Long Term Review: Hunt 4Season Gravel Disc Wheels

Wow. I couldn’t believe my eyes when these wheels arrived, it wasn’t so much the wheels which are quite pretty in my opinion, but it was the amount of extras in the box:

• A set of internal cam QR skewers
• 2 Tubeless valves
• Spoke Key
• 2 spare spokes + nipples
• 6 bolt disc rotor adapters
• Cassette spacer for 10 speed cassettes
• 12mm front axle adapter

With other wheels I’ve bought the most I’ve gotten is a couple spare spokes, and maybe low-end external-cam QR skewers, so to see this level of extras for entry-level pricing is impressive.

The wheels themselves are a 700c wheel built for Gravel excursions so they’re built to be pretty sturdy, however, I’ve been using these exclusively on the road and I must say they’re awesome. They’re not the lightest wheels at 1630g without tyres and sealant, but they do accelerate well once on the bike. I can discern no flex at all in the corners even when pushed hard and even hitting a hidden pot hole at speed wasn’t enough to put them out of true.

Setting these wheels up tubeless with Schwable Pro One tyres was a breeze.The rims are already taped up for you, with a small hole cut for the valves, so you just push the valves in, tighten the lock nut, put the tyre on the rim, add sealant and pump until it seats. I personally like to put the tyre on, and then inflate before adding sealant as it helps to get the tyre on as much as possible (it also helps with mess). I’ll then unscrew the valve core, add sealant and re-inflate. Roll the wheel around to ensure sealant coverage and wait for the hiss of escaping air to stop. 30 minutes for both wheels. Sorted.

Having never run these wheels with tubes I’m unable to say how that compares to being run tubeless, however I can say that the tyres are nice and supple, and the extra air volume allowed by the 20mm internal width does add some cushioning compared to a narrower wheel.

The fiddliest part was installing the 15mm front axle adapter I required to run them on my Dolomite. Unlike other wheels I’ve used which either use a replaceable axle, or push-in adapters the Hunt wheels require a different style (pictured below). A small section of axle sits on top of the bearings, which a round, threaded plate sits over the top and locks it down, the only way to tighten it is with a pin spanner or something similar (I used a compass as I had nothing else that would fit) to fit in the small recesses in the plate. It’s very loosely fitted as I can’t put any pressure on it without the compass slipping and doing cosmetic damage, but it’s not a safety issue as everything is held together by the axle anyway. My only concern is that the axle is sat directly on the bearings, now if one (or both) bearings seize up this could cause damage to the axle.

These wheels have so far been ridden for just over 1800KM and they’re still in as good shape as the day I got them. The “bite guard” built in to the freehub has done it’s job and there is no trace of the cassette biting in, which is a regular occurrence on my other wheels with an alloy freehub as I tend to use a steel cassette.

The price of these wheels? £369 (£299 as of publishing this) which is an unbelievable bargain. I’d expect to pay £600-700 for these bad boys from other manufacturers, especially when you consider the accessories pack you get with them.

In fact, I’m so impressed with these wheels I ordered another set for my Boardman rebuild (pictured above in the slider).