For balance, I recently bought some of those “heavy” Hope 20Five wheels. To be fair, they’re on a Surly Straggler with Knard tyres – which is not exactly a weight weenie favourite. 🙂
However, I do also have some lighter Kinesis Racelight 700 Disc wheels, which I run as a second pair with skinnier tyres. I know they’re not Hunt wheels, but they’re a similar weight and seem considerably more delicate than my 20Fives.
The thing that swung it for me was my experience of Hope products to date. I am still rolling after many, many miles on original bearings with my 2009 Pro 2 hub for instance. I’m also confident that I’ll be able to adapt and maintain the Pro 4 hubs at the heart of the 20Fives as the years go on, whereas I’d be less confident with other brands.
I’m pretty sure that Hope wheels come with both 9mm QR and 15mm thru axle adapters, too.