Possibly looking to pick up a new set of wheels for my road bike and move my current set to the gravel rig. For reference, I’m currently running ENVE 3.4 SES Discs.
I want to go with something a bit deeper—I’m thinking 45-50mm. I was originally considering the Zipp 303 Firecrest disc, but then the Hunt Aero 50s caught my attention. Most people seem to really like them, but at almost half the price of the Zipps and less than half of my current wheelset, I’m concerned that they’ll be more of a downgrade than an upgrade (or even a lateral movement).
I’m curious to hear from current Hunt owners, especially any who may also have previous experience with Zipp and/or ENVE.
I don’t own any of the wheels mentioned, but check out the wheels section of the Weight Weenies forum. A user with access to a windtunnel - Hambini - has tested about 20 wheels. The test does not look good for Hunt or Flo.
One observation on that test posted on weight weenies is the Hunt wheel only had a depth of 36 vs 50 or more from the top performers. I think they say as aero goes, the deeper the better and all the design tweaks don’t really do much.
The Hunt wheels may be better than this test indicates
Now sitting at a computer … for rim brakes in the 45-50mm range the Bontrager’s look pretty awesome. So expensive, though (I’ve been looking at the Bontrager XXX Aeolus 4, but they cost more than I want to spend). But, since you have disc brakes, maybe you can find some of the older D3 5 models … in reviews the only complaint I’ve seen is the braking, which is a non issue with discs, plus they’re super aero per Hambini.
Another wheel to maybe consider … the Easton Aero 55. Some of the Easton’s seem to be on sale and I think that is a highly regarded wheel.
Oh, good call! I didn’t think about Easton. I’ll look at those too.
Also, this is some pure savagery from the above link about aero testing:
“The FLO cycling and Hunt wheels performed badly, they appear to have been designed by individuals with a limited understanding of aerodynamics of rotating objects. As such they generated unnecessary separation and could not deal with the separated airflow”
I am no expert in aero but Hambini has fixed 3 bb30 creaking bikes with custom made BB’s for me. He has been nothing other than brilliant and ultra professional. If you have questions send him an email via his site always seems more than happy to help a fellow cyclist.
I’ve a set of the Hunt 50 disc tubeless and they’ve been great, they’ve changed the bead design over the years I think and i’ve a set that only run with tubeless tyres AND they’re not compatible with Hutchinson tyres for some reason which is all pretty frustrating but think they’ve now sorted those issues and I can’t fault performance. Also run them bikepacking through the Alps with no problem. Easy to switch between QR and TA.
Can’t comment on aero gains but they feel quick. For the price/ weight they’re hard to fault in my opinion.
I’ve also some of their 650b discs for gravel and although i’ve used them relatively little I’ve not found fault yet.
Support has always been very good when i’ve needed it in sourcing TA adaptors and would happily buy from them again.
I have the Carbon Aero 50’s and they are reeeeeeeally good. They hold speed well, they deliver the power when it’s needed, and most importantly, they are a great price. Love 'em.
Had my 38mm Carbons a few years now - these are wide before wide became the in thing, a 25mm tyre sits flush with the rim, mens run lower pressures, more comfort… bearings are super smooth roll - pricing good etc… I am looking to buy 58mm set next year.
With Hunt, I’m not sure if they’re anything more than rebranded, generic, open mold Chinese carbon rims with cheap, rebranded Novatec hubs.
Personally, if I was in the market for rims in the same price range (~1200USD), I would go with light-bicycle instead. They have a wide range of customization options and will build them with reputable hubs and spokes like Industry Nine, Chris King, DT Swiss, etc. If you’re in North America, you can use their NA distributor website and they’ll build them here as well. If you go by the Hambini results then the models of theirs they tested hold up pretty well in their respective depth class unlike Hunt.
Purchased a set of HUNT 50 CARBON AERO DISC WHEELS about a month ago, previously running 30mm deep Giant P-SL0 Disc Alloy composites. The Hunts are considerably lighter and perform noticeably better in cross-winds even though they are much deeper. I have ridden a few hundred kilometres and they have been great. They roll well as I found myself rolling faster down hills than most people in a recent Fondo ride (maybe just new hubs make the difference, who knows)
I moved to 28mm tyres from 25mm in the process also so they have been more comfortable than my previous tyre rim combination, but I don’t think that’s the rims.
My friend has a set of Yoleo’s and the Hunt’s appear to have a much better quality of finish
i know i’m reviving a long sleeping thread. But i’m in the market for a sub 1k set of wheels, and LB seem to be the best bang for your buck.
Sent them an email, let’s see what they come back with.
For a sub 1k wheelset I can also highly recommend Yeoleo. You can spec them with DTSwiss hubs and Sapim spokes and they’re still within price range. And because they have no holes for the spoke nipples in the rim bed they’re perfect for a tubeless setup without needing any rim tape. They’re also customizable with colored spoke nipples and different teeth options for the DTSwiss hubs.
I got mine a year ago. Got into contact with customer service and they could even give a discount on prices. Katrine and Jasmine were very helpfull and generally responded within 24h when I had any questions over mail. Build quality is excellent. Have ridden them for about 1 year and over 5k km now and the spokes are still as tight as when they arrived.
I got the C60/C88 combo and it’s been fine even in higher wind conditions. Have ridden them in 70kph winds and whilst they do get more tricky, I’ve never felt like getting blown off the bicycle path.
I have purchased the Hunt “Aerodynamicist” 52/62 rim brake wheels for my Allez Sprint and raced in them all season. They were exactly what I needed, they rolled great with the ceremicspeed bearings. They definitely didn’t hold me back! I was the talk of my local cycling groups when I nabbed a 3d fastest worldwide descent on Hogpen gap near the end of the season. So, out in the wild these bad boys are definitely aero where it counts. I love the wider internal rim, set them up tubeless and they are super grippy with the schwalbe pro one evolution (I use the 25mm tire, but they inflate to 27.5mm)