The Hunt Aero Wide 34 Disc SL wheelset carries a lofty claim – the UK-based brand says it’s “the fastest alloy disc brake wheelset in the world”.
While all brand-conducted tests should be taken with a pinch of salt, Hunt provides interesting data to back up its claims. The wheelset can also be bought with freehubs covering all the major groupset brands – which isn’t always a given.
In testing, I’ve been mightily impressed by this wheelset. It ticks the major performance boxes it can reasonably be expected to address and represents better value than some road bike wheels costing more.
Hunt Aero Wide 34 Disc SL details and specifications
Hunt's own wind-tunnel based testing pitted the Aero Wide 34 Disc SL wheels against key alloy competitors at the time: the Zipp 30 Course, DT Swiss ER1600 Spline 32 and Mavic Cosmic Elite UST.
Hunt also included a single carbon option – Zipp’s 202 NSW.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hunt says its wheels came out on top, although it’s worth noting that the test was carried out in 2019.
Not a huge amount has changed in the alloy wheelset game since then, with brands generally opting to push development of carbon rim technology. However, a few new contenders have arrived, or been updated, in that time.
Hunt says the rim uses aerodynamic know-how from its Aerodynamicist range of carbon wheels (specifically the 48 Limitless Aero Disc).
These are notably wide and the alloy wheelset is no different, with the aim of treating airflow as efficiently as possible when paired with wider road tyres.
The 20mm internal rim diameter is modern for an alloy wheelset, but the external width starts at 24mm at the hook, before arcing outwards to 26mm at its widest point.
This is very wide for alloy road rims. By comparison, the Roval Alpinist SLX rims only reach 23.5mm externally, while the Ere Research Explorator GCR40 rims measure 24.5mm at their widest.
Hunt’s testing suggests a 700x25c tyre – it used a Schwalbe Pro One TLE – is most efficient, but in order to offer parity across all our testing, we tested it with a more modern 700x28c tyre.
The alloy used is 6069-grade aluminium, which Hunt says delivers 69 per cent more tensile strength than more commonly used 6061 alloy. In theory, this enables it to shave excess from the construction.
Hunt has opted to use Pillar Wing 20 aero-bladed stainless steel spokes, which attach to the rim via alloy nipples, and to Hunt’s Sprint SL hubs.
The freehub delivers a fast 7.5-degree engagement angle, via three pawls – each with three teeth. The same hub internals and 6066 aluminium body can be found in many of the brand’s more expensive carbon wheelsets.
The wheelset comes with Hunt’s latest quieter freehub, with buzz-reducing pawl teeth, signified by the ‘LN’ (low noise) print on the body.
The rims come with tubeless tape fitted, and supplied with tubeless valves and the externally threading Shimano brake rotor lockrings (standard lockrings supplied with Shimano rotors are internally threaded, the same standard as used for its cassettes – either can be used on this wheelset).
All in, including the supplied valves and lockrings, the wheelset tipped my scales at 1,572g (only 7g over Hunt’s claimed weight of 1,565g).
Hunt supplies four spare spokes for servicing purposes, which it says should be carried out ‘regularly’ if the rider weighs more than 100kg. The maximum system weight (rider, bike and all) is 115kg.
Sadly, the wheelset isn’t covered by Hunt’s H_CARE crash replacement policy by default, but a rider can opt in for an additional £39.
Hunt Aero Wide 34 Disc SL performance
Tubeless setup was easy, with the bead of my 28c Hutchinson Challenger TLR tyres fitting over the rim with just a final pry from a tyre lever.
My test tyre popped into place easily with the use of a track pump, and air retention was acceptable once tubeless sealant was inserted and well distributed around the rim.
The remainder of testing was carried out with the same clincher setup as the wheelsets I tested alongside the Aero Wide 34 Disc SL.
From the outset, I’ve been impressed by the Aero Wide 34 Disc SL’s flat-terrain speed.
Having switched straight from testing the 24mm-deep Roval Alpinist SLX Disc wheelset, the 34mm-deep Hunt wheelset felt a little easier to hold at higher speeds (30kph-plus) on flatter roads.
Only the 40mm-deep Ere Research Explorator GCR40 has it clearly beaten in this regard, although that heavier wheelset gives away performance on steeper ascents and in terms of reactivity.
The Aero Wide 34 Disc SL is a perfectly capable and satisfying wheelset for climbing hills – it may be around 60g heavier than the Alpinist SLX Disc (practically all of which comes at the rear wheel), but it’s significantly lighter than the rest of the wheels I tested.
It feels reactive and taut, and I’ve had no qualms about using it for shorter climbs at home. I would be happy to use it on longer mountain passes too.
The freehub is a boon here too – the fast pickup certainly adds an element of immediacy and fun when working hard on climbs.
That said, unless you’re racing for finish lines or town signs, it’s unlikely to make much of a tangible difference to your progress.
The buzz from the freehub will polarise opinion – Hunt’s design is notoriously noisy, even in this quietened-down version, and on occasion has attracted criticism from those riding with me.
When asked, Hunt said this can be a sign of dry pawls, remedied by the application of extra grease.
Of course, there are also those who love a loud freehub, eardrums be damned.
It’s also worth mentioning that it’s proven to be one of the best alloy wheelsets on test in terms of ride quality.
Again, the Ere Research Explorator's wider, deeper dimensions contribute to make it a leader in this respect, but the construction of the Hunt wheelset feels solid and able to deal with road buzz relatively effectively.
Hunt Aero Wide 34 Disc SL bottom line
The Hunt Aero Wide 34 Disc SL wheelset may or may not be the “the fastest alloy disc brake wheelset in the world” in 2024, even if there's some evidence that it might have been in 2019.
However, it offers an admirable blend of flat and climbing speed, while not adding excess weight to the point that it spoils the reactivity.
The overall smoothness of the ride quality, even in an arguably less-forgiving clincher setup, is also good.
I’d prefer a quieter freehub and I’d also like the wheelset to be covered by Hunt’s H_CARE programme by default. But other than that, there’s little to fault.
How we tested | Alloy road wheelsets
We tested seven alloy disc brake tubeless wheelsets over the winter of 2023/24. Each was fitted to a Fairlight Strael 3.0 test bike, with the same setup used wherever possible*.
Hutchinson Challenger TLR 700x28c tyres were used for testing, with a tubeless installation carried out to gain an indication of setup ease.
For the test rides, we deferred to a clincher setup with butyl inner tubes – to reflect this very common setup and make changeovers a little easier, faster and less wasteful of sealant.
*The same Shimano RT-MT800 Center Lock rotors were used for all test wheels, except the Halo Drove Line 700C, which required the use of six-bolt discs.
Wheelsets on test
- Roval Alpinist SLX Disc
- Hunt 34 Aero Wide Disc SL
- Ere Research Explorator GCR40
- DT Swiss AR1600 Spline
- Mavic Ksyrium S DisWc
- Miche Syntium Aero
- Halo Drove Line 700C
Product
| Brand | hunt_bike_wheels |
| Price | 649.00 EUR,549.00 GBP,699.00 USD |
| Weight | 1572.0000, GRAM (29in/700c) - with tubeless valves, rim tape and lockrings |
Features
| br_rimMaterial | aluminium |
| br_wheelSize | 29in_700c |
| br_brakeTypeSimple | disc |
| br_hubs | Hunt Sprint SL |
| br_spokes | Pillar Wing 20 |
| br_freehub | Shimano |
| br_rimDepth | 34mm |
| br_rimInternalWidth | 20mm |
| Features | Width: 26mm external Axle: 12×100mm front; 12×142mm rear |
| br_spokeCountRear | 24 |
| br_spokeCountFront | 20 |
