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review
£1,078.00
VERDICT:
An excellent wheelset with some expertly chosen parts, at a very good price
Weight:
1,477g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Going wide and deep, Hunt has created a set of fast, durable and light wheels in the 3650 Carbon Wide Aeros. As Hunt puts it: 'The ultimate mixed depth road racing wheelset. Ultra-wide, scary fast.' With a specification of high-end parts and great build quality, Hunt isn't trying to reinvent the wheel but it is certainly refining it to a level of performance unheard of on sub-£1,000 wheelsets. (Ours came with tyres fitted; 'bare', they cost £979.)
- Pros: Excellent value, quality components, quick wheels
- Cons: Noisy freewheel
We first took a look at the 3650s a few weeks ago when Hunt's Tom Marchment came in to give us a run-down on one of the brand's latest designs. Since then I've been out putting them through their paces on the local roads and I'm really rather impressed.
The name 3650 comes from how deep they are: 36mm at the front and 50mm at the rear. It's quite a common combination for many riders as it is so adaptable to various weather conditions and the topography of your chosen route.
The front gives you a slight aero advantage over a more standard box rim shape without getting battered around by crosswinds, and it also keeps the weight down for climbing.
The rear doesn't get affected so much by the breeze, so it can be run deeper, although the back wheel doesn't spend anywhere near as much time in the airflow so aero advantages are a lot smaller than the front. Every little helps though.
With the fashion of ever larger tyres finding themselves onto current road bikes, we've seen wheel manufacturers developing wider rims to smooth that transition between tyre wall and wheel for aerodynamics. Plus the wider rims change the profile of the rubber to a more rounded shape rather than the traditional 'lightbulb' of older wide tyre/skinny wheel combinations.
This gives you more tyre on the tarmac for more grip, and there have been plenty of studies reporting reductions in rolling resistance from using wider tyres at lower pressures. The 25mm tyres fitted here actually measure 27.5mm across, something worth bearing in mind if you are going to use the 3650s on a race bike with very tight clearances.
The rear uses a 24-spoke build, with a two-cross pattern on the drive side and the non-drive side being laced radially. You can really stamp on the pedals to fly over the crest of a power climb and you won't get even the slightest hint of flex.
Pair this with the 20 radially spoked front and you have a wheelset that is absolutely solid. I'm not suggesting you aim for potholes on purpose, but if you do happen to whack one you don't get that buttock clenching a few seconds afterwards, where you're wondering whether the bang is going to see the wheel scatter into a pile of splintered carbon.
The spoke tension feels taut and even though both front and rear were a tiny bit out of true from the start, they remained the same throughout the test period, which covered about 500 miles of crappy lanes and smooth A-roads.
The EZO bearings used in the hubs are smooth and there aren't any signs of creaking or water ingress from the hours of wet riding the 3650s encountered. For added durability Hunt has used straight-pull spokes, which a lot of wheel builders believe are stronger for not having a bend where they are laced into the hub. They're triple butted too, which adds material where it's needed at the high stress points and does away with it where it isn't, reducing weight. The aero theme is continued with the main body of the spoke being flat bladed. Personally, I'd prefer brass nipples rather than alloy, after seeing various degrees of corrosion on the latter over the years.
When it comes to the freehub, Hunt is using a new design on the 3650s. At the risk of teaching your granny... freehubs use spring-loaded pawls which engage with the grooves of a ratchet ring inside the hub to provide drive to the rear wheel when you apply pressure to the pedals. Manufacturers all use varying setups to create a balance of durability and quick engagement.
Hunt has gone with a 48-tooth ratchet ring which gives instant pick-up in the rear wheel the second you touch the pedals – great for acceleration, especially from a standing start. The downside with such fine teeth on the ratchet ring is that they can break or wear quickly, so Hunt has used pawls that have three teeth along their surface rather than just flat, so when they engage they pick up a total of three teeth each in the ratchet ring, spreading the load.
Hunt says, 'The HUNT Sprint freehub also features strong individual leaf pawl springs, which engage quicker still, owing to their higher rebound rate. The 3 individual springs also allow back-up redundancy compared to single spring systems.'
The only downside is that the freehub is loud when disengaged. Okay, it saves you having a bell, because everyone hears you roll up behind them, but it can be tedious, especially at really low speeds.
Aside from that, all this makes for an exceptional set of wheels when you're out on the road, especially when you consider that they also weigh a very respectable 1,477g. Not the lightest out there, but the perfect balance between performance and stiffness.
> 193 tubeless wheelsets listed
Acceleration is great, whether from a standing start or little jumps in pace to keep up with traffic or other riders in the bunch. The 3650s just seem so easy to keep rolling too, especially on undulating terrain. Lumpy lanes with small rises and dips would see me carry the speed from the flat or descent straight into the next climb without feeling like I really needed to ask for any extra power.
Over the last few years we've seen a move away from V-shaped fairing style wheels as things have gone wider. Profiles have become rounder and the 3650s are a prime example with their stubby U-shaped trailing edge. Many manufacturers' wind tunnel data suggests that U-shape profiles suffer a lot less turbulence because air flows more smoothly over the rounded shape, especially in crosswinds.
Whatever data you believe, from riding these I can say that the 3650s certainly feel quick, especially once the speed gets above 20mph. We're not talking the same sort of benefits found on something 50mm-plus deep, but it's a small bonus.
Crosswinds definitely weren't an issue at all, as the wheels just shrugged everything off even when passing a gateway opening in a sheltering hedge.
Braking
Another issue with carbon fibre rims can be braking, or lack of, especially in the wet. Hunt's rim suppliers use High Tg (glass transition temperature) resin in the braking track to increase performance and resistance to heat, especially when paired with the Griptec brake pads by Brakco.
A little tip for you though: if you ever find yourself with a set of brand new 3650 wheels, get a wet ride in as soon you can to bed in the rims and pads together. Before that, stopping distances have to be seriously exaggerated as braking performance hangs around somewhere between downright scary and non-existent.
After an hour in the rain though, things were great – easily matching the braking power of aluminium rims even in the wet. And the best thing of all is that the braking is easily modulated, none of that 'nothing, nothing, grab' all-or-nothing style of stopping found on some carbon rims when you build up some heat.
Suitably shod
Right from the start Hunt has focused on tubeless tyre technology, and if you've watched the First Look video above you'll hear Tom take you through the details of how Hunt has focused on the quality control to get the tyres to fit with the perfect seal and easily too.
Our wheels came with the optional extra of having a pair of Schwalbe Pro Ones fitted before dispatch, so I can't vouch for how easy they are to fit but I have seen plenty of videos on social media of other riders setting the Hunts up, and it looks a very smooth process.
Getting the tyres from Hunt costs an extra £99, which, when you take into account that includes fitting and sealant, is not a bad deal at all. You just need to add them to the basket at checkout.
I must admit, though, I wasn't massively impressed with the tyres, which I was surprised by as I'm usually a big fan of all things Schwalbe. I punctured the rear on my second ride – only my second visit from the fairy this year – and although the hole would seal, every time the pressure went above 80psi the sealant would blow out and I'd have to start again.
> Read our buyer's guide to tubeless tyres
At the end of the test period both the front and rear had quite a few cuts on them as well, and the roads weren't even that bad coming out of the end of autumn.
Grip wasn't that impressive either. On slightly damp climbs they would wheelspin something chronic, and a few times on wet roads they'd just break traction with no warning, which really took away any remaining confidence I had in them if I was riding in less than ideal conditions.
They are an optional extra, though, so I haven't taken their performance into account in the overall scoring.
Value
If the 3650s were priced at £1,500 or possibly even £1,800 I'd say they offer decent value for money. The fact that Hunt can get all of this attention to detail, performance and reliability into a set of full-carbon, deep-section rims for less than a grand makes them very impressive indeed. Just £979 secures a set of the 3650s.
Comparing them to the Fulcrum Speed 40T carbon wheelset I tested recently, the Hunts stack up very well indeed. Yes, the Fulcrums are lighter, but they are tubular so not having a tyre bead makes for a lighter wheel full stop, and yes, their performance is very good indeed, both stopping and going. But this is easily matched by the 3650s. The issue is that the Fulcrums are £2,199.
I also tested and was impressed with Cole's C40 Lites; they just nudge the Hunts on weight by a few grams for their £1,700, but their performance doesn't come close.
For your £979 you also get a two-year warranty with the 3650s, plus spoke keys, spare spokes, top quality quick releases and everything needed to set them up tubeless, like valves and so on.
On the whole, the Hunt 3650s are a really well-specced package for both the money and the performance.
Verdict
An excellent wheelset with some expertly chosen parts, at a very good price
road.cc test report
Make and model: Hunt 3650 Carbon Wide Aero Road Wheelset (and tyres)
Size tested: 27mm outer, 19mm inner width, ideal for 23-45mm tyre widths
Tell us what the wheel is for
Hunt says, "This mixed depth wheelset offers it all. A true road-racer's choice. It's so fast that we're free-wheeling in the pack, whilst all others are pedalling, is it cheating? Fit these tubeless/clincher-ready wheels with tubeless tyres to make the package even faster and lighter.
"We all want to go fast; that was the brief. The latest breed of tubeless tyres give up nothing in weight to their clincher counterparts and the Schwalbe Pro One, that you can have fitted by us prior to delivery, weighs only 250g for a 25mm tyre (290 grams including 40 millilitres of sealant, while the Continental GP4000SII tyre with tubes weighs 320 grams). The tyre rolling resistance of the new Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless is reduced by 9.5% over their clincher version according to Schwalbe's own tests! Hence tubeless was essential. Going deep is obvious for aero gains, wide rims with a U-profile provide great handling and reduce drag across multiple wind yaw-angles. The freehub body on the HUNT Sprint hubs used for the 3650Carbon Wide Aero is also upgraded, with 48 teeth on the ratchet ring and treble-tooth pawls, providing super-fast 7.5 degree engagement for when the hammer goes down and you need to accelerate now! The strong individual leaf-sprung pawls are louder than circular spring set-ups, but we think that is the right decision to make for this type of wheelset. Also, stiffness = speed... so we specced large 15mm diameter hub axles for sprinting and out-of-saddle climbing. Ease into them, your mates won't know it's the wheels!. Float up the climbs too, thanks to a sub 1500g bench-mark weight, is this even fair?"
I found the Carbon Wide Aeros a very stiff wheelset and great to ride in any conditions, while against the opposition they offer excellent value for money.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?
Hunt lists:
Rim
Tubeless-ready – designed to work excellently with normal clincher tyres and tubes or tubeless tyres.
Two layers of Hunt Bronze Shield tubeless rim tape fitted.
Toray T700/T800 unidirectional and 3K weave carbon-fibre with 3K weave bed and spoke areas.
27mm outer and 19mm inner width ideal for 23-45mm tyre widths
36/50mm mixed-depth, with wide rounded aero section
Griptec basalt ceramic fibre brake-track
Matt black base finished with gloss black and white contrasting graphics.
Maximum tyre pressure for this rim is 120psi when used with an inner tube and 100psi when running the wheel set-up tubeless. Please do not exceed the maximum pressure stated on your tyre.
Spokes
Front: 20 spokes laced radially - Aero triple-butted profile
Butted 2.0-2.0/0.95-2.0 then PSR section is 2.2.
Rear: 24 spokes laced 2 cross drive-side and radially non-drive side.
Butted 2.0-2.0/0.95-2.0 then PSR section is 2.2.
Straight-pull for excellent torsional strength and direct power transfer
Cold drawn from high grade T302 (18/10) stainless steel wire by Sandvik Sweden
Patented Pillar Spoke Re-enforcement, butted again just before the spoke head providing more durability in high stress area.
Black stainless treatment
Nipples
Alloy square body for external adjustment and square head for easy internal adjustment/tensioning. square spoke key included.
16mm length with washer for a strong connection to the spoke added durability.
14 gauge
Black anodized finish
Hubs
Forged and CNC'd 6061-T6 heat treated aluminium alloy body
7075-T6 aluminium alloy axles
Black finish with laser graphics
Circular machined dropout interface steps for added stiffness
7075-T6 heat-treated aluminium alloy freehub body
3x treble-tooth pawl engagement for instant acceleration
Choice of freehubs:
Shimano/SRAM 8/9/10/11 speed. Freehub with Steel Spline Insert freehub body re-enforcement provide excellent durability against cassette sprocket damage to the freehub often seen on standard alloy freehub bodies
Campagnolo 9/10/11 speed. No Steel Spline Insert required as Campagnolo design has deeper grooves
Bearings
High-grade by EZO Japan
Sealed cartridge replaceable units
Upgraded to low-friction seals to further reduce rolling resistance
Quick-Releases
Hunt Super-light Race Season design, only 33g front and 37g rear
7075-T6 heat-treated alloy lever, head and nut
Brass cam plate actuation
1000kgf tested high-strength cro-moly spindles
Corrosion resistant stainless steel springs
Black finish with laser graphics
Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the wheel for performance:
9/10
Rate the wheel for durability:
8/10
Rate the wheel for weight
8/10
Rate the wheel for value:
8/10
Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?
Both wheels were a tiny bit out of true when they arrived, but they remained the same throughout the test period and I never once winced when I hit a rough section of road.
How easy did you find it to fit tyres?
The tubeless tyres came already fitted as part of the package.
How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?
The quick releases held the wheels firm with a solid grip, plus you get spare spokes, spoke key and stickers (everyone loves stickers!) in the pack.
Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose
A real all-rounder set of wheels with nothing in the way of compromise.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel
Solid construction at a great price.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel
That is one noisy freewheel.
Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes
Would you consider buying the wheel? Definitely
Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? Absolutely
Use this box to explain your overall score
The Hunt Carbon Wide wheels are very well made from an excellent selection of components and each of those details has paid off. It's the attention to detail that reflects in the overall performance, and all of this comes at a very competitive price.
About the tester
Age: 38
I usually ride: This month's test bike My best bike is: Kinesis Aithein
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
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26 comments
This is just a (belated) update following my original post, and Hunt's response. At the time of writing I said I'd only had the wheels for a month, and had very bad experience of the Schwalbe Pro Ones.
Well, some good some bad. y bike was stolen in early December 2017, but luckily I was able to replace it through my insurance. I suppose it says a lot that I chose Hunt wheels again, only this time the 36mm carbons. Nothing but good things to say about the wheels, although 10 months of daily commuting and various longer sportives have started to wear out the graphics.
Tyre wise, because it was winter when I bought them I opted for the IRC Formula Pro Fusion X-Guards 28mm, which you only seem to be able to get from Cycle Clinic in the UK. Although not the most comfortable ride they got me through the winter with not a single puncture. I rode them in the Tour de Yorkshire ride in May and then decided to swap for summer tyres. Despite my earlier experience with Pro Ones I bought a new pair in 28mm. They too have been superb and much more comfy then the IRCs throughout the summer months, and I regularly ride them off-raod. I've just swapped back to the IRCs for the winter. It seems I've found the ideal summer/winter rotation.
Both sets of tyres have installed with no trouble using a normal track pump.
I've also emailed Hunt a few times with my random ramblings and have had a speedy and positive response from them every time.
Definitely recommended.
I'm now 4 months and 2500 miles in to my set of Hunt 3650's. I rebuilt my '06 Ibis Silk Road with updated groupset and wheels. I was a bit nervous about clearance issues with the wider wheels, but plenty of room with the wheels shod with Scwalbe Pro One 25 mm tires. I agree with Stu's review of the wheels. Mine came without "true" issues however, and have not needed any touchup as yet. I'm riding these in central Oregon, where the roads are largely chip seal. They seem to have a bit stiffer ride than my Enve 3.4's, but that might be more a function of the bike they are on (Ibis Hakkalügi). The Hunt's spin up quickly and handle nicely in cross winds. Braking is quite good mated with the provided pads from Hunt. Last month I rode them on a long and steep descent in the rain. Braking was smooth, strong and easy to modulate with Ultegra R8000 calipers. Regarding the noise of the free hub.... yes, it is louder than most, but I think it is fine and hardly a concern for me. For what it's worth, I have Chris King R45's on my Enve 3.4 wheels. So, I'm used to the "angry hornets". The Hunt's came to me for $1200 USD plus a $99 import duty. In my mind, these are a bargain. By comparison, the Enve 3.4's on the King R45 disc brake hubs were $3100! I will post a follow up review at the end of our summer, and with a few more thousand miles on the wheels. Thus far, I'm a happy camper and give them two thumbs up!
http://<a href="https://telemarktumalo.smugmug.com/Bicycles/i-pQF9wzn/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Bicycles/i-pQF9wzn/0/8d6b83ef/L/fullsizeoutput_117f-L.jpg" alt=""></a>
fullsizeoutput_117f.jpeg
I’ve been running Tubeless since early 2010. I’ve run practically every tyre on the market. Not out of choice, i can issuer you. Both the Sector and the One have been poor. In October went thru 3 G-One in ten days. All dnf rides. I’ve gone back to the Hutchinson Intensive as that tyre was bloody reliable. I’m running them on my 4Seasons Wheels, to good effect. On the 650b I’ve gone back to running tubed Soma Cazadero. Puts G-One in its place for sure
Stu, huge thanks for the balanced and well thought-out review, as always! We really appreciate your feedback on the brake pads and are pleased you found the performance of a good standard once bedded in. Interestingly, we have already been in discussion with our brakepad supplier (BrakCo) on this matter. We're actually discussing with them the option of pre-sanding the pads so that they're bedded in right away.
Thanks again!
Regards, Ollie Gray (Brand Manager for Road & CX at Hunt Bike Wheels)
Shame the spoke nipples are external - more drag, less aerodynamic and aesthetically less pleasing on the eye than internal nipples.
I will happily sacrifice the infintesimally small aero disadvantage that external nipples represent for the increased ease of maintenance of the wheel, especially if you are running tubeless. Internal nipples do leave the wheel with a really clean look, but are a nightmare as soon as you need to true the wheels. With tubeless wheels internal nipples necessitate removing, then replacing, the rim tape, which means you cannot do quick or 'on the fly' adjustments.
Then again, I still prefer to see external cabling rather than internal routing. I don't like having to apologise to my mechanic for the hour they will need to spend messing with trying to re-route everything
I've had the Hunt Carbon 38s for a month now with pre-installed Schwalbe Pro Ones 28mm. It's my own expensive experiment in going tubeless. Apart from my main criticism, which is of Hunt themselves, probably due to a recent increase in demand they don't seem to be coping well with, the wheels are great. My biggest problem, which to be fair was one of the reasons I went tubeless in the first place, is punctures. Some comments above indicate that the Schwalbes are just not cut out for everyday use, mine have punctured regularly, although pleased to say most of the holes have sealed.
If anyone has a recommendation for a 28mm tubeless tyre that will not be too heavy but more puncture resistant than the Schwalbes for the winter roads I'd be interested to hear.
Schwalbe s-one, now called g-one speed. 30mm, fast, bulletproof
Best tire ever made. I have had a set last me 2 years with no letdowns.
I've run the Schwalbe Pro One 25 mm tires on Enve 3.4 rims. Good performance and durability on the rough, chip sealed roads of central Oregon. I did have a nasty cut on a rear tire, but reinflated and the sealant held with an internal patch. A more durable tire that I've used for commuting and training, are the Hutchinson Sector 28's. A bit heavy for competition on road circuits, but a great training and commuting tire, and really nice for mixed road/gravel riding. YMMV
Try these in 28mm https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collections/road-tyres/products/2017-irc-formula-pro-fusion-x-guard-tubeless-tyres
Hi Mark, I am glad to hear that you have been enjoying your wheels. Punctures are the bane of many cyclist’s ride, it sounds like the tubeless system has been working and plugging most of the punctures as you go. In terms of recommendations we are very fond of the Hutchinson Sectors, or if you have the space in your frame then the G-One Speed is a great all-round option.
You are quite right to say that we have seen a rapid increase in demand. In the short-time that I have been here at HUNT the number of staff has more than doubled. Where we were very much a company in which everybody did a bit of everything, we have now settled into more dedicated and specialised roles. This has meant that we can focus more on a particular area and try and offer the best products and best service possible. That said, we are only human and sometimes make mistakes.
Unfortunately, we made a mistake in processing your order, the inputting of a single incorrect letter can make quite an impact and sadly this is what happened. That said we did everything we could to put right our wrongs as quickly as possible to help get you on the road ASAP. And importantly we always learn from our mistakes, steps have been taken to make sure that the same thing does not happen again – and so far it hasn’t!
My apologies if you feel like we can’t cope, but I can assure you this is not the case. Our team here is bigger and better than ever and we are always working towards making the best products whilst offering the best service. As riders ourselves, we feel you deserve nothing less.
Thanks again ever so much for your understanding and we really do value this kind of feedback as it helps us focus our efforts on what riders really want and need, Kind regards, Jack (Customer Service Co-Ordinator @ HUNT Bike Wheels).
I've been using Hutchinson Fusion 5 All season on my older Hunt 4Season Dura Wheels, set up tubeless , and haven't had a puncture for 2000 all year round UK miles. Am sure they do a 28mm version in the newer Storm 11 compound.
I'm 100kg, and have had the wheels serviced annually by a local bike shop and even they've been impressed with the durability (excuse the pun) and lack of wear in the rims and the freehub.
I also use a pair of 4season gravel disc wheels on a gravel bike, which run Schwalbe G one speed tubeless, and they've been faultless for about 1000 miles so far.
Can't recommend Hunt enough. There's a person who always picks up the phone when needed, and they've always communicated quickly via website and social media.
I don't bother looking elsewhere for road/gravel bike wheels now.
"straight-pull spokes, which a lot of wheel builders believe are stronger for not having a bend where they are laced into the hub" - I am afraid that doesn't hold up. There are a lot of wheel builders who also feel straight pull spokes are just as likely to break at the nail head.
Spoke failure normally occurs when the spoke is not held in signifigant tension. If the tension on it is not maintained throughout rotation then the spoke flexes with every rotation- usually at the weakest point - only a matter of time before fatigue sets in. If for some reason it loses tension entirely (and enters compression) then the chance of failure is many times greater. Straight pull spokes are just as likely to fail as J-bend through these two modes of failure - their nail head is just a 360-degree bend at the end anyway.
Whilst Straight pull spokes and their associated hubs look "more sexy", the usual two other problems associated with them are (i) harder to get replacement spokes (ii) the hub ends up being slightly heavier in construction leading to a wheel that is heavier . Many manufacturers don't often tell you this second point, quoting a single weight for both versions with a +/-% variation that incorporates the difference - for them it is cheaper to build a straight pull wheel (machine built wheels can thread the straigh spoke easier and quicker)
Please expand upon 'out of true?' I'm a fan of true wheels; especially brand new ones.... Are we talking micro-measurements, or millimetres?
If nothing else these look cool
You can definitely get the Fulcrums for less than list price. And they have ceramic bearings. But interesting comparison.
Hi Matthewjb, you're absolutely right on both fronts! To add to your point, they are also tubular and a reasonable amount narrower (just over 24mm externally as opposed to 27mm as on our rims), and so the lightness is probably to be expected!
Regards, Ollie Gray (Brand Manager for Road & CX at Hunt Bike Wheels)
Or you could have...
http://www.stayercycles.com/carbondt240.html
Hi MrB123, thanks for your reply and good suggestion on the wheels. They do look great although I’d wonder about what the benefits would be spending the extra £130 for the Stayers? Whilst they do look to have nice wide rim profiles very similar to ours, I can see that going for the tubeless-ready options makes them a bit heavier (~1520g) than our 3650s (~1477g). Also, a quick look at the hub selection, and the 18t variant of the DT240 hub has an engagement angle of 20 degrees, which is a fair bit higher than ours at 7.5 degrees and probably one of the higher engagement angles available on any hubs I could think of. Obviously, we’d welcome your feedback on this and please do let me know if you feel the Stayers offer more somewhere that I’ve not considered.
Kind regards, Ollie Gray (Brand Manager for Road & CX at Hunt Bike Wheels)
Wow. Noisy hub as a negative?
A noisy hub is often a mark of quality and makes many cyclists weak at the knees! Like a Swiss watch I love a good click.
In my opinion, a very good option for buyers in the UK. For someone like me in Australia, shipping these back to the UK if there’s a warranty issue would just become silly. I’m impressed at Hunt’s alloy wheel offerings, they seem to be built well and they have nice higher spoke options. For the carbon, I dunno. Rims from the Far East (which yes, nearly all are I’m aware...), and rebranded generic hubs (Bitex or Novatec I’d say) laced with Pillar spokes can be had for cheaper when the support isn’t local. Nothing wrong with any of that, good wheels no doubt for the UK market, build quality seems good.
Hi sammutd88, thank you for your comments and positive feedback. We understand your position entirely with regards to returns/warranty, and would want to help try to balance this out with a couple of bits of info you may (or not) already know. Firstly, we try to always use components and construction methods that are widely available/usable. We don’t believe in arbitrarily making things proprietary like a lot of the big brands do, and the result of this should be that any issues associated with regular wear and tear should be fixable as locally as possible. Secondly, our country manager for Australia is based in Wollongong, and can (and has in the past) perform repairs or handle any warranty claims that might not be so easily fixable local to yourself. Failing that, obviously we will pay for expedited shipping on anything that did need to come back to us, or if we had to get replacements out to you. I hope these points might alleviate any worries you might have around this.
With regards to our carbon offerings, you do make a good (and correct) point about the availability of parts in the far east. We’re proud to work with suppliers in the far east really pushing the boundaries of manufacturing standards. We work with a supplier widely considered to be one of the very best in Taiwan, and actually spend around 50% more on our rims than we might if we bought an off-the-peg equivalent from mainland China. This extra investment is definitely worth it - when visiting our carbon rim supplier in Taiwan a few weeks ago, our newly-hired senior wheel engineer (formerly of Campagnolo/Fulcrum and 3T) was amazed at just how perfectly smooth and well-finished the rims were once the molds were opened, which is indicative of an incredibly low void rate. Low void rates in carbon rims point directly to strong results in terms of structural integrity. Similarly with our hubs, we spend approx. 30% more on this component than if we were to select Bitex/Novatec hubs. We’re able to offer such competitive prices not through a low standard of component selection, but from a lean business model selling directly to you, the rider. I hope all of the above makes some sense and would always welcome feedback or discussion on any of the points raised.
Kind regards, Ollie Gray (Brand Manager for Road & CX at Hunt Bike Wheels)
Good to know that there’s local support. Also nice to know the rims are Taiwanese. You’re swaying me now. Appreciate the response.
I've found that the Schwalbe Pro Ones don't work well with pressures above about 70psi - that's when they get a bit slippery on wet roads.
Interesting - I was slipping all over the wet roads in a set of them two weekends ago (at 80 PSI on 25mm) - swapped them out for Conti 4 seasons this last weekend. If I was in a scientific mind I might swap back and test at the lower pressures, but not sure I want to go through the experience of sailing 6 feet onto a roundabout again as a car was coming round (thankfully it stopped in time where I did not)
Sounds like a great value pair of wheels - thanks for the review.
One point of technogeekery if I may:
Sorry, no, it doesn't. The lower tyre pressures give you more tyre on the tarmac, not their width or (within reason) their shape. The tyre will deform until the (area of rubber on the road)*(tyre pressure) equals the weight on the wheel.
But the wider tyres do require lower pressures (otherwise the stresses in the casing & wheel rim will rise, necessitating a stronger, heavier casing and rim), which gives a wider contact patch (giving lower rolling resistance), and better grip (because the lower pressures give a larger contact patch, which gives better grip).
See here:
http://flocycling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/flo-cycling-why-do-you-use-less...
here:
https://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/rolling_resistance
and here:
http://the-contact-patch.com/book/road/c1717-grip
(section titled "Grip and normal contact force")