Hunt have been teasing details of their Limitless Research project, which has seen them try the new 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels on the Trouée d'Arenberg and taking a Strava KOM to really prove their worth. Working with Schwalbe, Hunt aim to develop the fastest wheel and tyre combo when paired with a 28c tubeless tyre.
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Avid Strava users may have spotted that a new KOM for the Trouée d’Arenberg pavé segment was set by 'HUNT BIKE WHEELS' on 20th March, and Hunt have now revealed that it was in fact Canyon dhb rider Alex Paton testing the 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels.
Since Hunt hired aerodynamics and engineering expert Luisa Grappone they've committed to developing the fastest wheel/tyre combination for changeable riding conditions and mixed surfaces, and settled on a mid-depth disc brake wheel with tubeless tyres to focus on. The tyre they've used throughout the R+D process is Schwalbe's Pro One tubeless tyre in a 28mm depth: "only when you consider the choice of tyre AND wheel, can you start to form real conclusions about aerodynamic performance", Hunt say.
The real-world testing in Roubaix has been supplemented by hours of testing in the wind tunnel (Mat paid a visit to see it in action last year) and Hunt say the weight has been kept low thanks to a patented construction method that involved using a low density expanding polymer insert inside a channel carved out during pre-preg, which is bonded to the carbon during the curing process. This means there was no need for thick carbon sidewalls to create a wheel with a wide 22.5mm internal and 35.5mm external width.
Hunt are currently in the wind tunnel doing some final testing, and say full details are set to be released in around 10 weeks time - we'll be following up when we have data to crunch and specs and prices for the new wheels. The full Limitless Research documentary will be on Hunt's YouTube channel this Friday.
After cobbling together a few hundred quid during his student days off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story), Jack bought his first road bike at the age of 20 and has been hooked ever since. He joined road.cc in 2017, having previously worked for 220 Triathlon magazine. Jack's preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking (the latter being another long story), and on Sunday afternoons he can often be found on an M5 service station indulging in his favourite post-race meal of 20 chicken nuggets, a sausage roll, caramel shortbread and a large strawberry milkshake.