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Hunt’s Proven Carbon Enduro H_Core V3 is the manufacturer’s flagship enduro wheelset with H_Core technology to boost toughness and smart spec to reduce weight.
The aim is to offer a budget-friendly, gravity-focused wheelset that's tough enough for enduro riding, but with no excess weight.
With a retail price of £1,099, they’re aimed at riders who are fast enough to enjoy the performance benefits of carbon rims but without spending more than necessary or sacrificing reliability.
Hunt’s aluminium V2 wheelset received a gold-standard 5-star rating in our review. Will the Proven Carbon Enduro H_Core V3 wheels be just as good?
H_Core technology
Hunt claims the V3s are “strong enough to endure your biggest landings and rowdiest tracks, yet compliant enough to keep you on your line”.
If you’re spending over £1,000 on a pair of wheels, you will want them to last – and Hunt’s H_Core technology is clever. It integrates pultruded, highly compacted carbon inserts into the junction between the rim bed and sidewall.
The aim of H_Core technology is to reinforce this potentially vulnerable area of a carbon rim for durable impact resistance.
The front and rear rims have different profiles to help them deal with their specific demands. The front rim is wider (31mm) for extra support on the tyre sidewall. The rear rim is taller and narrower (30mm) for extra strength, with an oversized 4mm-thick sidewall designed to reduce the risk of pinch flats and enhance impact resistance.
Spec details
The Proven Carbon Enduro H_Core V3 wheelset uses H_Ratchet XL 40T DBL hubs with a 40-tooth double-ratchet ring system, offering 9° engagement and tested up to 120Nm torque, which Hunt says is enough for even the most powerful electric mountain bikes.
The wheels have 28 spokes up front and 32 at the rear, in a three-cross lacing pattern.
The stainless steel spokes are triple-butted front and rear, with the rear spokes 0.1mm wider than the front at 2.0-1.8-2.0 (then 2.2 at the head for Hunt’s patented pillar spoke re-enforcement) designed to increase strength and impact resistance.
Weights and measures
With a weight of 1,920g for a pair of mullet (mixed size) wheels and a claimed weight of 1,956g for a pair of 29in wheels, these are not the lightest, but they are competitive for budget-conscious enduro wheels designed for toughness.
My 29in front wheel weighed 850g and the rear was 1,070g for 27.5in.
Hunt claims the strength-to-weight ratios are up there with the best according to its in-house testing.
Pricing and availability
The wheels are available in 29in, 27.5in and mixed size (29in front, 27.5in rear).
The rear hub can fit either HG splined, Shimano Microspline or SRAM XD drivers.
They’re only available in Boost width and 6-bolt disc pattern.
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