Hunt is well established when it comes to producing high quality, high value road and gravel wheelsets, but before now hasn't produced a wheelset for mountain biking.
However, this week Hunt has introduced a line of three alloy mountain bike wheels: the XCWide, TrailWide and EnduroWide — each self-explanatory name denotes the wheel's intended purpose.
Stronger rims, new hubs and high spoke counts
Hunt points out that it has chosen to forgo the usual 6061-T6 alloy used for mountain bike rims in favour of a stronger 6066-T6 for the XCWide, and even stronger 6069-T6 for the TrailWide and EnduroWide wheelsets.
Hunt claims these alloys also offer improved fatigue- and impact-resistance. All rims are also shot peened (a finishing process that prevents fatigue and stress corrosion failures) and welded for increased durability.
It almost goes without saying that the rims are all tubeless compatible and come with tubeless tape installed.
Hunt has also introduced new hubs that offer a speedy 4.3-degree engagement angle. It’s nice to see six double-tooth pawls, which should provide a little extra reliability and security for hard efforts or horrible conditions.
The cassette body is available with the standard Shimano/SRAM or XD driver.
The hubs are also specced with oversized 7075-T6 aluminium axles, which allow for large and hopefully more durable bearings to be fitted.
Spokes are the key element that holds everything together and Hunt hasn’t skimped. All wheels feature triple butted 2.2-1.6-2.0mm Pillar spokes — the 2.2mm spoke head is claimed to provide improved durability.
The EnduroWide features a 36 spoke count rear-wheel, favouring reliability and durability over marginal weight savings.
However, Hunt has chosen to use alloy rather than brass nipples, which are generally found to be easier to maintain.
All wheels come with four spare spokes, tubeless valves, and a spoke key and nipple driver. As with its other wheelsets, Hunt also offers the option of setting up the wheels tubeless before delivery, along with an optional Huck Norris insert for the rear wheel, if required.
Hunt XCWide
The XCWide isn’t a full-on lightweight cross country wheelset, instead the 25mm internal width should let you fit some higher volume rubber for extra versatility. The wheels are only available with a 29in rim, with either Boost or standard spacing.
The wheels have 28 spokes front and rear with a claimed weight of 1,647g and is priced at £319.
Hunt TrailWide
The TrailWide has a wider 30mm internal width with a 28/32 spoke count front and rear. The 29in size is only available with Boost spacing and weighs a claimed 1,823g.
The 27.5in wheel is available with either Boost or standard spacing and weighs a claimed 1,757g
The wheelset is priced at £339.
Hunt EnduroWide
The EnduroWide is purpose-built for hard hits and aggressive trails.
Extra thick sidewalls and a 32/36 spoke count front and rear provide additional strength. It also uses a beefed up front hub, allowing for larger bearings to be fitted.
The 33mm internal width should plump up any rubber nicely.
The 29in version is only available as a Boost wheelset and weighs a claimed 2,064g, while the 27.5in version is available as Boost and non-Boost and weighs a claimed 1,994g.
The wheelset is priced at £359.
Availability
The wheelsets are available for pre-order now with anticipated delivery mid-June. Free worldwide shipping is available. All orders are charged in pound sterling and prices will be converted according to credit card or PayPal exchange rates.
For more information visit the Hunt website.