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review

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset

9
£799.00

VERDICT:

9
10
A lightweight, stiff and durable wheelset that'll work brilliantly across a range of road riding disciplines
Weight: 
1,347g

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.

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The 30 Carbon Aero Disc wheelset from UK brand Hunt is unbelievably light, which really benefits climbing and acceleration, especially because achieving that weight hasn't meant any loss in lateral stiffness. These are seriously good wheels at a very good price.

  • Pros: Super-lightweight; excellent stiffness levels
  • Cons: 100kg weight limit might be a barrier for some

With a 30mm-deep rim, these wheels are versatile for all kinds of road riding – racing, sportives, audax or just getting out with mates on a group ride.

> Buy these online here

At just 1,347g they feel light and responsive whatever the terrain, but it's most notable when you are in the hills. Attack a climb out of the saddle and they'll make the whole bike surge forward as if it weighs nothing, also helped by the instant engagement of the multi-point pawls in as little as 7.5 degrees.

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset - rim 2.jpg

It's the same when it comes to sprinting or hard acceleration: the response is like a switch has been flicked bunging another 100 watts into your legs for free.

All of this is a waste of time if you can't get that power out because of flex, but there are no such issues here. Even full-on sprinting efforts don't see the rims budge a millimetre from side to side.

Thirty millimetres isn't that deep a rim, but Hunt has gone wider than most with it. You get an external width of 27mm with an internal width of 21mm, which, Hunt claims, gives an aerodynamic benefit when paired with a fitted tyre, and the U-shaped rim profile reduces drag across multiple wind yaw angles.

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset - spoke nipple.jpg

They don't feel noticeably quicker over a thinner, deeper section wheel, but they are certainly no slouch when it comes to cruising along on the flats at a decent pace.

I rode the wheels over a lot of miles, not just the set I had in for testing but also the pair that came fitted to the Mason Aspect I was reviewing at the time.

The Mason was running 30mm wide Schwalbe G-One Speed tyres and the profile between rim and tyre was absolutely spot on, running pretty much seamlessly from one to the other, and even with the tyre pressures near their upper limits the wheels were still very comfortable.

Hunt uses V:Absorbe resin in the rims, which it says reduces vibration and improves impact resistance. Hunt says that as disc wheels don't need to withstand the high braking temperatures of a rim brake setup, the T24/T30 grade carbon layup and resin can be cured at lower temperatures, which means they are less brittle and damp vibration more effectively.

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset - rim 3.jpg

Fitting tyres isn't too much of a battle, although the wider the rubber, the easier they go on. Some 25mm tyres took a little more thumb pressure to pop them onto the rim, but not enough that I would be worried about fixing a puncture at the side of the road.

Hunt supplies the wheels with tubeless rim tape already fitted and the rim bed uses an H-Lock design where the profile has small ramps to give the bead of the tubeless tyres a bit of a guide up to the rim hook for easy initial fitment. The H-Lock also keeps the bead in position when running very low tyre pressures.

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset - rim bed.jpg

With such a low overall weight, durability was always going to be my biggest concern, but with about 800 miles spread over the sets of wheels there were no issues whatsoever.

The 20 spokes in the front wheel and 24 at the rear were perfectly tensioned straight out of the box and stayed true and tight throughout testing, even after whacking a rain-filled pothole at 35mph – both wheels shrugged it off, albeit with one hell of a bang at the time!

Another place of weakness can be the freehub body, which can suffer indents and gouging from the cassette body rotating under huge loads like sprinting or standing starts in large gears. Hunt uses a steel spline insert on the freehub which pretty much eliminates this.

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset - rear hub.jpg

The 30 CADs are available to suit any configuration of gearing – Shimano, Campagnolo or SRAM including its XD and XDR Driver models.

You can choose from a range of axle sizes as well, covering both quick release and thru-axle options – anything except for 15mm diameter at the front, which isn't a major issue as that seems to have disappeared from the latest road and gravel bikes.

Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset - front hub 2.jpg

Inside the hub, the bearings have continued to run smoothly and Hunt says that three of the rear hub bearings have been upgraded to low-friction LU/LB seals on the internal bearing face to reduce rolling resistance while maintaining excellent sealing. I have done a fair few wet rides on the 30 CADs and had no issues with water ingress.

Value

When it comes to value, this is where Hunt really delivers an excellent package. They cost just £799!

For that you are getting the wheels, tubeless tape, tubeless valves, spare spokes, spoke key, axle adaptors and 6-bolt adaptors should your rotors not fit the Centerlock standard the wheels come with; quite a package.

You also get a three-year warranty too.

The brilliant Pacenti Forza C wheelset offers very similar levels of performance and weight and probably comes closest to the Hunts in terms of price at £899.99.

> Buyer's Guide: 37 of the best road bike wheelsets

One of the best of the rest is something like the Scribe Aero Wide wheelset. We've tested the 50mm-deep models but Scribe also does a 32mm which has a similar weight to both the Pacenti and Hunt at 1,408g. It'll set you back £870.

A lot of the bigger brands don't fare so well on price, though. Bontrager's Aeolus Pro 3V TLR Disc Road wheelset is £1,199.98 and weighs 1,540g.

Conclusion

Hunt has created a quality set of wheels here, choosing solid components that do the job without hassle. The weight is exceptional and the fact that they are so tough and durable is testament to their quality – impressive when considering the cost.

Verdict

A lightweight, stiff and durable wheelset that'll work brilliantly across a range of road riding disciplines

road.cc test report

Make and model: Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc Road Wheelset

Size tested: 30 DEEP, 27 WIDE

Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Hunt says, "Look no further for a do-it-all carbon disc-brake wheelset than the 30 Carbon Aero Disc. Ultimate climbing performance, and incredibly capable on rolling terrain. The super-wide 27mm rim provides superior aerodynamic performance. The U-profile serves up great handling and reduces drag across multiple wind yaw-angles. The extra-wide 21mm internal rim bed opens out your tyre profile providing exceptional vibration reduction, grip and low rolling-resistance. Stretch the gaps and burn the legs of your riding compatriots."

A quality wheelset that works in all aspects of road riding.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?

From Hunt:

THE ULTIMATE ROAD DISC WHEELSET

Rims | Features disc-specific, unidirectional T24/30 rims, offering 21mm internal and 27mm external widths, and a 30mm u-shape aero profile.

Tyres | Tubeless-ready for lower weight and rolling resistance. As with all our current HUNT rims, these wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tyres including Continental.

Hubs | Race Season SPRINT straight-pull hubs, boasting an engagement rate of just 7.5° owing to the leaf-sprung, multi-point pawls and 48 ratchets in the hub shell.

Axles | Easily adaptable & we fit them for you. Fit all current axle sizes and are easy to change; Front - QR, Bolt thru 12/9mm, Rear - QR, Bolt thru 12x142, 12x135, 10x135.

Included | Tubeless tape & valves, spare spokes, spoke key, axle adapters (please fill in the simple form after checkout to select your required size) and pair of 6bolt disc adapters.

See the full specs here.

Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the wheel for performance:
 
9/10

No issues with lateral stiffness, which is surprising considering their lack of weight.

Rate the wheel for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the wheel for weight
 
10/10
Rate the wheel for value:
 
8/10

Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?

The wheels stayed perfectly true throughout testing.

How easy did you find it to fit tyres?

Pretty easy, especially as the tyre width increases.

How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?

An excellent selection of accessories included in the price and they all work well.

Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Work well in all aspects of road riding, especially climbing.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel

The balance of weight vs stiffness.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel

Not a 'dislike', but... It is not uncommon to see a 100kg weight limit on wheels like this, but it may be a barrier for some riders.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There is some tough opposition from the likes of Pacenti and Scribe with the models mentioned in the review, but across the market in general there are very few brands that can compete with the price.

Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes

Would you consider buying the wheel? Yes

Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The use of quality components and clever design means that you are getting a very durable set of wheels without sacrificing weight, and they are a bargain too.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 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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