How Hutchinson makes its bicycle tyres

Research into new compound formulations is followed by industrial production

For a French company, Hutchinson has a very Anglo-Saxon sounding name. That’s because the company was set up in 1853 by US businessman Hiram Hutchinson. Attracted by the grants offered by Napoleon III, Hutchinson moved his rubber making machines from the US to set up in Montargis, around 100km south of Paris.

Hutchinson uses one of its original factory buildings, with a roof designed by Eiffel,as a training centre

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Paul Norman

Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.

He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.