CX/Gravel Tire Test: Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR (tan) 50

The Caracal Race from Hutchinson has become one of the most popular gravel bike tires on our website, thanks to its extremely low rolling resistance that challenges the fastest road bike tires. We already tested both the 40 and 45 mm sizes of the Caracal Race, and this time we're going to take a look at the 50 mm size, which is becoming increasingly popular among gravel bikers.

Ad Buy Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR (tan) at Amazon.com

The Caracal Race is available in both tan and black sidewall versions, with the tan sidewall version showing a slight performance edge in our rolling resistance tests, at the cost of slightly less sidewall strength. Because of the slight performance edge of the tanwall version, we're going to start with the tanwall Caracal Race in the newly released 50 mm size.

The Caracal Race is fast because it borrowes the SwiftEasy casing and Mach Tread 3.0 compound from Hutchinson's latest road bike tires. The Caracal Race is also part of Hutchinson's "Racing Lab" tire range, showcasing its latest tire technology.

Since we already have ample experience with the Caracal Race, we'll keep this introduction short. If you're interested in more information about Hutchinson's Caracal Race, we recommend you read our previous articles about the 40 (read our review) and 45 mm (read our review) sizes, or jump over to the CX/Gravel Overview page, where you'll be able to compare the 40, 45, and 50 mm sizes side by side.

As usual, we're going to compare the 50 mm tan-wall Caracal Race to the 40 mm tan-wall Caracal Race, 45 mm tan-wall Caracal Race, as well as a selection of competing 45/50 mm gravel bike tires from other manufacturers.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Hutchinson
Model	Caracal Race TLR (tan)
Year	2026
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	PV533831
EAN	3248382100056
TPI	127
Compound	Mach Tread 3.0
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	50-622
Specified Weight	550 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	43
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c) 50-622 (700x50c)

Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR (tan) 50 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	550 grams
Measured Weight	668 grams
Measured Width Casing	49 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	51 mm
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.7 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	3.20 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
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	49 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 (42 psi / 2.9 bar)	Pro Data
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 (35 psi / 2.4 bar)	Pro Data
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 (28 psi / 1.9 bar)	15.8 Watts CRR: 0.00474
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 (21 psi / 1.4 bar)	Pro Data
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	49 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	3.20 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	80 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.7 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

The 50 mm tan-wall Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR is the fastest 50 mm gravel bike tire you can buy today. Rolling performance is a bit less than the ultra-fast 40 mm size, but pretty much spot-on to the 45 mm size we tested last year. We do see rolling performance drop off a bit more sharply at the lowest air pressure, and that's due to the increasingly thicker tread and larger edge knobs on the larger sizes of the Caracal Race.

When we compare the 40, 45, and 50 mm sizes of the Caracal Race in a 3-way comparison, it becomes clear that the larger sizes not only gain volume but also quite a bit of weight, tread thickness, tread puncture resistance, and knob height. In the hard-surface wet grip tests, the average comes out pretty much equal, but we do see the bigger sizes offering slightly better center grip (bigger contact patch) at the cost of slightly less edge grip (more flex in the edge knobs).

As we mentioned, the 50 mm Caracal Race is still the fastest 50 mm tire you can buy today, even though it's heavier and thicker than we expected. With the thicker tread that offers more puncture resistance and durability, we even see new opportunities for the Caracal Race to do well on non-gravel bikes.

Ad Buy Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR (tan) at Amazon.com

RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

Comments