Review | Who needs carbon when the Hunt Enduro Wide wheelset is as good as this

James gives us his review on the Hunt Enduro Wide wheels after 9 months of punishment

What do you do when you can’t find a wheelset with the exact specification that you’re after?

Most of us would either compromise or go down the custom route, buying separate hubs, spokes and rims to suit our requirements. But not Peter and Tom Marchment. Oh no.

Not satisfied with the wheels available to them off the shelf, they put their years of industry experience to good use and set about designing and speccing their own. Kicking things off with road wheels, the Hunt range now covers road, CX, gravel, wheels with inbuilt dynamos, and of course, mountain bike wheels.

Andi put some time into the Trail Wide wheels last year and came away raving about them. But what if you need something a bit tougher? Enter stage left, the Hunt Enduro Wide.

Hunt Enduro Wide MTB Wheel Specs

• Hard hitting alloy wheelset designed for the most unforgiving trails
• Available in 27.5in and 29in diameters
• Asymmetric 6069-T6 welded alloy rim w/peened finish
• 33mm internal rim width
• Optimised for tyres from 2.35in to 2.6in wide
• Tubeless compatible design w/hookless sidewalls
• Forged and CNC machined 6061-T6 heat treated alloy hub shells
• Boost and non-Boost hub widths available
• Oversized 7075-T6 aluminium alloy axles
• EZO Japan sealed cartridge bearings
• 6-pawl freehub mechanism with 52 points of engagement
• Available with Shimano or SRAM freehub bodies
• Pillar stainless steel J-bend spokes & hard anodized alloy nipples
• 32x front & 36x rear 3-cross lacing pattern
• Includes: tubeless tape, tubeless valves, 4x spare spokes & nipples, spoke tool
• Confirmed weight: 2013 grams (27.5in)
• RRP: £359

Robust Wheelbuild

Building on the Trail Wide model, the Enduro Wide rims use the same 6069 T6 alloy, but are wider (33mm internal), and feature thicker sidewalls and more spokes for an altogether beefier proposition.

Contrary to popular opinion, less does not equal more when it comes to spoke count, and as per their Trail Wide wheelset, Hunt have chosen to spec a mismatched spoke count on the Enduro Wide, this time with 32 triple butted J-bend spokes up front, and 36 out back. They may not be as flash as a custom shaped, unobtanium alloy spoke, but there’s a heck of a lot to be said for the wide availability of a bog standard J-bend spoke in getting you out of a tight spot in the middle of nowhere.

I spent a good deal of time chatting with Tom at ‘ArdRock last summer, and it was good to hear the design rationale direct from the horse’s mouth. Contrary to popular belief, 36 spokes are no longer the sole preserve of the cheap and cheerful as a cover up for poor build quality or materials. Remember, these are quality triple butted spokes from Sandvik. More spokes = greater cost, but also greater strength.

Modular Hubs

The shiny black anodized hubs are the same as those found on the Trail Wide wheelset, made from durable heat treated 6061-T6 alloy bodies with 7075-T6 axles and large double sealed cartridge bearings within.

In this great axle size transition period we find ourselves in, Hunt allow you to pic ‘n’ mix between boost or regular axle widths, both front and rear at the point of ordering, with RockShox Torque Caps available too. I tested the XD driver freehub, but naturally a Shimano version is available too. At the time of writing though, Hunt doesn’t offer a Shimano Micro Spline freehub.

The freewheel has a rapid 4.3° pickup, and is reassuringly noisey, but tuned to a different timbre to Hope.

Setting Up The Hunt Enduro Wide Wheels

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