The Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core MTB wheelset is a lightweight trail offering available in full 29 and mixed configurations. At just under 1750g for the 29er wheelset, the strength-to-weight ratio is impressive, particularly considering the stiffness on offer. These wheels do fall on the stiffer side, which gives a direct and instantaneous feel to them out on the trails, but this is at the expense of a little compliance.
- Best mountain bike wheels 2025
- Hunt XC Wide V3 MTB wheelset review
- Why your first upgrade needs to be carbon wheels
Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core MTB wheelset – Technical Details
Hunt’s Proven Carbon Trail wheels are aimed at hard-charging trail riders who want a strong, light and dependable wheelset for all-around trail duties. The “H_Core” in the title is the key new development in these Proven Carbon rims, which is said to increase strength. The H_Core insert is a pre-manufactured carbon stiffener which is introduced during the layup of the rim. Its job is to reduce the likelihood of porosity (air bubbles) in the carbon joints around the bed and bead of the rim, which are notorious for causing issues during manufacture. With a more consistent construction across the entire profile of the rim, a stronger and more reliable build can be expected.
The rim features don’t stop with H_Core. The layup of the carbon has also changed with the addition of a 10k carbon weave layer, which is more resilient to “micro-cracks”; this reduces the likelihood of small cracks developing into larger failures.
The rims are front and rear-specific, with a 31mm internal width at the front and 30mm internal width at the rear. It is said that the slightly wider front rim gives more front-end traction, whilst the 30mm rear maximises strength and reduces rolling resistance. Hunt says these internal widths are optimised for 2.4 – 2.6” tyres but still work well with 2.25” up to 2.8” tyres.
The rear rim also has an extra-wide bead at 4mm, which is said to reduce punctures and increase the durability of the rim. Hunt has used an asymmetric cross-section for the rims to offset where the spokes sit. Rather than being in the centre of the rim profile, this offset is used to help balance the spoke tensions from left to right, resulting in a stronger and more durable wheel.
Moving on to the hubs, the S_Rapid Engage rear hub offers two degrees of engagement thanks to a 90T ratchet ring and uses three pairs of pawls. The hubs roll on sealed cartridge bearings with dual full-contact seals to keep the grease in and the elements out. They’re only available with a centrelock rotor mount, however, Hunt offers adaptors to convert to the more common six-bolt set-up.
These wheels are hand laced using 28 straight-pull triple butted spokes in a more unusual two-cross pattern. The front receives marginally thinner spokes to aid compliance, whilst the slightly thicker rear spokes make for a stronger build.
Claimed weight for the 29 wheelset is a respectable 1732g, impressive, particularly at this price point.
These wheels are rated for trail bikes with up to 160mm fork travel and have a maximum system weight of 135kg (rider and bike). They are covered by H_Care as standard, which backs a free lifetime crash replacement, and in addition, Hunt is so confident about these wheels that it offers a 60-day ride and return if you don’t like them.
The Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core wheelset is available in 29 and mullet (29 front and 27.5 rear) options, boost (148mm) spacing and the usual freehub options (XD, Microspline and HG). The graphics come in white (as pictured) or stealth black, and the wheels come pre-taped, including 45mm tubeless valves and spare spokes.
Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core MTB wheelset – Performance
As you may have already noticed, the hubs facilitate centrelock discs only, therefore, there was a little extra faff fitting the disc adaptors in order to run my six-bolt discs. I did actually move to centre-lock discs further into testing, but I am less of a fan of them due to the slight play between the mounting interfaces.
Fitting tyres was a breeze. There is plenty of room to wrestle a thick casing tyre into place without resorting to swear words. When it came to airing up, some furious pumping with a high-volume track pump did the trick, however, some people may need to use an air-compressor or equivalent to get the job done.
Rim tape quality has caused issues with Hunt wheels of old, however, I am happy to report the latest batch does the job perfectly. On the scales, the front weighed 800g whilst the rear came in at 942g (total 1742g) taped without valves and an XD freehub.
First impressions, once I got rolling, were mainly from the hub, which has a noticeable but subdued buzz to it. Getting up to speed is a breeze with these wheels as, rotationally, they’re plenty stiff enough, and thanks to the quick engagement hub, there is no discernible delay in power transfer. That near instant engagement is particularly favourable on technical climbs where short bursts of power are required. The pawls have a low amount of drag, too, which equates to a smooth freewheeling action.
Out on the trails, I’ve found the H_Core rims to be impressively tough considering their trail intentions. Having hit the floor several times, the rims have survived completely unscathed, which is commendable considering the rocky terrain they’ve been subjected to.
It seems the trade-off for a tough rim is sacrificing some of the lateral (side-to-side) compliance when it comes to the H_Core hoops. Having just come off the Race Face Era wheelset, I was lucky enough to be able to carry out a back-to-back comparison, and the Proven Trail H_Core wheels are notably stiffer. Whilst a little more compliance may be beneficial for sticking low-grip awkward lines, the Proven Trail H_Core wheels give a direct and solid feel, which makes them feel more precise and more eager to change direction.
This is especially noticeable when jumping and jiving along trails trying to find backsides to generate speed and nail those sneaky mid-trail gaps. This direct feel does have disadvantages, such as more vibration being transmitted into the bike, which could become fatiguing depending on the terrain and trail length.
Over the 500km of testing, the wheels haven’t needed any attention, with the spoke tensions remaining perfect. There appears to be no ingress of mud or water into the freehub, and the bearings are still running nice and smooth. The rims are starting to look a little tatty from rock strikes, and the matte paint looks great when new but does suffer from paint chips quite easily.
Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core MTB wheelset – Verdict
Coming in at £1,199, these are a well-priced set of carbon trail wheels considering the durability, strength and weight on offer.
Another option to consider, as mentioned in this review, is the Race Face Era wheelset. It’s a little more expensive at £1,650 for the set, however, the wheels offer more compliance and six-bolt rotor mounts whilst being nearly identical in weight. The carbon finish on the rims is also more durable, so they’ll stay looking fresh for longer.
DT Swiss is always a firm favourite for wheels, and the EXC 1501 Spline One wheels are a solid all-rounder offering. They’re a little lighter and come in all the diameters, hub spacings and freehubs you could need. At £1,550, they’re not bad money, but the Hunts stack up impressively well.
For those looking to stick the most awkward off-camber low-grip lines, these wheels may not be for you, however, if you’re looking for a lightweight, sturdy and direct feeling wheelset, then look no further. The rapid engagement hub aids technical climbing and buzzes away with a lovely tone, whilst the low-drag pawls mean these wheels roll fast. The rims have proven (excuse the pun) to be plenty tough enough for trail duties, although they don’t have quite the lateral compliance as expected. This results in less vibration absorption but does offer more feedback and feel, which is great for getting the most out of trails. Whilst the paint durability isn’t great, the rest of the wheelset has been faultless, including the bearings. For the money, these are a very well-engineered set of lightweight trail wheels which punch well above their weight.
You might also like:
- Best gravel wheelsets 2025 – fast and furious off-road wheels
- Hunt Trail Wide V2 wheelset review
- Reynolds Blacklabel 309 Enduro Pro wheelset review
Overall performance:
Product likes:
+ direct feel with instant feedback
+ near instant hub engagement
Product dislikes:
– Center-lock disc mount only
– Paint chips from rock strikes
Enjoy:
Buy:
Recommend:
Conclusion:
Wheel purpose:
Engineered with H_Core impact protection, front and rear-specific carbon rims, and oversized 4mm rear rim beads to reduce punctures and boost durability. Hand-laced with precision, they pair our ultra-fast S_RapidEngage 90t, 2-degree hubset with triple-butted spokes, achieving a system weight of just 1732g.
Optimized for 2.4″-2.6″ tyres; work well with 2.25″ up to 2.8″ tyres.
Build extra:
An asymmetric carbon rim profile allows for improved bracing angles and more even spoke tension between the drive and non-drive sides of the wheel, resulting in a more durable build compared to symmetrical rim designs.
A key development for the HUNT Proven Carbon Trail H_Core wheelset was the evolution of our enhanced carbon layup designed to reduce splintering. Through laboratory and real-world testing, our engineering team found that the addition of a penultimate 10k carbon weave in the layup enhanced resilience to ‘micro-cracks’ that could lead to larger failures. Our impact tests reveal that this development boosts impact resistance, making the HUNT Proven Carbon Trail an exceptionally reliable and long-lasting wheelset.
Each HUNT Proven Carbon Trail H_Core wheelset is hand-built using straight-pull triple-butted stainless steel Pillar spokes with alloy nipples and steel washers for the perfect balance of low weight and durability. To further tune our trail wheels, we lace the front wheel with Pillar 2016 triple-butted spokes featuring a narrower 1.6mm central gauge, reducing weight and enhancing comfort. The rear wheel uses 2017 triple-butted Pillar spokes with a wider 1.7mm gauge for improved strength and durability, perfect for handling the increased demands of technical trail riding.
The S_RapidEngage freehub boasts 2 teeth per pawl to offer our fastest engaging MTB freehub to date. This trail-ready 3×2 pawl system is mated to our new 90t ratchet ring with 6 durable pawls transferring power in an alternating pattern creating an almost instant 2-degree engagement for improved responsiveness and pedal input.
Boasting front and rear-specific asymmetric carbon rims, our UK-based engineering team have fine-tuned each rim to its specific use case. The front rim is tuned for compliance and tracking, with a wider 31mm internal rim profile to give maximum cornering traction from modern trail tyres. The rear rim has been maximised for strength, boasting a wider 4mm bead and a slightly narrower internal rim width of 30mm to reduce rolling resistance without sacrificing comfort and traction.
Crafted for the demands of trail riding, HUNT Proven Carbon Trail H_Core achieves the perfect balance of durability and low weight. A tuned carbon layup delivers one of the strongest trail wheelsets in the industry, while the lightweight S_RapidEngage hub set, and triple-butted spokes further reduce weight. Weighing in at just 1732g for a 29-inch pair, this is the ultimate wheelset for all-day performance without compromise.
Wheel construction
Wheel construction extra:
Wheel performance
Wheel performance extra:
Durable and reliable
Hub engagement is excellent
Wheel durability
Wheel durability extra:
Wheel weight
Wheel weight extra:
Competitive weight for a good price
Wheel value
All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.
