Hunt has updated its alloy Enduro wheelset, now in its third iteration, unveiling a fresh pair of hoops built to be more resistant to damage and as durable as possible.
Front- and rear-specific rims have been developed to perform specific duties, while they're hand-built around a new hub that's said to have a quick, but not too quick, pick-up and fast-rolling bearings.
The new Hunt Enduro V3 wheels will retail for £499 / $649 / €599.
Testing, testing
While Hunt isn't alone in using plenty of high-tech tools (and some much lower-tech ones, too), more than two years of work has gone into developing the new wheelset.
146 hours of FEA analysis were initially spent on the process. This Finite Element Analysis uses computer programming to analyse the theoretical impact of forces and vibrations on a structure, enabling Hunt to tweak designs via the computer model, without needing to spend time and money building multiple prototypes.
This enabled the brand to remove non-structural material from the rims' walls, enabling it to balance strength and performance metrics.
From there, physical prototypes could be tested on rolling roads and through impact testing to finalise the design.
Rolling roads give longer-term durability reports, while impact tests, carried out at a 15-degree angle to the rim, enabled the brand to analyse the strength of the rim walls, giving more MTB-realistic data.
Hunt also performed competitor analysis, purchasing other mountain bike wheelsets to compare the wheels to.
Added to this lab testing was the use of a new alloy – G609 – in the rims. This material is said to have 30% more tensile strength than Al 6061 – a commonly used rim material.
When shot-peened, the finished rim should be even tougher, because this process reinforces the strength of the rim surfaces.
The result of this is Hunt claims the Enduro V3 wheels are more resistant to impacts, with the first sign of damage (non-catastrophic rim failure) showing from impacts 20 Joules higher than with the V2 wheels – a 20% improvement.
Hunt's new Enduro V3 rims
So what are Hunt's new rims like?
The front rim has a shallower, wider profile than the rear, coming in at 31.5mm wide internally.
This gives tyres a broader form, improving compliance and comfort at the front of the bike.
At the back, there's a narrower, more V-shaped rim profile, which makes it more resistant to impacts – an additional 20 Joules of force compared to the front for the same level of damage.
In addition to this, the builds differ at the front and rear.
The front wheels are built with 28 spokes, for a lighter, more compliant build. Further back, 32 spokes are used to bolster strength and stiffness.
The rim profile includes Hunt's 'H-Lock' bead seat to help make using tubeless tyres easy. Tyres lock into the rim with ease, according to Hunt.
H-Ratchet XL hubs
Joining the new rims is a refreshed set of hubs, which are central to the story.
Key to this is the new H-Ratchet XL 40T DBL freehub, which has a 9-degree pickup.
This places it between wider, generally 12-degree pickups found on more budget wheelsets, and the super-quick around 3-degree freehubs found on high-end wheels.
In our eyes, this 9-degree pick-up feels like the best of both worlds – it's snappy, without exacerbating any issues from chain growth and the resultant pedal kickback.
The freehub has a 40-tooth double-ratchet ring system.
The hub shells are constructed from CNC'd 6066-T6 aluminium, with a six-bolt rotor mount and a broad 17mm-wide 7075-T6 axle for a stiff core to the hub.
They spin on Enduro ABEC 5 bearings, with labyrinth seals to keep the muck out.
Brass nipples, stainless steel nipple washers and triple-butted, black-anodised alloy Sandvik spokes complete the build.
Hunt Enduro V3 wheelset options
The new wheelset is Boost width spacing only (110x15mm front, 148x12mm rear), but both HG and XD freehub drivers are offered.
Being a 2025 wheelset, a mullet, or MX, option (29in front, 27.5in rear) is of course offered from the factory, as well as both 29in and 27.5in options.
Claimed weights for the wheelsets, which come taped and with tubeless valves included, are:
- 29in pair: 2,096g
- 27.5in pair: 2,022g
- Mullet/MX pair: 2,057g
