Hunt has released the 42 Limitless Gravel Adventure wheelset, taking the aero properties of Hunt's gravel race wheel and beefing it up for ultra-racing and adventures.
Hunt says these new gravel wheels are aimed squarely at delivering wins in the world’s biggest ultra-endurance races such as the Traka, Unbound XL, and the Silk Road Mountain Race. The wheelset has already proven itself too, being ridden to victory by Sofiane Sehili at the inaugural Bright Midnight ultra-event, covering 1040km in 2 days, 03 hrs, and 50 mins.
Although aerodynamic gains are more associated with faster-paced road and gravel racing, aerodynamics can equal faster speeds and conserve energy when covering the massive distances of ultra-endurance races. Hunt claims that the Limitless wheels offer up to 16.8 watt savings over non-aero gravel wheels, adding a significant advantage over a multi-day event.
The Limitless carbon rims feature a 25mm internal rim to support wide tires, specifically designed around 38-42mm gravel tires. The 42mm U-shape profile with a 36mm external width helps smooth the air across the rim and tire and stabilize the wheel in crosswinds.
The wheel build makes the 42 Limitless Gravel Adventure wheelset different from the 42 Limitless Gravel Aero race wheelset. Hunt has beefed up the specs, increasing the J-bend Pillar Wing spoke count from 20/24 to 24/28 improving dependability when riding loaded-up bikepacking rigs. The spoke nipples have also been switched from alloy to brass for increased durability.
The hubs spin on Revo bearings and the freehub has been strengthened, using a new H-Ratchet system which is double-sided and uses two floating ratchet rings, featuring 40t and fast 9-degree engagement. Hunt says this has been done to handle higher-torque efforts that come with modern wide gravel gear ratios as if your freehub gives up mid-race its all over and most likely a long walk too.
The wheels are stated to weigh in at 1,642g, which is just 94g heavier than the race version.
All the wheels are handbuilt and come fitted with tubeless tape and valves, spare spokes, and axle adapters.
The wheels should be available in late August and can be purchased from Huntbikewheels.com for £1,299 / $1,649 / €1,649.
