Hunt's road, gravel and cyclocross wheels explained
Hunt Bike Wheels started out in 2015 selling a range of alloy road wheels designed for the rigours of UK roads. It’s since branched out into gravel and mountain bike wheelsets and has recently launched aero carbon wheelsets – with Hunt’s wind tunnel tests showing them to be as fast as or faster than other leading brands.
Headed up by aerodynamics expert Luisa Grappone, Hunt’s engineering department is responsible for research and development, including computer airflow modelling and wind tunnel testing.
All of Hunt’s clincher wheelsets are tubeless-ready, letting you fit tubeless tyres, which lowers tyre pressures and adds puncture protection. Its wheels can be used with tubes too if you prefer.
The wheels are also on-trend with wider rims. Different road models measure between 23mm and 35mm wide, which lets you fit wider tyres for a broader contact area with the road, with the potential for lower tyre pressures, more comfort and lower rolling resistance
Selling direct, Hunt offers free next-day UK shipping and ships internationally for a charge. There’s also a pre-order service to help you secure your chosen wheels for a small deposit, too.
We’re going to take you through the Hunt range, and pick out some of the highlights in the line-up.
Hunt carbon road wheel range
Hunt offers a wide selection of models in its carbon road wheel range, available in both disc brake and rim brake options.
Its flagship wheel is the 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset, which Hunt says is the fastest in the world for its depth class, based on computer modelling, wind tunnel and real-world testing.
There are plenty of other options in the line-up too, whether you’re looking for an aerodynamic advantage or to save weight on the climbs.
Hunt 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset
Hunt describes the 48 Limitless Aero Disc as “the world’s fastest disc-brake wheels up to (and including) 50mm, with the wheelset designed to “meet the needs of the modern rider”.
The development of the Limitless wheels saw Hunt visit the GST wind tunnel in Germany, with the result a comprehensive white paper outlining both the performance of the wheels and how they compare to leading competitors.
The Hunt 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset is 48mm deep and super-wide at 34.5mm external, but still retains the 22.5mm internal rim width that Hunt says works best with 25mm and 28mm road tyres.
To keep the wheelset’s weight down to 1,618g, Hunt developed its Limitless Technology, a patented composite structure with a low-density, co-moulded polymer in its sidewalls.
The wheel is then finished off with top-spec and low friction CeramicSpeed bearings.
Hunt 48 Limitless Aero Disc
Rim depth: 48mmRim width, external: 34.5mm
Rim width, internal: 22.5mm
Weight: 1,618g
Price: £1,289
Aerodynamicist rim and disc brake wheelset range
Looking for a rim brake aero carbon wheelset? The Aerodynamicist range sits below the Limitless and offers 52mm, 62mm and 82mm rim brake depths.
To fit the brake calipers, it’s 27mm wide externally and 19.5mm internally, optimised for 25mm and 28mm tyres, according to Hunt. There’s a hard-wearing Griptec basalt ceramic fibre brake track for all-weather stopping.
Again, the range is wind-tunnel tested and holds its own against the competition, with Hunt claiming the 82mm depth is best in class.
Like the Limitless Aero Disc wheels, the Aerodynamicist range comes with CeramicSpeed bearings. Claimed weights are between 1,548g and 1,770g, depending on rim depth, and prices are from £1,189 and £1,329. You can order mixed depth wheelsets too. Full specs for the deepest 82mm options are below.
Hunt 82 Carbon Aerodynamicist
Rim depth: 82mm
Rim width, external: 29.5mm
Rim width, internal: 19mm
Weight: 1,770g
Price: £1,329
Swap to disc brakes and there are Aerodynamicist wheels in 44mm and 54mm depths, alongside mixed sets.
As well as the traditional steel spokes, Hunt sells wheelsets laced with unidirectional carbon spokes, saving 68g for weights of 1,398g for the 44mm depth and 1,456g for 54mm-deep wheels.
Prices start at £929 for steel spokes and head up to £1,189 with carbon spokes.
Hunt 44 UD Carbon Spoke Disc
Rim depth: 44mm
Rim width, external: 29mm
Rim width, internal: 20mm
Weight: 1,398g
Price: £1,149
Other carbon road wheelsets
Hunt sells a wide range of other carbon rim and disc brake wheelsets, with prices starting at £749 for the 1,379g Team 45 Carbon Wide tubular rim brake wheelset.
Meanwhile, the £1,089 Hill Climb SL tubulars tip the scales at just 991g. Depending on what you’re after, you’ll likely find a wheelset that works well for your riding style.
Hunt Hill Climb SL Tubular
Rim depth: 30mm
Rim width: 23mm
Weight: 911g
Price: £1,089
Aluminium road wheels
Alongside its flagship carbon wheels, Hunt also sells aluminium wheelsets for rim and disc brake bikes. They’re shallower than the carbon wheels, but still aim to offer low weights and aero optimisation, along with value for money.
Hunt takes the aerodynamics of its aluminium wheelsets very seriously and has wind tunnel tested its alloy offerings. That testing shows, for example, that Hunt’s 34 Aero Wide Disc wheelset is fastest in its category, surpassing Zipp’s carbon 202 NSW.
Meanwhile, the 4 Season alloy wheel range emphasises robustness and durability to see you through heavy-duty rides and the rigours of winter.
Aero alloy wheelsets
Hunt’s aero alloy options are the 34 Aero Wide and Aero Light disc brake wheels, and the Race Aero Wide and Race Aero rim brake wheelsets.
Prices range from £359 to £479, and they’re competitively light between 1,479g and 1,548g.
Hunt 34 Aero Wide Disc
Rim depth: 34mmRim width, external: 26mm
Rim width, internal: 20mm
Weight: 1,548g
Price: £479
4 Season alloy wheelsets
Adding a little weight to up durability, the 4 Season range includes the 4 Season Disc and the rim brake 4 Season Aero. Plus there are the SuperDura wheels made with extra strong aluminium and with a higher spoke count, for an even more robust build
The 4 Season wheels come with double-sealed hub bearings and other weather-resistant features. Prices range from £349 to £419.
Hunt Race Aero SuperDura
Rim depth: 31mm
Rim width, external: 24mm
Rim width, internal: 19mm
Weight: 1,595g
Price: £419
Gravel and cyclocross
If gravel riding or cyclocross are your thing, Hunt has a wheelset for you too. As you’d expect, they’re all designed for disc brakes and there are alloy or carbon rim options in 700c and 650b sizes.
The top-spec 30 Carbon Gravel Disc wheelset, priced at £799, weighs 1,479g and is 30mm deep with a 27mm external, 20mm internal rim width. It shares the durability features of the 4 Seasons range, such as double-sealed hubs.
For the same price, there’s the 35 Carbon Gravel Disc X-Wide with a 30mm external/23mm internal rim and weighing 1,548g, designed for tyres over 35mm wide. Hunt’s 650b carbon offering is priced at £799 too, with a 22mm-deep rim and weighing 1,425g.
Move to alloy and there’s a similar choice of standard or extra-wide 4 Season Gravel Disc wheelsets, priced at £319 or £349 respectively, as well as a 650b option for £339.
Or for the cyclocross racer riding tubular tyres, there’s the £699 30 Carbon CX Disc, weighing 1,432g.
Hunt 30 Carbon Gravel Disc
Rim width, external: 27mm
Rim width, internal: 20mm
Weight: 1,479g
Price: £799
Hunt 30 Carbon CX Disc Tubular
Rim width: 25mm
Weight: 1,432g
Price: £699
Dynamo wheelsets
Hunt’s wheels have been used in extreme conditions on ultra-endurance rides, including Josh Ibbett’s 2015 Transcontinental win.
To keep electronics charged and lights burning, Hunt offers a range of wheelsets with front wheels built with high-efficiency SON hub dynamos.
That includes the £1,129 Hunt 30 Carbon Dynamo Disc wheelset, as well 700c, 650b and 29in alloy options priced at £569 or £579. There’s also the option to buy a front wheel only.
So there’s something for everyone in Hunt’s range, whether you’re focused on lightweight, aerodynamics or ultra-endurance durability.
To see the full range, go to the Hunt website.
Hunt 30 Carbon Dynamo Disc
Rim depth: 30mmRim width, external: 27mm
Rim width, internal: 20mm
Weight: 1,759g
Price: £1,129
Authors
Paul has been riding since he was a teenager and has been writing about bike tech for almost five years. He was into gravel before it was even invented, riding a cyclocross bike across the South Downs and along muddy paths through the Chilterns. He dabbled in cross-country mountain biking too, before returning to drop bar bikes.
August 17, 2020 at 11:00PM
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/hunt-wheels/
Hunt Bike Wheels: a guide to the UK wheel brand's range - BikeRadar.com
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