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Anyone tried the new carbon-bead Hutchinson tubeless Bulldog tires?

I spent the last two seasons happily using tubeless Stans NoTubes ZTR 755 rims with Hutchinson Bulldog tires and Stan's sealant. It worked great and I could keep my tires at 25-30psi while weighing around 200-220lbs myself (pinch flats happened all the time to me before going tubeless).

Well, after a couple years, I finally destroyed a Bulldog tire on some sharp rocks on a course that cut through the tread. I bought some brand new tires and they say they have a carbon bead like Hutchinson advertised at Interbike this year.

After an hour of wrestling with the tires, I just barely got them on the rim, and half an hour later after putting about 30 psi into them, the bead just sort of exploded off and the tire ejected itself off the rim.

I think I might be going tubular finally, the new tires just feel too small for Stans rims now.

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I just installed some new carbon Bullodgs last nite. They may fit a little tighter than the old ones, but weren't a problem on my Easton EA90SLX rims. Given the tighter fit, lower pressures should be doable. I'll find out soon!
Sounds like you broke the bead. I had a similar problem with a pair of Easton Ascent II wheels (which ues Velocity Aerohead rims, I believe). Taking the stock rim strip out—despite Stan's instructions not to—finally let me get the tire on, but when it came time to inflate, it just slips off on one side. Not sure it will even take a tube now.
Just mounted up a pair of hutchinson tubless with the carbon bead. Running the bulldog on the front and the pirahna on the rear. Mounted these on a shimano dura ace road tubeless wheelset and it wasn't bad at all. Tires went on with minimal struggle and the bead locks in very well once inflated. I have yet to race them though. Jury is still out on performance at low psi. From what i have read things should go well.

I'm a bit late to the tubeless CX tire game. I just picked up a pair of Shimano Ultegra Tubeless wheels with one worn out Bulldog 34c silver tread carbon bead tubeless tire, and the other Bulldog with a 2mm cut (Stan’s sealant wouldn't seal cut). I patched the cut (shoe goo and an small piece of Conti GP side wall), and remounted. It required 86 psi to pop the bead in place (running Stan’s sealant). Love the ride, I can drop to 26-28 psi without hitting the rim (180Lbs in kit), below 26 and I'm hitting the rim on roots. No burps, sidewall is stiff at low psi so they don't feel squirmy and the front tire doesn't roll in fast corners. My 32c Vittoria's Cross XG Pro TNT on the same wheel are just too narrow, small side knobs don't dig in well on off-camber corners, and the sidewalls are too flexy at anything lower than 32 psi.

 

Question. How can you confirm a non-carbon bead Bulldog 34c from a carbon bead version? The tire package shows a logo for carbon bead, but where on the tires does it indicate the differences? I found a pair of 34 silver Bulldogs with less than two races on them, but seller has no clue if they are carbon beaded versions.

 

JBH, great question. I wondered that for a while.

The carbon bead version has horizontal lines underneath the tread, going width-wise across the tire. Small, but visible and you can feel them. The older tires do not. That's my own observation. 

Just so you know, the Toro, the Bulldog replacement, is back in the Hutchinson catalog, in a tubeless option, and in the 34c width!  The Mamba will be tubeless too, but in 32c (guessing the mold is better suited for  32c tire, since it's a newer mold). I can't tell you how exciting it is to see another high volume tubeless option out there, after so many companies moved towards UCI regulations for tubeless tires, when almost every UCI racer (except the NoTubes team) rides tubulars in UCI races. It's a shape the Captain 2bliss went away. 

I'm supposed to get a test set of Tubeless Toro tires shortly. 

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