Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Aero UD Carbon Spoke

The Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Aero UD Carbon Spoke wheelset is a super-wide offering that sits at the very top of the British brand’s gravel range. Our test set is the lightweight UD Carbon Spoke variant but there is also a steel-spoked version for £370 less. At 1,328 grams they’re certainly light, but they have a bucket load of aero claims and are well up my list of gravel bike upgrades.

> Buy now: Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Aero UD Carbon Spoke wheelset for £1,664.10 from Hunt

For more options, check out our best gravel wheelsets buyer’s guide.

Gravel wheels are getting wider and in my opinion that’s a good thing, in fact for a few years now my wheels of choice have been the 40mm-wide 3T Discus 45|40 wheels. The benefits of wider rims come down to several factors: brands claim that they can better support wide tyres – offering more control, stability and even traction thanks to an increased tyre contact patch with the ground. There’s also a potential comfort benefit thanks to the increased air volume and aerodynamic advantages which we’ll get on to in a minute.

The Limitless gravel wheels are certainly wide – the internal measurements are 27mm for the front, 26mm for the rear, with external widths of 36mm and 35mm respectively. That’s not far off the depth of the wheels – 40mm front, and 41mm rear. For reference, it wasn’t so long ago that Enve’s AG25 wheels were considered wide, with their 33.5mm external width rims.

The downside of wheels this wide is that they’re normally a bit weighty, with the 3T Discus wheels having a claimed 1,665g weight, though they are a little deeper and even wider.

But the Hunts buck this weighty trend. The set we tested with carbon spokes tipped our scales at just 1,340g with rim tape fitted, which isn’t much more than the lightest gravel wheels in the business.

> How to fit tubeless tyres

Contributing to that low weight are the UD carbon spokes, with each wheel getting 20. These weigh just 2.7g each, but Hunt says they’re not only light but that they reduce road vibration while increasing lateral responsiveness by a claimed 6%.

The wheels are certainly laterally stiff but, unlike earlier carbon-spoked wheelsets, they don’t feel overly harsh. That said, this isn’t usually as much of an issue on gravel wheels as it is on road wheels thanks to them usually being clad in higher-volume tyres.

During testing I used a few different sets of tyres, all of which fitted without issue. I’m also glad to see that Hunt has finally upgraded its rim tape to something with a bit more stick!

I usually opt for 45mm Schwalbe G-One tyres for most of my gravel rides, a tyre that paired well with the wide external rim without the ballooning you can get on narrower wheels.

Hunt says the rims are aerodynamically optimised around this tyre size, and while the wheels definitely do feel fast, it was the stability that impressed me most. Even on the open plains of Salisbury, the wheels resisted buffeting and allowed full focus on terrain ahead.

The Hunts also open up the opportunity to use even wider tyres (as long as your frame allows) and Hunt suggests 35-60mm will be no issue. Tyres this wide won’t be for everyone but it does appear to be the way that gravel pros are going for the biggest races and so this future proofing is certainly welcome.

I’d be remiss not to mention that the wheels are hookless – make of that what you will. For me, it’s far less of an issue for gravel and mountain bike wheels where the tyre volumes are higher and pressures are usually way below any limits. I certainly haven’t had any issues while using the Limitless wheels.

Value and rivals

So, the widths are good, the speed, stability and stiffness is impressive and the weight is right up there with the best. How do they stack up against the competition?

Well, we’ve recently tested a whole load of the latest wide gravel wheelsets so here goes.

The DT Swiss GRC 1100 Dicut wheels are more expensive than the Hunts at £2,398 and while they’re deeper at 50mm, at 1,575g they’re also significantly heavier. Given our test wheels are also much wider, the Hunts would be my pick between the two.

The Parcours FKT wheelset is also super wide and has a similar rim profile and internal width. Unlike the DT Swiss wheels, though, these are a fair bit cheaper than the Hunts. With both wheels specced with steel spokes and stainless steel bearings the 40 Limitless Gravels at their full RRP will set you back £1,479 while the Parcours retail for £1,249 – given the price difference I’d probably choose the latter.

But not so fast! The Hunts we tested have an ace up their sleeve: their incredibly low weight thanks to the carbon spokes. If you want this benefit you’re left with few that can come close.

I also mentioned the similarly priced 3T Discus 45/40 wheels, which are narrower and slightly shallower than the Hunts. And while I’d recommend the 3Ts for fast-rolling steady-state efforts, the Hunts are 325g lighter and I’d recommend them for everything else, as UK gravel usually involves plenty of changes of speed and for this the Hunts are the obvious choice.

Of course, being part of the Limitless range you do get a few other perks included in the price, for example, a three-year warranty and, perhaps more importantly, a Free Lifetime Crash Replacement coverage for original owners that also includes labour. As usual with Hunt you also get a set of high-quality wheelbags (which might be a tight fit if you use high volume gravel tyres), tubeless valves and a few spare spokes. 

Conclusion

Overall, the 40 Limitless wheels are very competitive albeit not quite as stonkingly good value as we’ve grown accustomed to from the Sussex brand. If you want a super-wide, super-light wheelset then this carbon spoke wheelset has very few competitors that can match the performance, specs and quality of the Hunts. Oh… and there’s a Ceramicspeed bearing option for just £600 more… I’m unsure who in their right mind is selecting that option!

Verdict

Impressively light and wide option for tackling gravel at speed – but pricey if you go for carbon spokes

> Buy now: Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Aero UD Carbon Spoke wheelset for £1,664.10 from Hunt

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