Hunt’s EWS-proven, affordable alloy Enduro Wide mountain bike wheels get tougher with a v2 redesign that shifts to front & rear-specific rims, and profiles specifically designed to survive the real enduro racing abuse. With similar goals in mind, a re-optimized set of Trail Wide v2 wheels get a 20% improvement in impact resistance, with almost no additional weight…
Hunt Enduro & Trail Wide v2 MTB wheels get tougher, not heavier
When Hunt launched fully into mountain bike wheels with their full line-up of Enduro, Trail & XC Wide rim profiles three years ago, the idea could probably be boiled down to creating light, affordable alloy MTB wheelsets for any mountain biker looking for an upgrade.
And one of the first things Hunt realized, was that riders were pushing their lightweight mountain bike wheels to the limits, blurring the line between one discipline and the next. Instead of just building burlier, heavier wheels to handle the abuse, Hunt set out to make the same wheels tougher.
They developed a new testing rig to simulate the asymmetrical rock strike impacts you actually encounter on aggressive trails. They tested their wheels head-to-head with industry benchmark wheels (mostly at much higher price points).
And then they set out using Finite Element Analysis to design rim profiles to 1. better handle harder impacts without visual deformation, and 2. distribute higher impacts before sustaining “ride ending” damage.
The new Wide v2 generation wheels aren’t magically stronger than everything else on the market. But the new Enduro Wide v2 & Trail Wide v2 both look to be substantially more durable without real weight gains, giving them overall toughness-to-weight ratios that look hard to beat, before you even look at their affordable pricing.
Hunt Enduro Wide v2 front & rear-specific alloy mountain bike wheels
The secret to the new Hunt Enduro Wide v2 wheelset is dramatically different front & rear rims. The 33mm internal front is quite similar to the original Enduro Wide, just with slightly thicker sidewalls & bead hooks. But the rear is all-new, getting 2mm narrower to a 31mm internal width and adding support struts inside the extrusion to better distribute the stress of rock impacts that are harder to avoid with the rear wheel.
Hunt also says the slightly narrower, deeper profile gives a more slightly rounded profile to 2.3-2.5″ tires for further rim protection as well. In the end, the Hunt was able to thicken & significantly stiffen the narrower rear rim with little impact on total wheelset weight.
The hooked tubeless, welded rims are still made from a unique, high-strength 6069-T6 alloy. And they get laced with 28h front/32h rear triple-butted Pillar PSR spokes for light, durability into Hunt’s own alloy hubs with an oversized 17mm 7065 alloy rear axle & fast 5° engagement.
27.5, 29″ & Mullet wheelsets are available for the same price with Boost or Super Boost spacing, and complete 27.5 sets at a claimed 2041g or 29er sets at 2105g. (OK, that’s maybe an extra 41-47g for a set.)
Hunt calls the new £399 / $549 / 509€ Enduro Wide v2 wheels their “all-out, hardest-hitting wheelset for your Enduro rig”. Already raced on the EWS circuit with multiple U21 enduro podiums last season by Jamie Edmondson (before he moved up from privateer to RockShox Trek’s factory team for 2021), the wheels certainly look to offer a lot of bang for your buck.
The updated enduro wheels are available for pre-order now direct from Hunt (including tubeless tape, valves & spare spokes) with global deliveries expected in a few weeks at the start of May 2021.
Hunt Trail Wide v2 versatile alloy mountain bike wheels
The new Hunt Trail Wide v2 wheels get similar durability upgrades, but with fewer outwardly visible changes. Their new v2 alloy rim is still 30mm wide inside, but the same FEA optimization & impact testing process made it stand up to more abuse.
Focusing again on careful redistribution of the same 6069-T6 alloy, the new rims improve on strength-to-weight with their Enduro Wide-inspired tweaks. With slightly thicker walls, the result is a claimed 20% improvement in impact resistance. Hunt calls them their best do-it-all mountain bike wheel for all types of trail riding – essentially everything short of enduro.
The new 511g v2 rims are a claimed 16g heavier each than the original v1, but lighter weight wheel builds mean complete wheelsets only gain a claimed 4-8g in total. Still designed for 2.3-2.5″ tires, the Trail Wide v2 wheels get built with 28 Pillar PSR triple-butted spokes front & rear, and Hunt’s RapidEngage 5° hubs.
Again 27.5, 29″ & Mullet wheelsets are available with standard, Boost & Super Boost spacing. Complete 27.5 wheelsets have a claimed 1761g weight, or 1831g for 29er sets.
The updated trail wheels are also available for pre-order now, direct from Hunt (with tubeless tape, valves & spokes) and deliveries also slated for the first week of May 2021.
