There’s no disputing the recent explosion of the gravel and bikepacking segments. It’s given rise to many cyclists rediscovering how bikes can open up opportunities for adventures again. While the number of riders who take on ultra-endurance events like the Transcontinental or Tour Divide is still relatively small, even on shorter extended weekend trips we’ve realized the limitations of using lights and electronics after a few days away from home. Hunt Wheels has seen that too, and has put together a new tubeless, disc brake aluminum wheelset built around a dynamo hub generator to keep their own ultra endurance racer Josh Ibbett (and recent Italy Divide winner) powered up on his all-terrain adventures. Check out a wheel riding video about Josh’s next hobo adventures with & apart from Hunt, the full details of the new wheelset, and how you can pre-order a pair, all after the break…
The dynamo wheelset has been in the works for a few years and is designed to stand up to both the rigors of loaded adventure touring, plus anything weather can throw at you.
The wheels fall into Hunt’s 4 season range, which means they go with bigger and double sealed bearings, a higher spoke count with brass nipples, and a wide format 20mm internal rim with a tubeless ready bed to suit wide tires for more grip.
The 32 Pillar triple butted PSR spoke wheels use the same asymmetric rim profile as the Gravel Disc rim (and the same rear hub), but with 4 more spokes per wheel to handle loaded riding and then the generator hub to power your gadgets. The German made SON Delux dynamo hub can be set up to recharge a phone or GPS on the go, and then power an LED headlight throughout the night, never having to be worried if you charge everything up ahead of time, or if you’ll find a town to recharge along the way.
Key to the new Delux dynamo is also its very low resistance both when generating power and when spinning freely. Part of that is SOM realized they could make the generator a bit smaller now mainly due to lower power draw from modern LED lighting systems. SON claims the Delux to have less drag than any of their other dynamos, as well as the leading competitors. The front hub is a Centerlock thru-axle design that can be used with a 12mm or QR fork with the included axle adapters. No 15mm option though because of the need for a fixed axle endcap and wiring setup for a dynamo.
Power output is stated of a standard 3W, 6V at 18-19km/h (while adding just 4.6W of pedaling resistance.)
That makes it suited for a high-powered LED light, like the 800 lumen Exposure Revo light that Hunt is making available as a paired option with the wheels for just £185 more with the Stand Light battery tech that will keep you putting out light for up to an hour after you stop rolling.
It also means you can power small electronics like a mobile phone or GPS with the proper AC adapter setup, with Hunt linking you to CyclingAbout.com to figure out your own custom installation.
Like all of Hunt wheels, you can also have them set them up tubeless with tires of your choice. Total wheel weight is claimed at 1939g, with 1029g of that in the front wheel. The Hunt SuperDura Dynamo Disc wheels are on pre-order now for £500 with the first batch scheduled to arrive in mid June. If you already have a rear wheel that you are happy with, they’ll also sell you the front dynamo wheel separately for £330 (or the rear alone for £210), all with free global shipping.
