Wheels Upgrade: Hunt 34 Wide Aero vs Prime 38 BlackEdition

Good morning all, I am upgrading my stock wheels on my Specialized Tarmac SL6 with:
a) Hunt 34 Wide Aero Disc – aluminium – 1580gr
b) Prime BlackEdition 38 Disc – carbon – 1540gr

Both second hand for a very good price – Prime 150£ more expensive. I know we are comparing a good aluminium wheel with a carbon one but I was considering the overall quality in terms of general feeling/quality, hubs, bearings and so on.. not only the difference in material.

Thanks in advance for sharing your views!

I’ve got the Prime 28 Black Edition and they have been faultless so far.

So I’d get them.

What’s the internal rim widths?

Hunt 34 Wide Aero – 20mm int – 26mm – ext
Prime 38 BlackEdition – 19mm int – 27.5mm ext

Much of a muchness.

Prime for me. I’ve got the Hunts on one of my bikes. Good wheels, not aero. Decent weight. But for your bike I think the slightly deeper rim will look the dogs dangly bits, and that’s what’s important!
(I’ve got 40mm, 55mm and 65mm wheels. For pure aesthetics on a non aero frame, I prefer the 40mm)

For reference, 50s on an SL6.

Hunt 34 Wide Aero – 20mm int – 26mm – ext
Prime 38 BlackEdition – 19mm int – 27.5mm ext

Seem a bit narrow for their weight/price), or dear for their width/weight etc.

My alloy JRA gravel wheels were less than £400, weighed 1600g and have an internal of 25mm.

I’m not a roadie, so maybe I’m missing something…

Aero rims are deeper = more material / weight, the trade off for aero gains. The width is pretty standard for road wheels running 25-32 tyres.

Seem a bit narrow for their weight/price)

I’m not a roadie, so maybe I’m missing something…

It’s not long ago we were riding 19mm and 20mm internal rims on MTBs with 2.3in or 2.5in tyres.

Some road wheels come up a couple of mm wider now, but I suspect that’s with an eye to gravel compatibility – and OP is putting them on a Tarmac.

So no problem there, basically.

Shameless plug but Ive got a set of CERO AR30 disc wheels fitted with 28c conti tyres for sale.

Sapim cx ray spokes and 1400 grams.

https://www.cycledivision.co.uk/cero-ar30-disc-alloy-clincher-wheelset

They cost me just over £500 with all the adaptors and tyres. Only done one ride then Ive sold my bike.

Looking for £350 ono.

Any good to you?

They cost me just over £500 with all the adaptors and tyres. Only done one ride then Ive sold my bike. Looking for £350 ono.

Nice wheels, atm not interested. Thanks.

Also, many thanks for all your inputs – those 50c looks awesome on the SL6, will be my next step – Though decision, I guess carbon Prime 38 is the general consensus..

For pure aesthetics on a non aero frame, I prefer the 40mm

Yep, I run 40mm on my winter bike (Vision 40 SC Disc Carbon TLR CL).

Specialized Diverge by Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

Yep, I run 40mm on my winter bike (Vision 40 SC Disc Carbon TLR CL).

I am throwing some Vision 40 SC in the equation (found a good deal second-hand – 530£) – how would you rate them? I read somewhere that Vision bearings and hubs where not that good but I cannot find many feedbacks about user experience tbh (apart from a couple of mainstream reviews).

I am throwing some Vision 40 SC in the equation (found a good deal second-hand – 530£) – how would you rate them? I read somewhere that Vision bearings and hubs where not that good but I cannot find many feedbacks about user experience tbh (apart from a couple of mainstream reviews).

I really like them, although I have to say the bearings aren’t that great.

They came with a SRAM XDR freehub which I swapped to Shimano when it went on the winter bike. When taking their XDR freehub the outer bearing race had lost most of its ball bearings. To be fair, the XDR design doesn’t leave much room between the freehub and axle to fit any decent sized bearings in, so not that suprised. However I now have some play in the back wheel which I need to investigate, I suspect a bearing needs changing. Just waiting for summer bike season to arrive before I strip the hub and investigate.

They also fill with water really easily when I go through a ford etc (gets in via the valve hole). Have to regularly drain them in winter!

Draining carbon rims… by Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

All in I’d buy another pair though, still true, ok in cross winds, light and fast. They’ve stood up well to some big impacts (blowing out and ripping side walls in tyres), been ridden offroad and I’ve jumped them on and off curbs / over speed bumbs etc with no regard to taking it easy.

Many thanks! This helps.