Carbon wheels are the ultimate performance upgrade for drop-bar bikes. The magic formula of speed, comfort, and lightweight has converted these sleek, black carbon rings to must-have items in the components universe. But how much development work really goes into a rim profile, and what does 40 joules of impact energy feel like? We took a trip to southern England to meet with HUNT Bike Wheels, a manufacturer that can give us the lowdown on it all.

When leaving the A23, around 25 miles south of London, you’ll quickly find yourself winding through narrow, ivy-lined roads that could easily lure you straight into a romantic cliché if you’re not careful. A weathered village sign, a delightful sandwich lady who insists on calling you “Darling” while slathering inch thick tuna mayo on a slice of white bread and a collection of old brick buildings held together by a mix of mortar and passion. Welcome to Partridge Green, the home of HUNT Wheels. I wouldn’t be shocked if an employee stepped out of the woods with a branch and started whittling wooden spokes. Instead, I’m greeted by a glowing orange 3D printer, churning out rim prototypes.
Tales from 1,001 Wheels – HUNT Wheels have the perfect set for every bike
HUNT Bike Wheels was founded in 2015 by brothers Tom and Peter Marchment. A lot has happened since: wheels have gotten faster, lighter, less susceptible to crosswinds, and crucially, much wider over the past decade. They define a bike’s character, and are capable of expanding or limiting its potential uses, becoming an integral part of aero-optimisation. So much so, that many major brands no longer outsource wheels but include them in their own production line. Whether it’s Specialized with Roval, Trek with Bontrager, or Giant with Cadex, top-tier wheelsets often come standard as part of a bike’s spec rather than as an aftermarket upgrade.

What sounds like a tough environment for an independent aftermarket supplier, has not affected HUNT Wheels on its growth trajectory. During the corona pandemic, up to 400 wheelsets were leaving their warehouse on a daily basis, and though the “crazy times” are over, the current bike industry slump hasn’t hurt the Brits too much. If a new bike is too expensive, why not upgrade your wheels instead? Or transform your gravel bike into a road racer with a second wheelset. Crisis? More like an opportunity really!
HUNT’s portfolio gets your head spinning with the sheer variety of wheelsets tailored for specific purposes. They call it “purpose-built wheels” – an approach that’s meant to help every rider find their perfect match. Whether you’re after aluminium or carbon, rim or disc brakes, ceramic or steel bearings, low- or high-profile rims, gravel, road, or MTB hoops – HUNT’s product range is mind-boggling. “Isn’t this all a bit confusing?” I ask, feeling a bit dazed myself, secretly longing for some straightforward product lines and snappy marketing slogans.

“We don’t make wheels for product managers, but for riders,” Tom counters my wish for simplification. “We want to build the wheels we’d want to ride ourselves.” And you can tell it’s true – every one of the roughly 50 HUNT employees seems to have a special connection to bikes. There’s the single-speed crew, who proudly reminisce about their wild and boozy Single-Speed World Championship adventures. Then there’s Abbie, whose cyclocross- palmarès have my heart rate spiking even before our group ride. And finally, there’s engineer Paddy, who, after glancing at my unshaven legs, admits that he’s deep into the “aero-game.”




Profiles with character – HUNT Wheels carve out their own path
If you’re expecting to find carbon fibre sheets, moulds, and ovens in Partridge Green, you’ll be disappointed. HUNT develop their wheels locally, have them manufactured in Asia, and in most cases, shipped directly to customers. It’s clear that direct sales and outsourcing are cost-efficient, but how much of HUNT’s own expertise really goes into their wheels?
At first glance, many modern, aerodynamically-optimised rim profiles look pretty similar. Without decals, your average rider would struggle to tell which brand is spinning on their rear wheel. “The devil is in the detail,” explains engineer Oli, as he floods my brain with a tide of information on material thicknesses, curve radii, and stress points. But before Oli and his team dive into the details, there’s one fundamental decision to make: what exactly should the wheel be capable of? And in the drop-bar world, that question quickly leads to the topic of tire width.

Whether you’re riding road or gravel, there’s no end in sight for the growth of tire widths. The current magic formula for maximum efficiency and minimal drag is: wider tires, lower pressure. But for that equation to work, rim widths need to keep up too. Only a tire that doesn’t bulge out in front of the rim, but forms a smooth U-shape with it, can really save those precious watts. So, a rim should be at least as wide as the tire, aerodynamically optimised, stable in crosswinds, tubeless-ready, and of course, still light. Front and rear wheels don’t have to be built the same way either. Since air hits the front wheel first, the potential for aero optimisation is greatest there. High-profile rims and wide rims are particularly effective at this point. Meanwhile, the rear wheel rotates aerodynamically indifferently in the slipstream of the seat tube. Here, a lower-profile rim could reduce wind sensitivity and a narrower rim could save weight.

AWith the help of computer fluid design models, HUNT’s development team creates different profiles and concept ideas based on their objectives, tweaking the radius of the rim edge or adjusting the material thickness of the rim bed in an iterative process. The goal is to distribute the forces evenly across the entire structure and avoid stress points that lead to material fatigue. HUNT don’t chase superlatives. They’re not trying to squeeze out an extra 0.3 watts by creating diva-ready niche products at the limits of what’s technically possible. Instead, they focus on durability and reparability.
According to Paddy, the rim’s behaviour in crosswinds is also intentionally unremarkable. Thanks to the extremely rounded profile, the forces build up gradually, which makes it easier to control sudden gusts than with sharper, more tapered designs. The Brits are setting their own development priorities, aiming to reduce the intimidation factor of high-end wheels and make them more approachable.


My house, my boat, my HUNT Limitless rim flange
As rim widths continue to grow, so do the demands on consumers to understand tire/rim compatibility – and hookless isn’t making things any easier. The European tire and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) defines standards for which tires can be used with which internal rim width. In practice, this means that, for example, a 28 mm tire is only approved for rims with an internal width of up to 23 mm. When rim widths hit 30 mm or wider, this presents a design challenge for manufacturers: how do you create a wide rim that still works with narrower tires?
The ETRTO standard isn’t a legal requirement but more of a self-imposed guideline. HUNT chose to follow it for all their wheels. After all, their products aren’t sold pre-configured with matching tires or mounted in bike shops but are often the foundation for custom builds and DIY creations. Customers should have all the options while still being safe on the road.

In this case, HUNT used the topic of internal rim width as an opportunity to take a closer look at the rim flange. Their goal was not only to ensure maximum tire compatibility but to integrate this part of the rim into the aerodynamic concept, making the wheel faster, more stable, and more predictable. To achieve this, they massively widened the rim flange. To save weight, polyethylene is injected into a carbon channel on the rim’s sidewall and then coated with a layer of carbon. The newly enlarged area of the rim flange is proudly used by HUNT to print their “LIMITLESS PATENT TECHNOLOGY” branding, emphasising their claim to technological leadership.
But the wheels can’t just impress on the computer or during the mid-ride ice cream break – they need to pass the ultimate wind tunnel test. The most promising profiles are 3D printed in segments, assembled into models, and laced up with spokes. The level of detail in modern wheel construction and the depth of engineering involved in each subcomponent is perhaps best illustrated by the spokes themselves.



HUNT Wheels know how to put a thread on a carbon spoke
In the world of drop-bar bikes driven by “marginal gains,” carbon spokes seem like a no-brainer. Comfort, stiffness, and weight efficiency – if almost everything else is made of carbon, then why not the spokes too? So, bring them on! But hold up! It’s not that simple. Carbon spokes require a high level of craftsmanship. The Achilles’ heel of a carbon-spoked wheel lies in the transitions between the spoke and the hub on one end and the rim on the other. Unlike steel spokes, carbon can’t be threaded, as the unidirectional fibres don’t take kindly to threading tools. Some manufacturers solve this problem by bonding the carbon spokes directly to the rim. That works – until a spoke breaks, and then repairing the wheel becomes a costly and complex affair.
HUNT use a technology where, during the carbon curing process, metal elements are applied to the conical ends of the spokes. On the rim side, the spoke gets a steel thread, while the hub side receives an aluminium plug. This complex manufacturing process makes handling the pricey material in everyday life much easier. The wheel can be trued, repaired, and maintained just like a conventional one.



In the wind tunnel, the spoked models have to prove what they’re capable of. HUNT, by the way, publish extensive data and comparison results for each of their aerodynamically optimised wheels – whether their own design comes out on top or another manufacturer takes the aero crown. The winning profile then moves into prototype production. HUNT define the exact target values, while external partners handle the manufacturing. The final step before mass production is the safety tests.
In the HUNT rim torture chamber
The UCI sets standards for the loads a wheel must withstand. In UCI tests, a rim is struck by a flat steel block, cushioned with a silicone pad, with a force of 40 joules. The rim must survive the impact without any visible damage. However, real-life impacts are quite different. Potholes, kerbs, sharp gravel – all impacts that typically exert point loads rather than the broad, even pressures simulated in lab tests. That’s why HUNT, along with other manufacturers, supplement UCI testing with their own protocols.

Oli proudly stands next to an archaic-looking machine, holding a nasty metal wedge in his hand. In HUNT’s in-house rim torture chamber – reminiscent of a guillotine – the wedge falls with 40 or 70 joules of force onto inflated prototypes. Forty joules is about the same as a 90-kilo rider hitting a curb at 30 km/h. Ouch! The goal here is for the rim to survive without damage. And at 70 joules? The rim might sustain damage, but it should still allow the rider to brake safely – assuming they haven’t already gone flying 15 metres into the bushes from the impact. Honestly, given the forces involved, that’s probably the most realistic scenario. Gravel wheels face even tougher demands. My takeaway: a broken wheel is one of the most unlikely causes of a crash in a HUNT rider’s life.
With love from Dresden – HUNT’s new hub with its own wheel-building workshop
In the small but charming wheel-building department, a few rustic aluminium wheels are currently being re-laced with great care. This department is the service hub for HUNT Wheels UK, where not only online-ordered wheels receive a bit of fine-tuning but also products sold through bike shops. HUNT take their commitment to service seriously: a three-year warranty, long-term availability of spares, and a lifetime crash replacement discount.
Since 2020, HUNT have been serving the American market from their location in Boulder, Colorado, and as of summer 2024, there’s a HUNT hub in Dresden too. European customers now receive their HUNT wheels directly from Germany, and any repairs or warranty claims are handled locally. The best part of the story? The Brexit-induced customs- and tax-chaos is a thing of the past. Anyone who’s ever had to pick up a parcel from their local customs office will now hug the DHL delivery driver in sheer joy.



HUNT’s sustainability program is less about the past and more about the future – a future that’s already taking solid shape. On one hand, HUNT are working on a technology that allows resin and carbon fibres to be separated and reused at the end of a wheel’s life. While you won’t be getting a new frame from an old wheel just yet, you might get a bottle cage or a GPS mount. On the other hand, recycled carbon fibres are already being used in less stressed areas of some HUNT wheels today. When you chat with Abbie, HUNT’s product manager for the UK and US, and Tom about sustainability, you can tell it really matters to them. Since May 2024, HUNT have launched a dedicated product line where their most popular wheels have been re-engineered with sustainability in mind.
When asked about his vision for the company, Tom fumbles. No pre-prepared mission statement, no grand performance promises – just an uncertain smile. “I guess, I just want this to be a place where people enjoy working and building wheels.” Then he apologises – the next meeting calls. I have a hunch he’s going off for a ride.




For more info, visit huntbikewheels.com
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Words: Nils Hofmeister Photos: Nils Hofmeister