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Wheel upgrade: Hunt Trail Wide wheelset worth it?

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17K views 37 replies 14 participants last post by  BansheeRune  
#1 ·
Hey all! Asking a wheel question here in the SS forum instead of the wheel subforum because I exclusively ride rigid SS, so you guys get it.

The stock rear wheel on my 2020 Kona Unit is about to bite the dust - drive side nipples pulling through the rim. 5000 miles in 2 years. Time for new wheels.

I’d like to get lighter wheels to bring the bikes weight down, but my budget is only 500 and I think that the Hunt Trail Wide is prolly the best I can do for the money at 1830grams. Sort of a decent upgrade from the 2200g stock wheels, I guess?

I want the wide 30mm rims because I ride 95% of the time with 2.6 tires at pretty low pressures. Rigid ya know:

My biggest concern is the rumored softness of the rims and reports that they dent easily. A worry because I run pretty low psi - Cuz rigid.

Any thoughts? Any other suggestions for other wheelsets or a way to go under 1800grams for $500 max?
Thanks!
 
#3 ·
For a 1 and 3 mm wider, non sequitur. This minuscule difference will likely be meaningless in the real world of trail riding.
i35, yus but weight and budget are a priority.
Trail Wide 1761/1831g $479
Enduro Wide 2041/2105g $549
Obviously a weight difference between the two options.

Hunt does look to have a good offering at their prices.

It gets down to what you are currently using in terms of internal width and is it serving the role.

You mention low riding pressures, are you hitting rim currently? What width, currently?
Does your riding center on riding softer tires in order to mitigate wheel damage?
 
#6 ·
BansheeRune said:
For a 1 and 3 mm wider, non sequitur. This minuscule difference will likely be meaningless in the real world of trail riding.
i35, yus but weight and budget are a priority.
Trail Wide 1761/1831g $479
Enduro Wide 2041/2105g $549
Obviously a weight difference between the two options.

Hunt does look to have a good offering at their prices.

It gets down to what you are currently using in terms of internal width and is it serving the role.

You mention low riding pressures, are you hitting rim currently? What width, currently?
Does your riding center on riding softer tires in order to mitigate wheel damage?
Click to expand...
Yes, not interested in the enduro wides, don’t need the extra width, weight or cost! I frequently ride allday 40+ mile rides with 5000+ ft climbing plus lots of bikepacking and dirt road miles and do not need “enduro” anything on my bike.

Currently running the stock WTB i30s and perfectly happy with that width with my tyre of choice, 2.6 Rekons. The WTB rims are super stout, and I’ve had no problems with dents or dings even running super low pressures through the rocks.
 
L
#8 ·
I’ve been endlessly disappointed in my Hunt wheels and the support around them. I threw one set onto a bike I sold super cheap, and I’m scared to use the other set cause it won’t hold the tire bead. I’d go with a similar price and weight set of Mercury wheels if you want a company that seems to put a little more thought into what they’re building.
 
F
#9 ·
we have ixr4 2.6 and 2.4 on i30 29er. they look very similar. i feel the 2.6 sizes small on the 29er.

the enduro wide is i33 which is why i feel its perfect for a 2.6" front. extra volume for a bit less pressure. depends on the tire!

i also have a 2.6" xr4 on a 27.5" i30 which looks a bit wide for the rim. so this is where my opinion comes from regarding the i33.
 
F
#12 · (Edited)
Sorry about the big C.
Ive run the 3.0" on i45 and i38.

wider is better.

No one would run a 2.6" on i45.
Thats a 50% width change from i30. It would be unrideable imo.

5 on i30 is 16.6% change

Depending on tire carcass would be a bit wide. Or just right. But it would prevent running a 2.4" imo.

on a rigid. Ill take the wider rim given the chance to purchase a new wheel just for that bike
 
#13 ·
Fuse6F said:
Sorry about the big C.
Ive run the 3.0" on i45 and i38.

wider is better.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, Fuse. The silver lining is prognosis, said to be better than excellent.

On the wheels front.... Narrower and riding pressure goes too high for this one to keep the damn things from folding in the corners. The bike in the previous post has a maximum operating pressure of 12 psi, sticks to trails like a fly on fresh flypaper!
 
#16 ·
Hey OP, we have two sets of Hunt wheels in our house so I can give you a little feedback.

Overall, we're very impressed and would say I think I'd take them over our i9 trail wheels unless maximum engagement is your end goal. The rim is pretty damn strong--never have dented them somehow--and the hubs/freehub spin freely. Actually, you can spin a wheel in a stand and leave and come back 5 minutes later and they are still going. Out of 2-3 years of heavy riding, none of them have been trued either. Honestly very impressed with them and would imagine on an SS, losing that weight will make a dramatic difference in acceleration and handling. Also, I run 2.6 on 30mm ID all the time and never thought twice about it. Works great.

Good luck!
 
#18 ·
DefenderOfRock said:
The stock rear wheel on my 2020 Kona Unit is about to bite the dust - drive side nipples pulling through the rim. 5000 miles in 2 years. Time for new wheels.

My biggest concern is the rumored softness of the rims and reports that they dent easily. A worry because I run pretty low psi - Cuz rigid.
Click to expand...
Is the rim on your current wheel all dented up? If not I wouldn't worry about the 'softness' of the alloy. Some people are harder on rims than others.

How much do you weigh?

If you're under 190lbs the Trail Wide wheelset should be just fine. I imagine the dependability of the Hunt wheels is on par with the $500 price point.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the replys everybody. Funny how this devolved into a argument over rim width, which wasn’t even what I was originally asking. I’m perfectly fine with i30-35 rims, but thanks for y’all’s input. I was originally wondering if a ~400gr weight savings was worth it, and about the reliability of Hunt’s rims. Still too many differing opinions/experiences on the Hunt rims, so I’m not gonna get them.

I have actually decided to spend a bit more and get some carbon wheels from Lighterbike. For $200 more, I get the same width rims but lighter (1700gms!) and with better hubs. Probly better spokes too. Deal.
 
L
#22 ·
Sorry to revive this post- it looks like reviews say this is a solid deal. Im trying to shed weight from my absurdly heavy 2300g wtb i30 - it would also let me upgrade to an XD driver from HG and I can shed another 150g upgrading from NX to GX cassette. What makes me hesitate though, is that reviewers say these wheels have a dampened feel and are not as stiff as the competition. I’m a heavier rider at 215 lbs, and wonder if I would feel these wheels are too flexible?
 
D
#23 ·
I have run versions of Hunt on all my bikes (bar the DJ) for the past three or so years and would recommend them to anyone, but cannot comment on the support situation outside of the UK. Here things are excellent and in the event of problems, Hunt have been very quick to resolve them. I am also fortunate to have a LBS that stocks them and can help out, with Hunt's blessing.

I had some issues with a cracked rim on the Trail Wide V1, which Hunt swapped out for a brand new set, but no problems at all with the V2. Enduro Wide are great wheels, All Mountain Carbon are even better and my preferred offering across all the bikes they will fit.

@lollybo - one of my riding group is heavier than you and has Hunt wheels on his Privateer and his hardtail. No problems at all.
 
L
#24 ·
Thanks for the detailed reply and feedback! Do you know which particular model the gentleman on the Privateer rides? I was looking at the Trail Wide V2. A few reviews mentioned the rims are a bit more compliant due to being alloy, but if it’s no worse than my stock st i30s I’m willing to upgrade just for the weight savings alone and the better hub.
 
#25 ·
Plan on setting up my Trail Wide V2s this week. Bought a couple months ago during the sale after also hearing mostly good things @lollybo.

Cracked a carbon rim my second ride, wanted an inexpensive back up set and they seem well made. I doubt I'll be able to tell a difference between them and my carbon rims but I'm looking forward to see. Also wanted and easy swap for faster rolling tires with beefier tires on the wider 35mm carbon set.

I'm all about spending more on a solid primary set but I couldn't pass up these for $380.
 
#28 ·
diverge said:
Plan on setting up my Trail Wide V2s this week. Bought a couple months ago during the sale after also hearing mostly good things @lollybo.

Cracked a carbon rim my second ride, wanted an inexpensive back up set and they seem well made. I doubt I'll be able to tell a difference between them and my carbon rims but I'm looking forward to see. Also wanted and easy swap for faster rolling tires with beefier tires on the wider 35mm carbon set.

I'm all about spending more on a solid primary set but I couldn't pass up these for $380.
Click to expand...
Any issues with the nipple area like fractures?

Also what is the minimum tire width you can run these?
 
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