Aggressive. That’s how Hutchinson themselves describe the new 2.4 Hutchinson Wyrm downcountry tyre.

That’s an interesting concept but is of course relative. As hinted back in my info on the Kraken tyre, Hutchinson have now introduced the Wyrm as a third tyre in the their recently revitalised MTB range. First came the new Griffus in 2022 for chunkier riding, then came the Kraken in April and now the Wyrm slots into the gap between the two.

Like the other tyres in the range, the Wyrm moniker alludes to mythical properties.

From this perspective, a Wyrm is often linked to dragons, and is a creature that is ready for anything. Big, well protected and ready to attack. Compare with a Griffus that has plenty of bite, or the Kraken that is a subtler beast entirely and you can see how the three-tyre range is intended to work together.

While each model can be used standalone, the Wyrm provides the opportunity to mix and match Hutchinson tyres to suit your need.

Pair the Hutchinson Wyrm with a stickier Griffus at the front for grip on the downhills, or put the Wyrm on the front with a fast Kraken at the rear for aggressive Trail and Downcountry riding.

Personally, aggressive is not my style. I prefer to say I am ‘committed’ on the singletrack but I am probably splitting hairs. Some words we respond to, others not so much.

My initial take on the Wyrm would be to use it through the summer in a Wyrm/Kraken mix when the trails are dry, dusty and fast. I think this would provide an effective balance around the Surrey Hills. For year round riding you could easily swap in another Wyrm at the rear as the trails soften.

Mind you, that is all conjecture at this point and lots of Hutchinson’s press shots show the Wyrm used just as much on the rear of the bike as on the front.

About the Hutchinson Wyrm

The Wyrm is only available only as a 29″ option which shows how the MTB market has evolved recently, but the tyre comes in two flavours – standard and Racing Lab. Both are sized at 2.4 which offers a good level of volume for downcountry and trail riding without a needless penalty in terms of weight.

The difference between the two specs is the Racing Lab version is made in France with development from their team riders and is slightly lighter at 950g. With the Racing Lab version you can rock the latest tanwall look or stay stealth black, as you prefer.

Construction includes Hutchinson’s bead to bead Hardskin protection and a 66TPI thread count, so the tyre is well protected like its mythical namesake.

The tread itself is very distinctive, with a double chevron design through the middle face of the tyre. The chevron pairs are alternately siped for extra grip or supported at their base for predictability which reveals itself if you look closely. You can see the intention overall is to offer plenty of grip with a relatively quick rolling design.

Around the sides the tread is much chunkier. Here you get siped rectangluar blocks and squarer, cut away blocks, all designed to grab traction when the bike is cornering hard and to shed mud when trails are less that pristine.

I think the Wyrm a good looking tyre for a modern downcountry trail bike and I look forward to trying these out in the future.

Find out more about the Wyrm on the Hutchinson website.

About the author

Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.

Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.

An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.

If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.