Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc Wheelset

The Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset is the Sussex brand's latest flagship offering with one goal in mind: to be the 'absolute fastest all-around racing wheel up to and including 50mm'. They're certainly fast, super wide – which makes them stable in blustery conditions and well suited to the demands of ever increasing tyre sizes – and they'll also set you back a fair chunk less than many top-end alternatives. However... some of the hefty weight saving has come from ditching the hooks, which is sure to put off some prospective buyers.

> Buy now: Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset for £1,479 from Hunt

Hunt's Limitless range has long impressed us here at road.cc and this latest Sub50 wheelset is the natural successor to the set that currently tops our road bike wheels buyer's guide – some rather large shoes to fill, then.

Compared with those wheels, the new Sub50s are a little bit deeper (up from 48mm to 49.5mm) and the super wide design remains. These Sub50s measure up with a suitably modern 23mm internal width but the front in particular dwarfs most wheels, with an external width of 34mm.

New for this generation is a staggered rim profile, meaning that the rim shapes differ from front to rear, but unlike the Enve 4.5 SES and Roval Rapide CL sets, where the wheels also differ in depth, both the front and rear of the Sub50s are an identical 49.5mm deep. A 50mm-deep wheel has long been a favourite of amateurs and pros alike thanks to its balance of aerodynamic benefit, low weight and handling performance, so it's easy to see why Hunt settled on this number.

Whereas the front is 34mm wide externally, the rear is 30mm, no doubt in an effort to save weight from an area that contributes less to handling and steering moments. The result is that despite being deeper than their award winning predecessor, the Sub50s are a whopping 260g lighter on the road.cc Scales of Truth.

Hookless

Not everyone will be rejoicing that weight saving, though, as the rims have one further change: they're now hookless. The hookless vs hooked debate is far from over, and whatever I write here is unlikely to change your opinion, whichever side of the fence you sit.

What I can say is that multiple sets of tyres mounted to the Sub50s without issue, and I didn't experience any problems regarding this design during the testing period.

Many of the latest wheels we've tested, such as the Enves mentioned earlier and Cadex 50 Ultras, are hookless, and for better or for worse it's becoming increasingly clear that this is the direction the road market is heading in. Hunt is the latest brand to commit to this, and it certainly won't be the last...

Carbon upgrade?

Back to the review! At 1,430g on our scales, the Sub50s are lighter than many of this depth but there is an even lighter version available. I opted to review the steel spoke version (they're the ones I would be more likely to buy) but if you're prepared to spend more then Hunt also offers the Sub50 wheelset with carbon spokes, saving around 48g for a cool £370 additional expense.

Having used many steel and carbon spoke wheelsets, I personally wouldn't spend this extra cash to get the latter, especially not for UK roads where carbon spokes can often make a wheel feel harsher.

Setup

The initial setting up of tubeless tyres was without issue – super-wide wheels can sometimes take a little more patience to get tyres on, but I can't say the 28mm Pirelli Race TLR RS and 32mm Panaracer Gravelking Slick TLC tyres posed much of a challenge. In both cases the tyres inflated with a reassuring snap using just a high volume track pump.

The whole experience is helped by having tubeless valves and lockrings supplied with the wheels, although the taped rims weren't entirely foolproof. As I'd pulled the wheels out the box for the first time I'd noticed that the rim tape was lifting at the ends and had an air bubble under it in another place, but they set up fine and held air so I thought little more of it. When it came to changing from my race tyres to winter training tyres, though, it became apparent that I should have paid more attention because as I pushed the tyre away from the bead it took the rim tape with it. It's a minor issue, but Hunt's rim tape does not seem as sticky as others.

Hubs & spokes

The hubs are well up to scratch, and as with most high-end hubs of recent years you'll find a ratchet system residing in the rear. The drive rings have a 40-tooth count providing an engagement angle of 9 degrees, aiding the get up and go feel of the wheels from low speeds.

The hub shells themselves are made from 6066 aluminum alloy with a 7075-T6 alloy axle and freehub body. Speaking of which, SRAM XDR, HG splined and Campagnolo N3W freehub bodies are all available.

In the front wheel you'll find 20 Pillar Wing Elliptical Aero stainless steel spokes and 24 in the rear. I've had no issues regarding durability, and these wheels have been abused this winter – sorry Hunt! Likewise, I've had no issues with the stainless steel bearings.

Performance

As for their performance, the wheels do not disappoint. The lateral stiffness paired with the new lower-weight rims help the Hunts to feel far more up for an attack than their predecessors, and more at home during steady state efforts.

Aero performance is always a hard one to judge without a wind tunnel (and sometimes rather hard with one too!) but these wheels are undoubtedly fast. Just like with their predecessor, these perform better than their depth would imply, and I respect the fact that Hunt has published a white paper including its wind tunnel data to back this up.

Although any non-independent data should always be taken with a pinch of salt, having ridden many of the wheels included in the testing I have no reason to dispute the results. I fitted these to my bike immediately after the Enve 4.5 SES wheels and these didn't feel any slower – high praise considering the difference in price. It was also no surprise to see the Roval Rapides topping the results; these are still my go-to race wheels but they are in need of an update to better suit wider tyres that us non-pros now use on the less-than-perfect roads.

The place where the Hunts – and these super-wide front wheels – really shine, though, is with crosswind stability; 50mm-deep wheels used to be reserved for summer or race day, but with these modern wheels you can use them year round, as my testing during November and December has shown. I found the Sub50s to be just as stable as many of the 40mm wheelsets I've been using, and in some cases better – for example, being easier to handle than the Zipp 353s that equipped a test bike.

Value

The new Sub50s with steel spokes have an RRP of £1,479, so that's £190 more than their predecessor would have set you back when we reviewed them just over four years ago (£1,289). Considering inflation, I wouldn't say that's half bad, and these represent just as good value as those did four years ago. How good value is that? Well, let's take a look at how they stack up against the competition...

Both weight- and depth-wise, the Sub50s boast stats similar to the Cadex 50 Ultra wheelset, which will set you back £2,649.98. I've also preferred riding these wheels to the Fulcrum Speed 42s which are also more expensive at £1,999.99.

Of course, there are cheaper alternatives out there – the 50mm-deep Velocite Hyperdrive Ultras, for example, impressed with an RRP of £999, though the skinnier front wheel is unlikely to be as stable in crosswinds.

It's also worth noting that the Hunts qualify for free H_Care, which offers 'Lifetime Crash Replacement for the first owners'. Something that will definitely appeal if you intend to use these for racing.

Conclusion

While there are cheaper carbon wheels out there, I don't think many can come close in terms of raw performance, and the ones that can often cost a lot, lot more.

I often think it must be easy to make a high performing carbon wheelset: a nice wide rim that's about 50mm deep, 20 or so steel spokes and a ratchet freehub... but it's clearly not, as so many brands repeatedly get it wrong. Well, Hunt hasn't; it's got the recipe bang on and once again the result is a wheelset that can compete with the best in the business for, in some cases, less than half the price.

> Buy now: Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc wheelset for £1,479 from Hunt

Verdict

All-round winning recipe now lighter and even faster