knobs providing plenty of support. For a trail bike, I would consider the air pressures I was running to be on the low side but, for an XC bike, they are bit higher than I would typically run. The casing is soft and supple enough to allow the higher pressures without losing traction or control on the trail.

The profile of the tire is round, but the side knobs do square it off. Transitioning from the center to the side is smooth and I never felt a dead spot in traction. It makes them predictable and they don't take a lot of thought or too much input to seek out traction in varying conditions on varying terrain. If we were going to compare it to a comparable tire, it's a slightly more aggressive take on the Maxxis Ardent Race with taller side knobs.

I haven't had nearly enough time on the tires yet to comment on their long-term durability, but the one nag I do have is that the tires were more challenging to set up than many other tires I've mounted recently. I ended up having to fire up the air compressor to get a large blast of air in for both the front and rear. The fit is loose enough that even a higher volume floor pump didn't stand a chance.

For a versatile XC tire, it seems that Hutchinson created a solid option with the Kraken. The tire seems as if it would be equally appropriate for an all-day epic in the woods as it would for an XC race where traction is critical and it's a good tire for Hutchinson to have in their line.

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