The Caracal Race is a new gravel bike tire from Hutchinson, and they claim it's the fastest gravel tire on the market. Hutchinson borrowed the SwiftEasy casing and Mach Tread 3.0 compound from their latest road bike tires, and together with the semi-slick tread pattern, the Caracal Race at least has all the right ingredients to back up their claims.
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The Caracal Race is also part of Hutchsinon's "Racing Lab" range of tires, representing the tires offering their newest tire technology. Be aware that the Caracal Race should not be confused with the regular Caracal, as even though that tire comes with the same tread pattern, it's technically a completely different tire that uses a more conventional casing design and compound.
The semi-slick tread pattern looks fast and reminds us of some other semi-slick tires that come with a true slick center tread. The slick center tread on the Caracal is even a bit wider than what we're used to seeing, and it should behave like a slick tire when going in a straight line. The edge knobs are pretty low, but they look like they will grip well both on- and off-road.
Hutchinson has kept it simple as the Caracal Race is only available in the 40 mm size with brown sidewalls. We've tested it and can already tell you the Caracal Race is extremely fast..
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specs | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Hutchinson |
| Model | Caracal Race TLR |
| Year | 2024 |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | High |
| Buy At | Ad Amazon.com |
| Manufacturer part number | PV532641 |
| TPI | 127 |
| Compound | Mach Tread 3.0 |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 40-622 |
| Specified Weight | 475 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 51 |
| Made In | Members Only |
| Available Sizes | 40-622 (700x40c) |
Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR 40 Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 475 grams |
| Measured Weight | 464 grams |
| Measured Width Casing | 40 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Width Tread | 41 mm |
| Measured Height | 37 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Knob Height Center | 0.0 mm |
| Measured Knob Height Edge | 1.3 mm |
| Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs) | 2.30 mm |
| Measured Total Thickness Sidewall | Members Only |
| All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | None (30 ml sealant) |
| Measured Width | 40 mm |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (50 psi / 3.4 bar) | Members Only |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (42 psi / 2.9 bar) | Members Only |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (33 psi / 2.3 bar) | 13.6 Watts CRR: 0.00408 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (25 psi / 1.7 bar) | 16.7 Watts CRR: 0.00501 |
| The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load. | |
Puncture Resistance Test Results
| Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better) | |
|---|---|
| Total Puncture Score Tread | 37 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Members Only |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Members Only |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Members Only |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 2.30 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Members Only |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Members Only |
Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | 79 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Members Only |
| Wet Grip Edge | Members Only |
| Measured Knob Height Center | 0.0 mm |
| Measured Knob Height Edge | 1.3 mm |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm | |
| Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info) | |
Conclusion
- Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR 40
Performance compared to all other CX/Gravel tires
(100% is fastest - lightest - highest - strongest)
Pro Members get 11-point radar charts
When we qualify gravel bike tires as tires that have an edge knob height of at least 1.0 mm, we can confirm Hutchinson's claims: the Caracal Race is the fastest gravel bike tire on the market. The Caracal Race rolls even faster than the slick 38 mm Schwalbe Pro One road bike tire, which is one of the fastest and most popular road bike tires.
Surprisingly, the low rolling resistance doesn't come at the cost of wet grip as the center grip in our hard surface wet grip test comes in near the top. The edge grip is a bit lower, but we see that more often on semi-slick tires where the knobs offer less grip on a hard surface than a slick tread.
Even the puncture resistance of the tread is decent, but the sidewalls aren't the strongest that you can find.
Hutchinson has delivered the fastest semi-slick gravel bike tire to date, and we're impressed by the overall performance of the Caracal Race.
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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended
