HUNT SUB50 Limitless Aero Disc evaluate: Hunt as soon as once more ushers in a brand new period of design

As I write this in 2024, most fashionable bikes at the moment are operating disc brakes. Although Shimano technically nonetheless sells rim brake groupsets, they are not precisely straightforward to search out. For all sensible functions, the shift from rim to disc is lengthy since full and the advantages are apparent. That hasn’t all the time been the case although and it wasn’t way back that individuals had been nonetheless asking why make the swap?

Back in 2019, the panorama seemed so much completely different. The business was shifting but it surely was far much less clear why. That 12 months Hunt introduced Limitless tech to market. Limitless tech allowed for exterior wheel widths which weren’t doable with rim brakes but additionally introduced higher aerodynamic efficiency. Simply stated, Hunt led the business by displaying that disc brakes had been about excess of braking efficiency. 

The subsequent frontier is simply barely much less radical. With wheel designs free from the constraints of rim brake callipers, manufacturers are displaying that wider inner width designs paired with wider tyres are each quicker and extra comfy. Many of the choices you will discover in our listing of the finest street bike wheels are both already extensive and hookless, or shifting in that path. 

With the HUNT SUB50 Limitless Aero Disc, the model is once more demonstrating the why of a brand new know-how. It’s additionally one more indication that Hunt is prepared for consideration in comparison with older and greater manufacturers. If you’re contemplating a brand new set of on a regular basis go quick wheels for this summer season, hold studying to see what Hunt has to supply. 

Design and aesthetics

Whatever you would possibly take into consideration Hunt wheels, the model is among the leaders within the know-how of aerodynamic bike wheels. Hunt is not all the time the quickest however the model is obvious about that and clear about how briskly the merchandise are. When it involves the SUB50 which means you will discover all the main points you need in relation to design and testing and that begins with Limitless know-how. 

Limitless know-how is not really new to the SUB50. It’s the know-how that Hunt began engaged on in 2017, ultimately coming to market in 2019, and it is all about conserving weight down on a large wheel. What which means is that whereas all of us consider carbon fibre as being exceptionally gentle, there are lighter supplies. Carbon is exceptionally sturdy for the load however when Hunt pushed out to a width of 34.5 mm on the widest level of the wheel, the model acknowledged it wanted a brand new materials. 

Hunt Limitless wheels nonetheless use carbon fibre for the construction of the wheel however filling the inside house with sufficient carbon for power can be too heavy. Instead of carbon fibre Limitless wheels use a low density polymer (density of 0.7g/cm3 vs carbon fibre prepreg of 1.6g/cm3) to fill the house contained in the wheel. The polymer is “co-cured to the carbon throughout the curing course of, leading to a robust and uniform bond” that provides comparable power to plain wheels at a decrease weight. 

The SUB50 design then takes the established Limitless know-how and applies it to a brand new form. The purpose of the brand new form is to each cater higher to the pattern in the direction of wider tyres and in addition drive down the system weight. Accomplishing each of those objectives meant Hunt began with “roughly 2500 hours of CFD (computational Fluid Dynamics) evaluation” adopted by wind tunnel exams of plenty of 3D printed prototypes, after which ultimate carbon fibre fashions of the chosen geometries. 

The results of all it is a wheelset that brings the load all the way down to 1380 grams (my scale added 3 grams for the tape and valves) for the carbon spoke model of the SUB50. The new form is barely narrower at 34.2 mm throughout the widest level but additionally up a half mm to 23 mm on the within. It’s optimised for 28-30mm tyres, the hooks at the moment are gone, the depth is 49.5 mm, and the rear wheel is a bit completely different in form, bulging out to solely 30mm on the widest level. 

The group additionally tackled the hub design for the SUB50. While earlier Hunt hubs had a design with pawls, the SUB50 switches to a DT Swiss fashion double ratchet, providing a 9-degree engagement. There’s additionally a tool-free finish cap design and double sealed predominant bearings.

Performance

Although I left the design and aesthetics part to the design alone, it is really the aesthetics that I observed first in regards to the HUNT SUB50 Limitless Aero Disc. I’ve all the time been a fan of the Hunt aesthetics however the SUB50 actually steps it up a notch. The paint on the surface is gone, changed with solely a transparent coat over the uncooked carbon. Although the road graphics stay, they’ve now seen a change to rather more delicate reflective color. It’s actually the typography that I really like although. 

Hookless wheels provide claimed enhancements in consistency of producing, a greater rim-to-tire interface for aerodynamics, however the actual benefit to customers is extra tyre quantity. More tyre quantity means decrease strain and a extra comfy experience but it surely does additionally make it doable to expertise a pinch flat state of affairs that truly cuts via the tyre. This is one thing Enve addressed when the model launched the up to date SES line, together with the Enve SES 4.5, and it is also one thing Hunt mentions. There’s a lot room on the sting of the rim-to-tire interface that Hunt can print graphics on it however Hunt does this as a result of “a wider hookless bead profile additionally helps cut back the possibility of pinch flats, because of the blunt, flattened profile.”

In phrases of really utilizing the wheels, the very first thing I observed was establishing the tyre. As I investigated the security of hookless wheels and tires not too long ago, Jan Heine defined to me some details about easy methods the 2 ought to work together. He defined that it was necessary that the rim valley retained the tire even when it by some means got here off the shelf and it ought to take quantity of strain earlier than the tyre seats. Using a Cadex Race Tyre (one in all my favourites and a tyre I do know effectively) I discovered it mainly not possible to rotate the tyre and align the valve with the graphics (simply take it off and put it again on). That’s signal and so is the tire seating at over 50 psi. You can learn extra about how Hunt exams hookless retention however, from a client standpoint, every part I noticed was constructive. Finally, with a tyre on, it was time to move out and do some testing. 

When you experience the Hunt SUB50, it is all in regards to the weight. This is a light-weight wheel. I’m driving the carbon spokes and ceramic bearings and at 1380 grams, it is one of many lighter wheels I’ve obtainable. For essentially the most half, that lack of weight is what I really feel with them. There’s much more punch to the acceleration in comparison with the a lot heavier Hunt Limitless 60 wheels. If you wish to punch above your FTP on quick hills, it is rewarded. Long hills all the time really feel like lengthy hills however normal shenanigans and losing of power with small sprints is enjoyable on the Hunt SUB50. 

At the identical time one of many defining traits of the 60 is how steady it descends. I do not discover the SUB50 to have that very same sense of stability. It’s not that they’re unstable however I would not name descending stability a defining attribute. Hunt prompt that is most likely to do with the drastic discount in weight.

As I spent extra time on the brand new Hunt wheels, I did begin to get extra used to the lightness and began to match them. The second level you are feeling is that they’re comfy. The Cadex tires puff out and at 50 psi the combo is a pleasure over the lengthy distances I desire. It’s not as comfy because the Zipp 353 NSW but it surely’s extra comfy, in addition to barely much less punchy, than the Cadex 50 Ultra. 

The Hunt wheels really feel closest to both the Enve SES 4.5 or the Roval Rapide CLX II. All three use a cut up entrance/rear design and have comparable depths. Enve wheels are a way more visceral experience expertise partly due to the noise they make however the Roval and the Hunt wheels are very shut. Hunt exams present that the Roval wheels are nonetheless only a bit quicker in a straight line though the Hunt SUB50 is way lighter. Personally, I desire the Hunt choice as not solely are they lighter however the extensive hookless inner is extra comfy.

When I used to be capable of settle in on lengthy straight sections, I by no means felt just like the Hunt wheels had been grabby and so they maintain pace precisely as you’d anticipate from a wheel of this depth. I can labour the purpose however these are good on a regular basis wheels that deal with crosswinds effectively and are fast to speed up. You received’t lose efficiency operating a 28 or 30mm tyre and also you get plenty of consolation from the added air quantity. 

In phrases of the hub, it really works. The previous hub labored for me via a ridiculous variety of moist wintery hours and with out upkeep so I’m not searching for an improve in that respect. I can also’t really feel any distinction with the brand new one. If you’re anxious in regards to the sound, it’s far much less aggressive than Cadex or Chris King however definitely not whisper quiet. I did discover although that nothing went flying after I swapped freehubs. Losing pawls was a frequent concern within the previous hub and the brand new design fixes not solely that but additionally eliminates the necessity for instruments. I’m a fan for these causes alone. 

Verdict

Among all of the tech particulars and aesthetics, the HUNT SUB50 Limitless Aero Disc can also be a press release from Hunt. Whatever you would possibly consider the model, this isn’t a price range wheel. Option up the SUB50 and you can find your self matching costs with Enve, Roval, and different decisions within the meat of the on a regular basis aero wheel class. These are premium wheels with know-how to command a value level that matches. It’s value remembering although, Hunt is definitely providing options which are yet one more degree up. Carbon spokes and ceramic bearings typically price extra and you’ll both get them at this degree or go away them out. Leave them out if that is your selection and you may step down one value level however retain many of the efficiency. 

In phrases of that efficiency, the Hunt SUB50 is each gentle and aero sufficient that just a few years in the past you might need discovered “have all of it” within the headline. Today the load is not fairly as distinctive until you consider it when it comes to how extensive the wheel is. Hunt is ushering in a concentrate on wider tyres whereas additionally being among the many quickest aerodynamically and conserving weight managed. If your wheels aren’t gentle and quick with a 28 mm, or perhaps a 30 mm, tyre then Hunt simply made them out of date. There are technically quicker wheels on the market however they’re heavier and the expectation is that you’re going to experience with a 25 mm tyre. That’s an idea that is fading quick and in case you are shopping for wheels to final for a very long time it would not make sense to decide on an outdated design. If you need a gentle and cozy aero wheel, that is the Hunt SUB50.