25mm internal is a good size for a 2.4" tire on a light trail hardtail. The Hunt wheels seem like a great choice. I have a set of dt swiss 391 rims on my Ripley af which I really like. They are 25mm internal as well, This keeps the rotating weight down and still gives the tires a decent bit of support. I use the Ibis 35mm wheelset for 2.5 or 2.6 tires.

 

It helps if you give a budget and your weight.

 

I think the benefit of a rim being closer to i30 for a 2.4 tire is that you get better sidewall support, and all the good things that come from that.

 

Or you could run whatever. Decades ago people had 17 and 19mm internal width rims and very few people died. I've had 22.5 internal width rims running 2.35 tires for years and my wheels have not tried to kill me, at least as far as I know.

 

My old Stumpjumper HT came with i17 rims, I moved to i19 after a season of riding as I dented the other ones and I think the i19 version was on sale.

Now, my gravel wheels have an i25 rim on them with 35mm tires.

My how times have changed!

Either way, I really like the wider rims that we tend to ride now, much better support.

As for the OP, Industry 9 trail wheel sets should be right up your alley.

 

RaceFace ARC Offset 30 rims laced to DT Swiss 350 hubs are the bees knees. Light, durable, relatively inexpensive, and the spoke gauge can be tuned to your specific needs.

I build 2-3 sets of these per week.

 

I am in the same spot as the OP. have a hardtail that i use for XC Trail riding with RaceFace AR27 on DT Swiss 370 (29er) running 2.35 Arden Race Rear/DHF which came standard. I'll most likley upgrade the tires to Recon 2.4 front and rear. I am 215lbs. My Frame can only support up to a 2.5 rear tire.

I want to stick with aluminum rims on the hardtail to keep some compliance. Ideally I want better engagement and lighter alloy wheelset. Should I:

1) Get a new wheelset (if so recommendations? under 1200 budget)
2) Keep the Wheelset and upgrade the internals of the 370 to the DT ratchet system?

 

I have the Hunt XC Wides on one of my XC/light trail bikes (Specialized Epic Evo) with 2.3 tires and they’ve been very good. I was originally planning to go with Enve M6’s but for the cost savings I was able to upgrade my drivetrain to xtr and still come out ahead. I’ve raced on them, rode them in Sedona, and hucked them to flat on more than one occasion, and they’ve handled it all without complaint. Literally the only fault I can think of was the mediocre factory tape job, but that’s something I always redo anyway. If I eventually do manage to damage them beyond repair I’ll be buying the same again.

 

This. Also got hunt xc wides. Hard to beat the value.

 

30mm minimum. I'd go 35mm to give you the option of playing around with lower pressures and 2.6" tires if you want.
No problem for 2.35 Bontragers or Spec tires.
Ibis has some new rims I'd try. Blackbird Send 1. Link. The bead is rounded to reduce pinch flats. Asym. 565g. Sapim Lasers.

 

Horses for courses. While I am in the same camp as you and believe that 2.4 fits about perfect on a 30mm internal and that 2.6 really needs a 35mm internal, these are not lightweight (but right in the hunt for a 35mm aluminum rim).

 

Thanks guys, lots of good info. I don't really have a budget, and I don't have a specific weight requirement. What I've gathered from everyone's responses is that I can have a fairly lightweight 25mm internal aluminum wheelset, but if I want somethin around 30mm and aluminum, it's probably going to be around 1800 grams. It looks like if I want lightweight and 30mm internal, it would have to be carbon.

More things to think about, thanks again.

 

Well I ordered a set of Hunt XC Wide wheels (25mm internal, about 1640 grams tubeless ready). I'm going to run them with Bontrager XR3 front and rear on my hardtail build, reviews show that the XR3's actually measure up about 2.35 fully inflated on 30mm internal rims, so hopefully they'll be a good fit.

 

I9 trail wheels with hydra hubs are 1695, 27mm ID. I have them on my ripley, they have been great.

 

I'm looking for a set of reasonably lightweight and reasonably wide aluminum wheels for a hardtail build. I'm trying to keep everything lightweight and aiming for more of an XC/light trail hardtail rather than a smash machine. I'm looking at Hunt XC wide and they seem like a good option, but are on the narrow end of the spectrum at 25mm internal. I plan to run a 2.4 tire front and rear. Maybe the Hunt will be the way to go, but I want to do my homework before deciding.

I'd go 30mm inner width for 2.4. Might save you weight of having to use inserts. As for the AL rims, depends on your weight. If you are 150 lbs, you can get away with most anything. If you are closer to my weight, I'd go carbon and suck it up on the added weight of 32+ spokes F/R.