A bit of recent bike purging and redistribution of parts left me looking for a decent set of training and training race wheels for my race bike. While my recent pivot to disc brakes might mean there is less concern about the wear and tear my racier wheels suffer under typical training loads and foul weather use, I am, nonetheless, much more comfortable using a set of alloy wheels 90% of the time and bringing out my whip’s special “shoes” for those occasions that demand the best. Over the summer, I read some launch information for the Hunt Bike Wheels 34 Aero Wide Disc Wheelset, and, when this recent gap opened in my wheel selection, I was eager to pull the trigger on a set in hopes that they would fulfill the multiple needs for which they were intended.

Hunt Wheels: Ordering and Delivery

Ordering the wheels was a fairly straightforward affair: go on website, browse available options, add to cart, and pay. Being adaptable to most modern standards, Hunt emailed me a follow-up questionnaire after purchase to determine my requirements for thru-axle diameter (they offer everything from boost to quick-release). As the website noted things like “limited stock” and “high demand” and the wheels were listed as “pre-order” when I purchased them, I was less than optimistic about my chances of getting the wheels in a super timely fashion. This, combined with the company being based across the pond, led me to anticipate a 2-3 week time frame for delivery: not overly important given that my late-fall order fell into my racing off-season, but less instantly gratifying than, say, the Prime same-day shipping with which we have grown accustomed from a certain major Internet retailer.

Given those factors, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a notice that my order was being packed for shipping the day after I completed my questionnaire and, downright, excited when the order was shipped “express” the next day. While it took longer for the wheels to get to me than if that shipment had not occurred on a Friday (I received the wheels the following Monday), getting the wheels one week after ordering them meant that Hunt exceeded my mental shipping math by 1-2 weeks overall. Of course, getting the text message that my wheels were delivered didn’t make the rest of that day of teaching go any faster.

Hunt Wheels: Unboxing and Actual Weights

The wheels arriving well-packaged in a cardboard box, with each being individually wrapped in a small bit of protective foam. Also included in the box were a handful of spare parts and accessories that show a desire for the company to make the end-consumer experience relatively painless in terms of initial setup and potential repairs. This included: spare spokes, tubeless valves, a 10-speed cassette freehub spacer, a spoke wrench, anti-twist spoke holders (given that the spokes are bladed), 6-bolt adapters, and disc rotor lock rings. Additionally, I was pleased to see that the wheelset included a wheelbuilding checklist (signed by one of their workers) that gave me some confidence that the wheels were looked over by a human before making their way across the pond to me. (This is where I have to say that I have received wheels before from other manufacturers with a checklist that also noted the spoke tension and lateral run-out of each wheel, but, even though those figures were not included here, any checklist is better than no checklist.)

One of the selling points for me with these wheels was the relatively low weight for the depth and alloy construction of the set. Hunt specs the wheels at 1548 grams for the set on their website. My own scales of truth gave me weights of 713 grams for the front wheel and 857 grams for the rear. While this 1570 gram total weight is higher that advertised, it does include the pre-installed tubeless rim strips, meaning that the true weight of the wheels is likely spot on to Hunt’s numbers.

Building: Tubeless or Not Tubeless? That is the Question.

Out of the box, I readied the wheel’s for riding by installing my preferred 160mm front and 140mm rear combination of Sram Centerline centerlock disc rotors, an easy install with the included lock rings, along with an 11-28 Shimano cassette (yes, I know). Hunt’s freehub for these wheels includes steel spline insert to limit cassette body damage. There are other companies that produce similar “anti-bite” guards, but I was happy to see one included at this price-point. The wheelset is tubeless compatible: sporting a cross-sectional profile that features a deep center channel and high “shoulders” for the tire bead to rest on, with ridges to prevent that bead from slipping into the center of the rim. Hunt makes adopting tubeless tires easier by the including tubeless valves and installing tubeless tape, however, I went with a set of 25mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tires for initial riding and testing purposes: 1) I may switch to 28mm tires for the winter and early spring and did not want to make a mess, 2) I typically race on 25mm tires and wanted to see what the profile might look like on these rims, 3) these tires are solid training and training race tires as is, so I may not even worry that much about 1 and 2. These wheels boast a thoroughly modern, 20mm internal rim width (26mm externally at their widest point), meaning that my 25mm tires measured closer to 27mm when inflated (a more supple tire may end up even fluffier).

Image courtesy of Hunt Bike Wheels

Riding: Hunt Wheels 34 Aero Initial Impressions

As of writing, I have only had one chance to put in a long ride on these wheel (due to a combination of limited daylight, cold/icy weather, and holidays), but they did not disappoint over that 2.5 hour jaunt. These wheels accelerate quickly despite my winter padding, roll smoothly on the included bearings, and hold speed well. I did not notice any issues with handling due to the wind, but that’s not to say that a much lighter rider would not. While not silent when coasting, these wheels produced what I can best describe as a pleasantly present buzzing tone. I could detect a small amount of flex when testing the wheels on one sharp acceleration, but that is par for the course with every alloy wheel I have ever ridden. In fairness, I tested these wheels immediately after riding my bike on a set carbon race hoops, so any flex was going to be more noticeable, and these wheels seem plenty stiff for my needs. I still thoroughly look forward to putting these wheels through many more miles of riding and racing in the coming months.

Hunt Wheels: should you add2cart?

Would I recommend these wheels? Yes, mostly.

You should buy these wheels if you are looking for an all-around solution for training and racing. You should buy these wheels if you want wheels that could be at home on a road bike as well as a cyclocross or gravel bike. You should buy these wheels if you believe in things like science and modern standards. You should buy these wheels if you’re looking to upgrade your wheels while still having some money leftover for things like tires, rotors, and food. You should buy these wheels if you grew up in the golden age of sports movies like The Replacements, Rudy, and Rocky and enjoy rooting for the little guy (er, company in this case).

You should not buy these wheels if you are overly concerned about service coming from a non-US based company. (Counterpoint: the bicycling industry is fully globalized. Hunt has done well to include spare parts with these wheels that a rider might need while also not going so overly boutique or proprietary with their builds that one could not source spare parts or support from a local bike shop if they needed. Additionally, the wheels sport a 60-day ride and return policy as well as a 3 year warranty.) You should not buy these wheels if you believe that 15mm internal width rims are the truth, tubeless tires are for turds, and aerodynamic science is blasphemous. You should not buy these wheels, obviously, if your bike runs rim brakes…that would be dangerous and a waste of your money. You should not buy these wheels if you want to spend more money on wheels. (Counterpoint: you could just buy more Hunts.)

These are not Hunt’s least expensive wheels, nor are they the lightest, but, for the price, I believe they demonstrate a careful consideration of the intended uses while also striking a fine balance of weight, durability (hopefully), and aerodynamic raciness that could be a useful inclusion in any stable of bike parts.

Just to be clear, these wheels were purchased using my own hard-earned money, and this review represents my honest opinion of my experience with the company and the product so far.