Hunt has two new carbon mixed-surface, gravel bike racing wheelsets with wide hookless carbon rims that build up impressively light – both under 1400g for either a low profile 25mm deep or mid-depth 40mm deep aero wheelset. And like all of Hunt’s wheels, the new 25 & 40 Carbon Gravel Race wheels deliver high on value, with pricing under twelve hundred dollars or euros…
Hunt 25|40 Carbon Gravel Race wheels
Hunt’s two new carbon gravel bike racing wheelsets were developed to give gravel riders the choice of either a low-profile, more compliant wheel for tougher races with more climbing… or a mid-depth aero wheel for faster-paced, high-intensity racing. The new wheels slot into the middle of Hunt’s broad affordable gravel wheel range – in between wheels like the low-cost alloy 4 Season Gravel that’s been around for six years, and their premium extra-aerodynamic carbon 42 Limitless Gravel wheelset that launched a year and a half ago.
But since both new wheelsets come out to almost exactly the same weight, and just 1mm difference in internal rim width between the two, it kind of comes down to a simple matter of personal preference and what gravel racing means to you.
Hunt 25 CGR
The shallower 25 Carbon Gravel Race wheels feature an asymmetric carbon rim that is less stiff vertically – said to boost compliance and impact resistance – so it is more resilient for rougher gravel roads mixed in with bits of singletrack. It’s the more off-road-ready of the two, built to race rough & technical gravel tracks.
The Hunt 25 CGR carbon rim is 25mm deep and 26mm internal, with wider hookless rim flanges measuring a total of 33mm outside. Claimed carbon rim weight is just 385g a piece, with complete 25 CGR wheelsets at 1380g.
The wider rim of the two new wheelsets, the 25s are ETRTO-compliant for hookless rims with gravel tires of 35-65mm wide.
Hunt 40 CGR
The deeper 40 Carbon Gravel Race wheels have a symmetric aero profile, that is stiffer & more responsive for smoother gravel roads and higher-intensity race paces. At 40mm deep, the Hunt 40 CGR carbon rim is 25mm wide internally, and at 30mm external with narrower hookless flanges, it creates a smoother aerodynamic transition from rim to tire.
The deeper rim is still crazy light at a claimed 395g per rim. And combined with the weight loss of shorter spokes, they build up to complete 40 CGR wheelsets at 1383g, just three grams more than the low-profile wheels.
The slightly narrower, deeper of the 40s are ETRTO-compliant for hookless rims with gravel tires of 28-65mm wide, making them more all-road ready too.
CGR – Tech details
Both new CGR wheelsets feature hookless tubeless carbon rims that are only compatible with tubeless tires, which Hunt has shown to be more aerodynamics, as well as more durable.
They are each built up with Hunt’s next generation of 6066 alloy Sprint SL multi-pawl, 48T ratchet hubs with fast 7.5° engagement. The updated Sprint SL hubs are now lighter (claimed 95g front & 230g rear) without compromising stiffness or durability.
The center lock disc brake hubs spin on premium steel EZO Japan sealed cartridge bearings, are laced with 24 butted, aero bladed straight-pull Pillar PSR XTRA spokes front & rear, and come standard with 12mm thru-axles. Hunt makes conversion kits available to riders with QR axle bikes, and several non-standard axle sizes.
Hunt 25 CGR & 40 CGR wheels – Pricing, options & availability
Both the new Hunt 25 & 40 Carbon Gravel Race wheelsets are available to pre-order starting today- with your choice of Shimano, SRAM & Campagnolo freehubs to fit everything from 8-13 speeds.
The 25s sell for £879 / $1139 / 1179€ and will be the first to ship out to early buyers, starting in mid-July.
The 40s cost just a tad more at £899 / $1159 / €1199 and will come a bit over a month later, expected to shop out in the third week of August.
So which one should you get?
My ideal pick might even be a mixed pair with the 40mm deep, 25mm internal wheel up front where the #aerogainz are bigger and a 25mm deep, 26mm internal rear where the slight boost in tire volume might put more comfort & flat prevention under my heavy butt.
I guess, I just can’t decide. Maybe Hunt will make that combo possible later this summer?
