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Hutchinson
Barracuda MRC Low MX Casing
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Average Rating
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3.75/5
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# of Reviews
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4
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MSRP
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$
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Weight
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Description:
- Reinforced lateral knobs
- Small knobs for traction
- Excellent cornering grip
- Low rolling resistance and high performance
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Submitted by
HG
a
from Mass
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | universalcycles.com | | Strengths: | Cornering grip, no squirm on rocks, cushy | | Weaknesses: | Pricey. Maybe not the greatest rear. | | Similar Products Used: | Barracuda 2.1, High Roller, Enduro | | Bike Setup: | Heckler, shocks, pegs...made for sweet jumps | | Bottom Line: | Love this tire. Hutchinson advertises it as a dry-condition tire, where it does just fine...but where it really stands out is in wet weather. The Barracuda just digs right into wet loamy soil, and it will usually keep from slipping on roots and logs (which can be real killers on the East Coast). The cornering tread is very stable and sticks like glue when leaned into turns. It also handles surprisingly good on hardpack and pavement. The one thing to know about this tire is that the big gap between the center and side knobs means you have to commit when cornering, like on skis...you're either on the center or the shoulder, no middle ground. But if you commit and hold your line on the edge knobs, the tire won't let you down. This is a tire for folks who lean their bike like crazy while cornering-you know who you are. It's about the same size as the Enduro 2.3 I was running before, but with fatter knobs. Bigger than a 2.3 High Roller but with a very similar profile...if you like the High Roller and Minion, you'll probably like this tire as well.
Shortcomings are surprisingly few. I ran a 2.1 Barracuda as a rear tire for a while and didn't like it too much...felt slow and not as grippy as I'd expected. I haven't tried the bigger soft compound ones out back yet, but I think they might feel similar. Other than that, it's pricey and hard to find. I personally wouldn't run this tire on terrain that was mostly hardpack or rock, for those conditions I prefer something that's a little rounder with an intermediate tread pattern. But for wet/slick/soft terrain, this tire rocks. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ian
a Cross Country Rider
from Round Pond, Maine, USA
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$47.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Rolls easy, good traction as long as you're over the center knobs. | | Weaknesses: | Transition from grip to (side)slip is in a heartbeat. | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda Blue Groove 2.35 with Stick E, WTB Mutano Raptor 2.3 | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler '07, Pike 454 U-turn Air | | Bottom Line: | I wore out my Kenda Blue Grooves and bought the Barracudas because a review said "they don't pack up". The Barracudas are only marginally better in that respect. They roll easier and have great traction as long as you're over the center knobs. Once you're off center the tire seems to leap to the side. On loose grapefruit sized rocks you're playing roulette. It's not so bad as long as you lower your expectations appropriately. That first ride was a killer. The really annoying thing is the packaging recommends these for lose rocks!
Mud is a similar experience. Without any transition knobs when you try to cheat your way on the side of a ridge the slip is instantaneous.
I'm still riding them but I won't be investing in another pair.
Almost forgot. I'm using Stans no-tubes with no problems so far. I've run from 23 to 40 PSI. 40PSI is way to much for these 23 is a little low but they the sure feel much better. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a
from Bozeman, MT
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Came stock | | Strengths: | Works great in a straight line. | | Weaknesses: | I had lots of pinch flats with this tire. Also, the front seems to wash out a lot in high speed turns. | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda Nevegal, Hutchinson Python | | Bike Setup: | '07 Giant Reign X1. The Barracudas came stock. | | Bottom Line: | When I first got my bike with these tires on it I was impressed with their performance. They seemed to grip much better than the Hutchinson Pythons I had on my previous bike.
Over time, however, I've learned that neither tire is actually that great. I'd had a lot of pinch flats with the rear Barracuda. The sidewalls on this tire are very soft. Traction-wise, it worked great in the rear. I replaced the rear with a wire-bead Nevegal 2.5 and I haven't had any problems with pinches since.
Now I'm shopping for a new tire in the front. The Barracuda doesn't give you any warning when it's about to let loose in the corners. I think the relatively square profile provides decent traction, but a very harsh transition from 'in control' to 'out of control'.
For reference, I ride in the Rockies (Bozeman, MT) on lots of roots and rocks.
Bottom line:
If you're lighter in weight and you keep it inflated more than you think you ought to, the Barracuda works great as a rear tire. Try to find a different front, though. It grips OK, but give you no warning or easy transition when it loses grip. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | The next one | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Speedgoat | | Strengths: | Great front tire with excellent cornering grip | | Weaknesses: | Center line wears very quickly as a rear tire, cost | | Similar Products Used: | WTB, Kenda, etc. | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler with Maverick DUC32, SRAM drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | The Barracuda grips very well. The front tire, in particular, really hangs on in high speed turns, better than any other tire I've tried. My only complaint is how fast the rear tire wore out, but these things are pretty soft, which explains their great grip. I replaced the rear tire with a WTB Weirwolf 2.3 and the combination works well for the dry, technical, loose over hardpack and rocky conditions around here. While the Weirwolf wears better, it doesn't have quite the cornering grip the Barracuda did, but when I'm at the limit, I'd rather have the rear break loose before the front anyway.
Bottom line: a great tire for all mountain riding, but wears fast and it ain't cheap. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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