Given Hunt's relatively short history in the wheel field compared to its competitors, it has made quite an impact in a relatively short period of time. One would not have to think too hard to find the company's products at the top end of a variety of disciplines, from the top end of road and crit racing to self-supporting ultra distance racing, whether on-road or off-road.

At the top of the brand's wheel pyramid for road, cyclocross, and all-road is Limitless, consisting of 48mm and 60mm deep wheelsets. Given that the introduction of tapered-lock carbon spokes and updated hubs have not significantly affected the aerodynamics of these new wheelsets, it is safe to assume that the Hunt 48 Limitless UD carbon discs at least share this crown.

For the 60mm option, it is on our list of best road bike wheels, earning 4.5 stars in our testing. We also conducted our own wind tunnel testing of the 60's along with 9 other aero options.

Before discussing the spokes and hubs, it is worth noting that the 46mm and 60mm rims on these new wheels are common to the current Limitless 48 and 60. Both feature wider internals (22.5mm and 21mm, respectively), hook shoulders, and tubeless-ready. Aerodynamically, they are optimized for 28mm tires, but given their internal widths, they can accommodate tires over 30mm.

The Limitless designation indicates a slightly different construction method used to manufacture the rim. Hunt has produced and published a surprisingly comprehensive white paper on each of the Limitless rim profiles, but in brief, a rim profile that is strong enough (and ETRTO compliant) can be manufactured in carbon, then using a much lower density polymer The idea is to create the rim shape to the desired aero profile. The result is a weight reduction of approximately 50 g per rim, with no aero penalty.

Carbon spokes are definitely the domain of bike decoration, but often have distinct drawbacks. Hunt employs a technique we call "taper-locking," which, to explain without jargon, simply attaches an aluminum mandrel to the hub end of the spoke and a threaded steel mandrel to the rim end during curing. The shafts of the spokes are all unidirectional carbon, but tapered at both ends to keep the metal heads in place and allow them to be used in the same manner as regular steel spokes.

Switching from steel to carbon improves the stiffness-to-weight ratio and increases the lateral stiffness of the wheel. Hunt seems to have chosen both, for example, the 48mm wheelset is about 100g lighter, but with a corresponding 6% increase in lateral stiffness (despite having four fewer spokes).

We met Hunt at this year's Eurobike to talk over a strong cup of coffee and see the wheels in action. Our feeling is that weight savings are not so much the goal, but the difference in ride feel. With carbon spokes, there is a noticeable increase in stiffness, which is a boon, especially when riding at the absolute limit. Carbon spokes are better for racing, but steel may be a better choice for extended periods of time or multiple days of use.

The Sprint SLC hubset used on the Limitless UD carbon disc wheels is very similar to the one at the center of its steel-spoke sibling. However, for this new wheelset, Hunt chose to use a 7000 series aluminum alloy instead of 7075. This allows more material to be machined without sacrificing strength. The result is a 95 g front hub and a 220 g rear hub with the same 7.5 degree engagement and a freehub body reinforced with stainless steel plates to resist the gouging of the cassette that tends to occur over time.

Given that these wheelsets are top-of-the-line, it is not surprising that a ceramic speed bearing option is available.

MSRP (48 Limitless UD-EZO bearings): £1449 | $1669 | €1889

MSRP (60 Limitless UD-EZO bearings): £1499 | $1729 | €1949

[7 Limitless UD - Ceramic Speed Bearing): £1799｜$2019｜€2339

MSRP (60 Limitless UD - Ceramic Speed Bearing): £1849｜$2069｜€2399

Dimensions (48 Limitless UD): 48mm deep | 35mm external | 22.5mm internal

Dimensions (60 Limitless UD): 60mm deep | 34mm external | 21mm internal

Weight (48 Limitless UD): 1511g

[17 ): 1551g

[19 1551g

Hub Sprint SLC 7.5 hub with 7.5° engagement angle. Multi-point pawl with 48 ratchets in hub shell. Compatible with center lock rotors.

Spokes: UD carbon fiber

Bearings: CERAMICSPEED and EZO options

Tire compatibility: Optimized for clincher and tubeless tires, 28 mm

Free hub option: Shimano/ SRAM 8/9/10/11 speed, SRAM XD/XDR, Campagnolo 8/9/10/11/12 speed

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