Hutchinson Caracal Race 700 x 45 off road rolling resistance results 📊

As I mentioned back in March when testing the 40 mm version of this tire, Hutchinson says the Caracal Race is "independently proven as the fastest gravel tyre on the market." This is the first tire I have tested in a 40 and 45 mm width and I think one of the most interesting comparisons I have observed so far.

These tires are 100 grams (570 v 470) heavier than the 40 mm version and blow up to a solid 47 mm on a 25 mm internal width rim (42 mm for the 40 mm) so that may be good or bad news depending on what your bike setup is! Both tires are quite similar in construction to the 700 x 30 Hutchinson Blackbird road tire, featuring their SwiftEasy casing and MachTread 3.0 compound. This isn't the most common type of gravel tire construction, as it leaves off a puncture protection layer in the search of absolute speed.

The 45 has the same type of ride feel as the 40, meaning it is quiet and super smooth on pavement and gravel. I tested these on pavement and two types of gravel. These are mega fast…no way around it. Same exact CRR on the road as the 40 Caracal Race (0.0037 CRR !) and clearly faster on Cat 1 and Cat 2 gravel. The Cat 1 result is particularly interesting, as this is super smooth and fast gravel… the exact thing that would draw riders to the 40 mm option! I had no issues installing these and had no punctures out riding. I would love to see a 50 mm version of this tire, I think that would match up well with the overall design of it.

All off road results are my own via Chung Method (aka Virtual Elevation) testing. Wattages on gravel surfaces are calculated from tested CRR values and are displayed as single digit resolution for a pair of tyres, as that matches up well to my confidence in the rather small error margin while testing.

NOTE: Obviously, larger tires will require lower pressure than smaller ones to get the best speed and handling in general…especially off road. The Wolf Tooth calculator is very good in my usage for gravel and mtb tires. The Rough Gravel setting seems to get quite close to best pressure for not only rolling efficiency (yes, even on gravel that’s not super rough) but also comfort and handling. I will start with that based on the measured tire size, go ride some, recheck pressure once the tire warms up, the reasess the setting based on how the tire is riding. If it feels obviously harsh, go down 1 psi at a time. If it feels squirmy or I am smacking the rim on hard hits, I will go up 1 psi at a time. Often I end up sticking quite close to what the calculator says initially but it isn't written in stone. Rolling efficiency is actually almost identical across a bigger span of tire pressures off road than most realize, which means it is quite easy to get the pressure where the tire will be fastest…the rest is fine tuning to rider preference. Even though I’m testing I am also enjoying being out there so take the extra steps to see how the tire performs best. Ultimately there is no magic “best” pressure… it is up to rider preference with no real speed penalty unless you really mess it up one way or another.