HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc Wheelset
The world's fastest disc-brake wheels up to (and including) 50mm.
48 DEEP | 35 WIDE | 1618G | CeramicSpeed
The Purpose
The ultimate aerodynamic wheelset. Designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern rider, at the speeds they ride at. We ride at a range of wind yaw angles far greater than previously considered, and so HUNT Limitless is able to deliver aerodynamic supremacy across a wide range of riding and at real-world speeds.
Wind tunnel proven against world leading wheels. See the research white paper for full technical details of our wind tunnel testing methodology, including data/graphs and the full range of wheels we tested against.
Designed by HUNT Product Engineering Manager, Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering).
HUNT LIMITLESS technology (patent pending) allows for low weight and extra-wide aerodynamics.
Fully compliant with new ETRTO tubeless road guidelines (yet to be released) for 23/25/28mm+ road tires. As with all our current HUNT rims, the LIMITLESS wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tires including Continental.
CeramicSpeed’s world renowned low-friction bearings.
WIDER TIRES & WIDER WHEELS | RIDE FASTER
Leading rim-brake wheels have been at the 27-28mm wide mark for some time, with undisputed aero benefits over narrower designs. However, they are aerodynamically limited by rim brake calipers limiting the maximum width of the brake track. Further, most are optimized for narrower tires. 23mm tires used to be the standard… but for us, you and most pro riders, 25/28 and even 30mm tires are the preferred choice. Let’s face it: when leaning in on the final turn of a mass bunch sprint or descending sweeping alpine bends, you want serious grip! Plus, the lower rolling resistance benefits of 25 and 28mm tires* mean that road disc aero wheels should be specifically designed around these wider tires. Accordingly, this wheelset has been designed using schematics and feedback from Schwalbe's own engineers.
(*Especially rider-system benefits, wheel & tire only tests do not include rider damped losses, and how lower pressures reduce these losses by reducing rider movement. This is a whole other area we will be releasing scientific data on.)
INDUSTRY-LEADING AERO KNOWLEDGE
We were ecstatic when Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering) approached us in 2017 about joining HUNT. Luisa’s experience in wind tunnel testing and developing wheels for 10 years (with World Tour pros from BMC Racing, Team Movistar & Cervelo Test Team) showed her industry-leading experience. So of course we welcomed Luisa to join us as HUNT Product Engineering Manager in August 2017. Using Luisa as our Engineering lead, Peter (Co-Founder & Materials Scientist), Tom (Co-Founder & Product Manager) and the whole team here set to work immediately to develop you the fastest ‘unlimited’ road disc-brake wheelset in the world!
HOW WIDE? 34.5mm!
In the last 9 months, road aero disc-brake rim widths have been creeping out to 30-32mm, with several leading wheel and bike companies realizing the benefits of having a rim wider than the tire (even a 28mm tire). This creates the most effective overall aerofoil shape (when considering the wheel and tire together) and reduces turbulence as airflow transitions into the spoke bed. It is now obvious that disc-brake road rims need to be significantly wider to be at their best aerodynamically. With our experience at HUNT, we knew disc brakes provided us a huge opportunity to smash open this area of wheel development. In autumn 2017, a full year before anyone knew about any other wheel companies’ 30mm+ development, we set about unleashing wheel widths, and Luisa designed several 3D-printed prototypes for wind tunnel testing. Luisa worked closely with Europe’s leading bicycle wind tunnel, and over 18 months of painstaking research, design and multiple wind tunnel visits, developed the 34.5mm wide shape for the new 48 Limitless Aero Disc.
WIDE RIM = WEIGHT OR TIRE PROBLEM?
The aero benefits of going wide, can come with downsides, as usually a compromise choice has to be made:
- Go for a wider internal rim of 24 or 25mm = LOSE TIRE COMPATABILITY with 23/25mm tires from leading brands.
- Choose to add extra carbon material to thicken the sidewalls, in order to maintain the wide aero shape = HEAVY RIM WEIGHT
THE SOLUTION | HUNT LIMITLESS TECHNOLOGY (PATENT PENDING)
The HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc rim has as much carbon-fiber material and mass as any other comparable road disc wheelset, and far surpasses ISO impact testing. Added to the sidewall area is an extra-strengthening co-molded low density polymer (density only 0.7g/cm3 vs carbon fiber prepreg of 1.6g/cm3) that keeps the weight low whilst allowing the extra width. LIMITLESS is a pending patent owned by HUNT and developed by Luisa, Tom and Pete, and is exclusive to HUNT wheels. So, you can have a wheelset with the world’s fastest aero shape but also impressively low weight.
THE RESULTS…
The wind tunnel data we recorded is shown against the full range of incumbent world-class aero wheels in the charts below. The results speak for themselves. It was amazing to see Luisa’s face when it became evident what we'd achieved for riders. It’s been hard work but it’s been very worthwhile. This process and the knowledge gained from pushing the boundaries of aero wheel development creates huge opportunities to serve you with a wide range of world leading aerodynamic wheels…this is just the beginning! Thank you.
THE DATA
Read the full research white paper showing all technical wind-tunnel testing method details, extensive wind tunnel data and the full range of wheels we tested against.
The Mavic WAD calculation is based around Time Trial speeds (45 km/h), we used this as an industry standard to show an unequivocal comparison. Our own road speed (35 km/h) simulations show the extra width of the LIMITLESS wheels provide even greater aerodynamic gains at the wider wind yaw angles that real road riders experience. Please see research white paper for more details.
8.4 Fourth wind tunnel test - June 2019
The Enve Ses AR 3.4 Disc wheelset was released in May 2019 – an additional test for this wheelset was arranged. In order to complete the test in a timely manner the tests were carried with the front wheels only, mounted on a single wheel turntable and roller, with no bike. Note that the total drag and power values are lower without the presence of a bike.
Figure 17 Drag [g] vs yaw angle [°] from third wind tunnel test in April 2019 showing HUNT 48 LIMITLESS AERO DISC against Enve SES AR3.4, using a variety of tires.
As most of you will already know, we design our wheels to take a pretty impressive amount of hammering under all sorts of conditions. Whether you're hitting out at your local crit or road race, or taking the long way home on the paths less travelled, you can do so with the confidence that you're rolling on hoops designed to take the lot in their stride.
Accordingly, we now offer free lifetime crashreplacement for the first owners of these wheels.
The Purpose
The ultimate aerodynamic wheelset. Designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern rider, at the speeds they ride at. We ride at a range of wind yaw angles far greater than previously considered, and so HUNT Limitless is able to deliver aerodynamic supremacy across a wide range of riding and at real-world speeds.
Wind tunnel proven against world leading wheels. See the research white paper for full technical details of our wind tunnel testing methodology, including data/graphs and the full range of wheels we tested against.
Designed by HUNT Product Engineering Manager, Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering).
HUNT LIMITLESS technology (patent pending*) allows for low weight and extra-wide aerodynamics.
Fully compliant with new ETRTO tubeless road guidelines (yet to be released) for 23/25/28mm+ road tires. As with all our current HUNT rims, the LIMITLESS wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tires including Continental.
CeramicSpeed’s world renowned low-friction bearings.
WIDER TIRES & WIDER WHEELS | RIDE FASTER
Leading rim-brake wheels have been at the 27-28mm wide mark for some time, with undisputed aero benefits over narrower designs. However, they are aerodynamically limited by rim brake calipers limiting the maximum width of the brake track. Further, most are optimized for narrower tires. 23mm tires used to be the standard… but for us, you and most pro riders, 25/28 and even 30mm tires are the preferred choice. Let’s face it: when leaning in on the final turn of a mass bunch sprint or descending sweeping alpine bends, you want serious grip! Plus, the lower rolling resistance benefits of 25 and 28mm tires* mean that road disc aero wheels should be specifically designed around these wider tires. Accordingly, this wheelset has been designed using schematics and feedback from Schwalbe's own engineers.
(*Especially rider-system benefits, wheel & tire only tests do not include rider damped losses, and how lower pressures reduce these losses by reducing rider movement. This is a whole other area we will be releasing scientific data on.)
INDUSTRY-LEADING AERO KNOWLEDGE
We were ecstatic when Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering) approached us in 2017 about joining HUNT. Luisa’s experience in wind tunnel testing and developing wheels for 10 years (with World Tour pros from BMC Racing, Team Movistar & Cervelo Test Team) showed her industry-leading experience. So of course we welcomed Luisa to join us as HUNT Product Engineering Manager in August 2017. Using Luisa as our Engineering lead, Peter (Co-Founder & Materials Scientist), Tom (Co-Founder & Product Manager) and the whole team here set to work immediately to develop you the fastest ‘unlimited’ road disc-brake wheelset in the world!
HOW WIDE? 34.5mm!
In the last 9 months, road aero disc-brake rim widths have been creeping out to 30-32mm, with several leading wheel and bike companies realizing the benefits of having a rim wider than the tire (even a 28mm tire). This creates the most effective overall aerofoil shape (when considering the wheel and tire together) and reduces turbulence as airflow transitions into the spoke bed. It is now obvious that disc-brake road rims need to be significantly wider to be at their best aerodynamically. With our experience at HUNT, we knew disc brakes provided us a huge opportunity to smash open this area of wheel development. In autumn 2017, a full year before anyone knew about any other wheel companies’ 30mm+ development, we set about unleashing wheel widths, and Luisa designed several 3D-printed prototypes for wind tunnel testing. Luisa worked closely with Europe’s leading bicycle wind tunnel, and over 18 months of painstaking research, design and multiple wind tunnel visits, developed the 34.5mm wide shape for the new 48 Limitless Aero Disc.
WIDE RIM = WEIGHT OR TIRE PROBLEM?
The aero benefits of going wide, can come with downsides, as usually a compromise choice has to be made:
- Go for a wider internal rim of 24 or 25mm = LOSE TIRE COMPATABILITY with 23/25mm tires from leading brands.
- Choose to add extra carbon material to thicken the sidewalls, in order to maintain the wide aero shape = HEAVY RIM WEIGHT
THE SOLUTION | HUNT LIMITLESS TECHNOLOGY (PATENT PENDING)
The HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc rim has as much carbon-fiber material and mass as any other comparable road disc wheelset, and far surpasses ISO impact testing. Added to the sidewall area is an extra-strengthening co-molded low density polymer (density only 0.7g/cm3 vs carbon fiber prepreg of 1.6g/cm3) that keeps the weight low whilst allowing the extra width. LIMITLESS is a pending patent owned by HUNT and developed by Luisa, Tom and Pete, and is exclusive to HUNT wheels. So, you can have a wheelset with the world’s fastest aero shape but also impressively low weight.
THE RESULTS…
The wind tunnel data we recorded is shown against the full range of incumbent world-class aero wheels in the charts below. The results speak for themselves. It was amazing to see Luisa’s face when it became evident what we'd achieved for riders. It’s been hard work but it’s been very worthwhile. This process and the knowledge gained from pushing the boundaries of aero wheel development creates huge opportunities to serve you with a wide range of world leading aerodynamic wheels…this is just the beginning! Thank you.
THE DATA
Read the full research white paper showing all technical wind-tunnel testing method details, extensive wind tunnel data and the full range of wheels we tested against will be available on the 21st June.
The Mavic WAD calculation is based around Time Trial speeds (45 km/h), we used this as an industry standard to show an unequivocal comparison. Our own road speed (35 km/h) simulations show the extra width of the LIMITLESS wheels provide even greater aerodynamic gains at the wider wind yaw angles that real road riders experience. Please see research white paper for more details.
8.4 Fourth wind tunnel test - June 2019
The Enve Ses AR 3.4 Disc wheelset was released in May 2019 – an additional test for this wheelset was arranged. In order to complete the test in a timely manner the tests were carried with the front wheels only, mounted on a single wheel turntable and roller, with no bike. Note that the total drag and power values are lower without the presence of a bike.
Figure 17 Drag [g] vs yaw angle [°] from third wind tunnel test in April 2019 showing HUNT 48 LIMITLESS AERO DISC against Enve SES AR3.4, using a variety of tires.
As most of you will already know, we design our wheels to take a pretty impressive amount of hammering under all sorts of conditions. Whether you're hitting out at your local crit or road race, or taking the long way home on the paths less travelled, you can do so with the confidence that you're rolling on hoops designed to take the lot in their stride.
Accordingly, we now offer free lifetime crashreplacement for the first owners of these wheels.
The Experts' View
Want to add tubeless tires?
We can supply or fit tubeless tires (including sealant) to your wheels.
The wheels are also designed to work excellently with clincher tires and tubes. See recommended tire options here.
Maximum tire pressure for this rim is 100psi when used with 25-28mm tires. Maximum tire pressures for other tire sizes: 30mm - 32mm do not exceed 70psi, 33mm do not exceed 50psi, 35-45mm do not exceed 45psi, 45-50mm do not exceed 40psi. 100psi is more than enough for any rider on road. Please do not exceed the maximum pressure stated on your tire. Click here to listen to a podcast exploring the science of why lower pressures were found to be faster by pro teams.
Specs Overview
THE FASTEST WHEELSET IS THE SUM OF THE FASTEST PARTS
We've poured over every last detail to ensure each component making up the 48 Limitless Aero Disc, is absolutely the fastest of all options...
- LIMITLESS Rims | Wind tunnel developed, features disc-specific, unidirectional T24/30 rims, offering 22.5mm internal and 35mm external widths, and a 48mm u-shape aero profile.
- Tires | Aerodynamically optimized for wider 25-28c tires. Tubeless-ready for lower weight and rolling resistance, featuring H-Lock technology for easy and secure tubeless installation. As with all our current HUNT rims, the LIMITLESS wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tires including Continental.
- FastEngage 7.5 Hubs | SPRINT straight-pull centre-lock hubs, boasting an engagement rate of just 7.5° owing to the leaf-sprung, multi-point pawls and 48 ratchets in the hub shell.
- CeramicSpeed Bearings | CeramicSpeed clearly need little introduction. We were honoured when they approached us last year to work together for the LIMITLESS project. As you know, CeramicSpeed bearings are renowned for their low rolling resistance, and are chosen by the top international athletes and teams.
- Elliptical Wing Spokes | Pillar Wing 20 spokes with aerofoil profile. Tested and proven to provide aerodynamic advantage over flat or bladed options both from Pillar and other competitors.
- Axles | Easily adaptable & we fit them for you. Fit all current axle sizes and are easy to change; Front - QR, Bolt thru 12/9mm, Rear - QR, Bolt thru 12x142, 12x135, 10x135.
- Included | Tubeless tape & valves, spare spokes, axle adapters (please fill in the simple form after checkout to select your required size)
- Weight | 1618g
- See the full specs here
Please note: If you require a 6 bolt adaptor you can purchase separately here
More Tech
Rims
- Wind tunnel tested, aerodynamically optimized for 25-28c tires
- Disc-specific tubeless-ready profile
- H-lock bead-seat up-kicks for easy and secure tubeless installation
- Unidirectional T24/30 carbon fiber with 3K weave re-enforced spoke holes
- 35mm outer and 22.5mm inner width
- 48mm depth
- Matt black base finished with matt white contrasting graphics.
Spokes
- Pillar Wing 20 with Aerofoil profile
- 20 front and 24 rear laced 2 cross.
- Aero Butted 2.0-2.2/0.95-2.0 then PSR section is 2.2.
- Straight-pull for excellent torsional strength and direct power transfer
- Cold drawn from high grade T302 (18/10) stainless steel wire by Sandvik Sweden
- Patented Pillar Spoke Re-enforcement, butted again just before the spoke head providing more durability in high stress area.
- Black stainless treatment
Nipples
- Alloy square body for external adjustment and square head for easy internal adjustment/tensioning. square spoke key included.
- 16mm length with washer for a strong connection to the spoke added durability.
- 14 gauge.
- Black anodized finish.
Tires Info
- Maximum tire pressure for this rim is 100psi when used with 25-28mm tires. 100 psi is more than enough for any rider on road. Click here to listen to a podcast exploring the science of why lower pressures were found to be faster by pro teams.
- Maximum tire pressures for other tire sizes: 30mm - 32mm do not exceed 70psi, 33mm do not exceed 50psi, 35-45mm do not exceed 45psi, 45-50mm do not exceed 40psi.
- Please do not exceed the maximum pressure stated on your tire.
- Suitable for tires from 23mm up to 50mm wide.
- Suitable tubeless road, gravel and CX tires are available from a huge range of companies including Schwalbe, Hutchinson, Panaracer, Maxxis and many more. Schwalbe Pro One 25mm tire weighs just 255g, is tubeless ready and is Schwalbe's class leading clincher racing tire.
Axle Size
- These wheels are available with all existing disc brake road bike axle adapter sizes. All our axle adapters are easy to swap but we'll fit the adapters your bike needs to save you the work. After your order checkout is completed a simple form will show, as well as being sent to you in your confirmation email. The form allows you to select the axle size your bike needs, don't worry it also includes the option to tell us your bike model and we will find out and then fit the correct axles, plus we're happy to change them later at our cost if you don't quite get it right. Please note; this form is shown after you have completed your order. Please click on the Front Hub and Rear Hub tabs to see which sizes are available.
Front Hub
- We fit the axles you need, just complete the simple form shown after checkout:
- All existing road/CX disc front axle standards are available including:
- Quick Release (Quick release skewers included)
- 12mm Bolt Thru
- 9mm Bolt Thru (uncommon)
- All axle adapters are also available separately.
- Forged and CNC’d 6061-T6 heat treated aluminium alloy body.
- 7075-T6 aluminium alloy axles.
- Polished anodized black finish with laser graphics.
- Centre-lock disc mount. If you require a 6 bolt adaptor you can purchase separately here
Rear Hub
- We fit the axles you need, just complete the simple form shown after checkout.
- All existing road/CX disc rear axle standards are available including:
- Quick Release (Quick release skewers included)
- 12x142 Bolt Thru
- 12x135 Bolt Thru (uncommon)
- 10x135 Bolt Thru (uncommon)
- All axle adapters are also available separately.
- 7075-T6 heat-treated aluminium alloy freehub body.
- Steel Spline Insert freehub body reinforcement provides excellent durability against cassette sprocket damage to the freehub often seen on standard alloy freehub bodies.
- 3x treble-tooth individually leaf sprung pawls with 48 teeth on the ratchet ring for fast 7.5 degree engagement and instant acceleration.
- All freehub standards accounted for, including:
- Shimano/SRAM
- Campagnolo
- SRAM XD Driver
- SRAM XDR Driver
- Hunt Race Season Disc straight-pull super-light alloy.
- Forged and CNC’d 6061-T6 heat treated aluminium alloy body.
- 7075-T6 aluminium alloy axles.
- Centre-lock disc mount. If you require a 6 bolt adaptor you can purchase separately here
- Polished anodized black finish with laser graphics.
Bearings
- Industry leading CeramicSpeed hybrid ceramic bearings
- 3 to 5 times longer lasting than other ceramic bearings on the market and 10 times more than standard steel bearings.
- CeramicSpeed bearing balls are of the highest quality Grade 3 Silicon Nitride, featuring the highest achievable surface finish and roundness. 15% harder, take 99% higher loads and are more than 100% smoother than other ceramic balls typically seen in the market. The smoothness and the hardness of the CeramicSpeed Balls are unique.
- 6 year warranty
Warranty, HUNT Rolling Road Tests & Weight Limits
These wheels come with H_CARE (Free Lifetime Crash Replacement) for the first owners. Read all about it here.
A full 3 years (6 years on CeramicSpeed bearings) from purchase date warranty is offered to the original purchaser only on all HUNT wheels against material or workmanship defects, please click here to read full details.
All HUNT wheels models have to pass our harsh cobbled-rolling-road tests for rider weight limits, please see here for more details. 109kgs is the upper recommended rider weight limit for these wheels. Please include the weight of any luggage in your total rider weight when choosing the correct wheels. If a rider is over 90Kgs then an experienced bike mechanic should check the wheel regularly and it is advisable to use tires at max 90psi as this will reduce the fatigue on the wheelset. We are cyclists ourselves and do of course go above and beyond to offer excellent service if you ever do experience any issues. We carry full spares at very reasonable prices and offer complete support.
60 Day Ride & Return Period. We are certain you'll be impressed by the acceleration, low-weight, speed and durability of our wheels. We are cyclists and as such strive to offer class leading service and support. Buy with confidence, if for any reason you wish to return the wheels for a full refund of your order you can do so up to a full 60 days after you receive them whether they have been ridden or not. Please note we cannot offer refunds on wheels that have suffered from crash damage but do offer H_CARE (Free Lifetime Crash Replacement) on these wheels.
Tubeless Tire Options
These are only some of the options you can have fitted on your wheels. To see the full range, click here
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Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless Tires - 28mmThe Schwalbe Tubeless road tires consistently win plaudits from journalists and customers alike. We have been testing them for a long time and have been very impressed. The One Pro's are Schwalbe's top of the range tires and feature their triple compound tread so you get extremely low rolling-resistance combined with excellent grip and durability. |
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Schwalbe G One Speed Tubeless Tires - 30mmUnleashing profile and breathtakingly fast - especially when large volume counts. As a 30mm wide road race version with V-Guard, G-One Speed is a tire for the real tough jobs. You can ride it as a handmade tubular or with the most modern tubeless easy technology. But it is also a guarantee for maximum speed in the extra-wide 60mm execution - of course, not only at the fascinating beach races on Holland’s coasts. The new G-One Speed is an evolution of the former S-One and Big One. |
Reviews
Bike Magazine and Website Experts' Views
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"Road CC Editor's Choice""Hunt says its 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels are the fastest disc brake-compatible road wheels up to and including 50mm deep, thanks to its patented Limitless technology. Going wide is the key apparently, and going by the way they perform out in the real world, Hunt could really be on to something. These wheels are quick!". |
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"HUNT releases “world’s fastest aero disc wheelset” (and actually backs it up with data)""Hunt’s new Limitless 48 Aero Disc Wheelset is claimed to be the world’s most aerodynamic disc wheelset below 50mm deep and — unlike many other similar wheels — these claims are backed up with a detailed and transparent white paper." |
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"HUNT Limitless 48 Aero Disc: The world’s fastest wheelset under 50mm deep?""Every company with an aero wheel claims that. But HUNT, the British consumer-direct wheel company has done something new — dare I say, innovative — in order to make such a tired claim." |
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HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc “world’s fastest” road disc brake wheels are ready"There are always tons of claims in the bike industry about how one aero product is faster than the next. Hunt knows that too, so they’ve tried to be totally transparent about how they make those claims. A full technical white paper is available that details their research protocols for wind tunnel testing methodology, including data/graphs and the full range of wheels that were tested against. Read it yourself here." |
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"The Hunt 48 Limitless: The fastest sub 50mm wheel in the world?""That is some exceptional value for money especially when you consider the wheelset uses CeramicSpeed bearings and claims to be the fastest in the world." |
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Road.cc Best Overall Wheels"Hunts make the bike feel like it doesn't need as much power to maintain a given speed, especially when that speed is around 20-25mph." |
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GCN Take a look at the 48 Limitless Aero Disc |
In the Box
Contents
- HUNT Black Shield tubeless rim tape fitted to wheels.
- The axle adapters needed for your bike, just fill in the simple form shown after order completion, the form is also included in your order confirmation page.
- Cassette spacer for 8/9/10 speed
- Tubeless Valves
- Spare of each spoke plus nipples
- Quality control card signed by your wheel builder
The world's fastest disc-brake wheels up to (and including) 50mm.
48 DEEP | 35 WIDE | 1618G | CeramicSpeed
The Purpose
The ultimate aerodynamic wheelset. Designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern rider, at the speeds they ride at. We ride at a range of wind yaw angles far greater than previously considered, and so HUNT Limitless is able to deliver aerodynamic supremacy across a wide range of riding and at real-world speeds.
Wind tunnel proven against world leading wheels. See the research white paper for full technical details of our wind tunnel testing methodology, including data/graphs and the full range of wheels we tested against.
Designed by HUNT Product Engineering Manager, Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering).
HUNT LIMITLESS technology (patent pending) allows for low weight and extra-wide aerodynamics.
Fully compliant with new ETRTO tubeless road guidelines (yet to be released) for 23/25/28mm+ road tires. As with all our current HUNT rims, the LIMITLESS wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tires including Continental.
CeramicSpeed’s world renowned low-friction bearings.
WIDER TIRES & WIDER WHEELS | RIDE FASTER
Leading rim-brake wheels have been at the 27-28mm wide mark for some time, with undisputed aero benefits over narrower designs. However, they are aerodynamically limited by rim brake calipers limiting the maximum width of the brake track. Further, most are optimized for narrower tires. 23mm tires used to be the standard… but for us, you and most pro riders, 25/28 and even 30mm tires are the preferred choice. Let’s face it: when leaning in on the final turn of a mass bunch sprint or descending sweeping alpine bends, you want serious grip! Plus, the lower rolling resistance benefits of 25 and 28mm tires* mean that road disc aero wheels should be specifically designed around these wider tires. Accordingly, this wheelset has been designed using schematics and feedback from Schwalbe's own engineers.
(*Especially rider-system benefits, wheel & tire only tests do not include rider damped losses, and how lower pressures reduce these losses by reducing rider movement. This is a whole other area we will be releasing scientific data on.)
INDUSTRY-LEADING AERO KNOWLEDGE
We were ecstatic when Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering) approached us in 2017 about joining HUNT. Luisa’s experience in wind tunnel testing and developing wheels for 10 years (with World Tour pros from BMC Racing, Team Movistar & Cervelo Test Team) showed her industry-leading experience. So of course we welcomed Luisa to join us as HUNT Product Engineering Manager in August 2017. Using Luisa as our Engineering lead, Peter (Co-Founder & Materials Scientist), Tom (Co-Founder & Product Manager) and the whole team here set to work immediately to develop you the fastest ‘unlimited’ road disc-brake wheelset in the world!
HOW WIDE? 34.5mm!
In the last 9 months, road aero disc-brake rim widths have been creeping out to 30-32mm, with several leading wheel and bike companies realizing the benefits of having a rim wider than the tire (even a 28mm tire). This creates the most effective overall aerofoil shape (when considering the wheel and tire together) and reduces turbulence as airflow transitions into the spoke bed. It is now obvious that disc-brake road rims need to be significantly wider to be at their best aerodynamically. With our experience at HUNT, we knew disc brakes provided us a huge opportunity to smash open this area of wheel development. In autumn 2017, a full year before anyone knew about any other wheel companies’ 30mm+ development, we set about unleashing wheel widths, and Luisa designed several 3D-printed prototypes for wind tunnel testing. Luisa worked closely with Europe’s leading bicycle wind tunnel, and over 18 months of painstaking research, design and multiple wind tunnel visits, developed the 34.5mm wide shape for the new 48 Limitless Aero Disc.
WIDE RIM = WEIGHT OR TIRE PROBLEM?
The aero benefits of going wide, can come with downsides, as usually a compromise choice has to be made:
- Go for a wider internal rim of 24 or 25mm = LOSE TIRE COMPATABILITY with 23/25mm tires from leading brands.
- Choose to add extra carbon material to thicken the sidewalls, in order to maintain the wide aero shape = HEAVY RIM WEIGHT
THE SOLUTION | HUNT LIMITLESS TECHNOLOGY (PATENT PENDING)
The HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc rim has as much carbon-fiber material and mass as any other comparable road disc wheelset, and far surpasses ISO impact testing. Added to the sidewall area is an extra-strengthening co-molded low density polymer (density only 0.7g/cm3 vs carbon fiber prepreg of 1.6g/cm3) that keeps the weight low whilst allowing the extra width. LIMITLESS is a pending patent owned by HUNT and developed by Luisa, Tom and Pete, and is exclusive to HUNT wheels. So, you can have a wheelset with the world’s fastest aero shape but also impressively low weight.
THE RESULTS…
The wind tunnel data we recorded is shown against the full range of incumbent world-class aero wheels in the charts below. The results speak for themselves. It was amazing to see Luisa’s face when it became evident what we'd achieved for riders. It’s been hard work but it’s been very worthwhile. This process and the knowledge gained from pushing the boundaries of aero wheel development creates huge opportunities to serve you with a wide range of world leading aerodynamic wheels…this is just the beginning! Thank you.
THE DATA
Read the full research white paper showing all technical wind-tunnel testing method details, extensive wind tunnel data and the full range of wheels we tested against.
The Mavic WAD calculation is based around Time Trial speeds (45 km/h), we used this as an industry standard to show an unequivocal comparison. Our own road speed (35 km/h) simulations show the extra width of the LIMITLESS wheels provide even greater aerodynamic gains at the wider wind yaw angles that real road riders experience. Please see research white paper for more details.
8.4 Fourth wind tunnel test - June 2019
The Enve Ses AR 3.4 Disc wheelset was released in May 2019 – an additional test for this wheelset was arranged. In order to complete the test in a timely manner the tests were carried with the front wheels only, mounted on a single wheel turntable and roller, with no bike. Note that the total drag and power values are lower without the presence of a bike.
Figure 17 Drag [g] vs yaw angle [°] from third wind tunnel test in April 2019 showing HUNT 48 LIMITLESS AERO DISC against Enve SES AR3.4, using a variety of tires.
As most of you will already know, we design our wheels to take a pretty impressive amount of hammering under all sorts of conditions. Whether you're hitting out at your local crit or road race, or taking the long way home on the paths less travelled, you can do so with the confidence that you're rolling on hoops designed to take the lot in their stride.
Accordingly, we now offer free lifetime crashreplacement for the first owners of these wheels.
The Purpose
The ultimate aerodynamic wheelset. Designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern rider, at the speeds they ride at. We ride at a range of wind yaw angles far greater than previously considered, and so HUNT Limitless is able to deliver aerodynamic supremacy across a wide range of riding and at real-world speeds.
Wind tunnel proven against world leading wheels. See the research white paper for full technical details of our wind tunnel testing methodology, including data/graphs and the full range of wheels we tested against.
Designed by HUNT Product Engineering Manager, Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering).
HUNT LIMITLESS technology (patent pending*) allows for low weight and extra-wide aerodynamics.
Fully compliant with new ETRTO tubeless road guidelines (yet to be released) for 23/25/28mm+ road tires. As with all our current HUNT rims, the LIMITLESS wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tires including Continental.
CeramicSpeed’s world renowned low-friction bearings.
WIDER TIRES & WIDER WHEELS | RIDE FASTER
Leading rim-brake wheels have been at the 27-28mm wide mark for some time, with undisputed aero benefits over narrower designs. However, they are aerodynamically limited by rim brake calipers limiting the maximum width of the brake track. Further, most are optimized for narrower tires. 23mm tires used to be the standard… but for us, you and most pro riders, 25/28 and even 30mm tires are the preferred choice. Let’s face it: when leaning in on the final turn of a mass bunch sprint or descending sweeping alpine bends, you want serious grip! Plus, the lower rolling resistance benefits of 25 and 28mm tires* mean that road disc aero wheels should be specifically designed around these wider tires. Accordingly, this wheelset has been designed using schematics and feedback from Schwalbe's own engineers.
(*Especially rider-system benefits, wheel & tire only tests do not include rider damped losses, and how lower pressures reduce these losses by reducing rider movement. This is a whole other area we will be releasing scientific data on.)
INDUSTRY-LEADING AERO KNOWLEDGE
We were ecstatic when Luisa Grappone (MSc Aerospace Engineering) approached us in 2017 about joining HUNT. Luisa’s experience in wind tunnel testing and developing wheels for 10 years (with World Tour pros from BMC Racing, Team Movistar & Cervelo Test Team) showed her industry-leading experience. So of course we welcomed Luisa to join us as HUNT Product Engineering Manager in August 2017. Using Luisa as our Engineering lead, Peter (Co-Founder & Materials Scientist), Tom (Co-Founder & Product Manager) and the whole team here set to work immediately to develop you the fastest ‘unlimited’ road disc-brake wheelset in the world!
HOW WIDE? 34.5mm!
In the last 9 months, road aero disc-brake rim widths have been creeping out to 30-32mm, with several leading wheel and bike companies realizing the benefits of having a rim wider than the tire (even a 28mm tire). This creates the most effective overall aerofoil shape (when considering the wheel and tire together) and reduces turbulence as airflow transitions into the spoke bed. It is now obvious that disc-brake road rims need to be significantly wider to be at their best aerodynamically. With our experience at HUNT, we knew disc brakes provided us a huge opportunity to smash open this area of wheel development. In autumn 2017, a full year before anyone knew about any other wheel companies’ 30mm+ development, we set about unleashing wheel widths, and Luisa designed several 3D-printed prototypes for wind tunnel testing. Luisa worked closely with Europe’s leading bicycle wind tunnel, and over 18 months of painstaking research, design and multiple wind tunnel visits, developed the 34.5mm wide shape for the new 48 Limitless Aero Disc.
WIDE RIM = WEIGHT OR TIRE PROBLEM?
The aero benefits of going wide, can come with downsides, as usually a compromise choice has to be made:
- Go for a wider internal rim of 24 or 25mm = LOSE TIRE COMPATABILITY with 23/25mm tires from leading brands.
- Choose to add extra carbon material to thicken the sidewalls, in order to maintain the wide aero shape = HEAVY RIM WEIGHT
THE SOLUTION | HUNT LIMITLESS TECHNOLOGY (PATENT PENDING)
The HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc rim has as much carbon-fiber material and mass as any other comparable road disc wheelset, and far surpasses ISO impact testing. Added to the sidewall area is an extra-strengthening co-molded low density polymer (density only 0.7g/cm3 vs carbon fiber prepreg of 1.6g/cm3) that keeps the weight low whilst allowing the extra width. LIMITLESS is a pending patent owned by HUNT and developed by Luisa, Tom and Pete, and is exclusive to HUNT wheels. So, you can have a wheelset with the world’s fastest aero shape but also impressively low weight.
THE RESULTS…
The wind tunnel data we recorded is shown against the full range of incumbent world-class aero wheels in the charts below. The results speak for themselves. It was amazing to see Luisa’s face when it became evident what we'd achieved for riders. It’s been hard work but it’s been very worthwhile. This process and the knowledge gained from pushing the boundaries of aero wheel development creates huge opportunities to serve you with a wide range of world leading aerodynamic wheels…this is just the beginning! Thank you.
THE DATA
Read the full research white paper showing all technical wind-tunnel testing method details, extensive wind tunnel data and the full range of wheels we tested against will be available on the 21st June.
The Mavic WAD calculation is based around Time Trial speeds (45 km/h), we used this as an industry standard to show an unequivocal comparison. Our own road speed (35 km/h) simulations show the extra width of the LIMITLESS wheels provide even greater aerodynamic gains at the wider wind yaw angles that real road riders experience. Please see research white paper for more details.
8.4 Fourth wind tunnel test - June 2019
The Enve Ses AR 3.4 Disc wheelset was released in May 2019 – an additional test for this wheelset was arranged. In order to complete the test in a timely manner the tests were carried with the front wheels only, mounted on a single wheel turntable and roller, with no bike. Note that the total drag and power values are lower without the presence of a bike.
Figure 17 Drag [g] vs yaw angle [°] from third wind tunnel test in April 2019 showing HUNT 48 LIMITLESS AERO DISC against Enve SES AR3.4, using a variety of tires.
As most of you will already know, we design our wheels to take a pretty impressive amount of hammering under all sorts of conditions. Whether you're hitting out at your local crit or road race, or taking the long way home on the paths less travelled, you can do so with the confidence that you're rolling on hoops designed to take the lot in their stride.
Accordingly, we now offer free lifetime crashreplacement for the first owners of these wheels.
The Experts' View
Want to add tubeless tires?
We can supply or fit tubeless tires (including sealant) to your wheels.
The wheels are also designed to work excellently with clincher tires and tubes. See recommended tire options here.
Maximum tire pressure for this rim is 100psi when used with 25-28mm tires. Maximum tire pressures for other tire sizes: 30mm - 32mm do not exceed 70psi, 33mm do not exceed 50psi, 35-45mm do not exceed 45psi, 45-50mm do not exceed 40psi. 100psi is more than enough for any rider on road. Please do not exceed the maximum pressure stated on your tire. Click here to listen to a podcast exploring the science of why lower pressures were found to be faster by pro teams.
Specs Overview
THE FASTEST WHEELSET IS THE SUM OF THE FASTEST PARTS
We've poured over every last detail to ensure each component making up the 48 Limitless Aero Disc, is absolutely the fastest of all options...
- LIMITLESS Rims | Wind tunnel developed, features disc-specific, unidirectional T24/30 rims, offering 22.5mm internal and 35mm external widths, and a 48mm u-shape aero profile.
- Tires | Aerodynamically optimized for wider 25-28c tires. Tubeless-ready for lower weight and rolling resistance, featuring H-Lock technology for easy and secure tubeless installation. As with all our current HUNT rims, the LIMITLESS wheels have a normal hooked sidewall and are suitable for all clincher road tires including Continental.
- FastEngage 7.5 Hubs | SPRINT straight-pull centre-lock hubs, boasting an engagement rate of just 7.5° owing to the leaf-sprung, multi-point pawls and 48 ratchets in the hub shell.
- CeramicSpeed Bearings | CeramicSpeed clearly need little introduction. We were honoured when they approached us last year to work together for the LIMITLESS project. As you know, CeramicSpeed bearings are renowned for their low rolling resistance, and are chosen by the top international athletes and teams.
- Elliptical Wing Spokes | Pillar Wing 20 spokes with aerofoil profile. Tested and proven to provide aerodynamic advantage over flat or bladed options both from Pillar and other competitors.
- Axles | Easily adaptable & we fit them for you. Fit all current axle sizes and are easy to change; Front - QR, Bolt thru 12/9mm, Rear - QR, Bolt thru 12x142, 12x135, 10x135.
- Included | Tubeless tape & valves, spare spokes, axle adapters (please fill in the simple form after checkout to select your required size)
- Weight | 1618g
- See the full specs here
Please note: If you require a 6 bolt adaptor you can purchase separately here
More Tech
Rims
- Wind tunnel tested, aerodynamically optimized for 25-28c tires
- Disc-specific tubeless-ready profile
- H-lock bead-seat up-kicks for easy and secure tubeless installation
- Unidirectional T24/30 carbon fiber with 3K weave re-enforced spoke holes
- 35mm outer and 22.5mm inner width
- 48mm depth
- Matt black base finished with matt white contrasting graphics.
Spokes
- Pillar Wing 20 with Aerofoil profile
- 20 front and 24 rear laced 2 cross.
- Aero Butted 2.0-2.2/0.95-2.0 then PSR section is 2.2.
- Straight-pull for excellent torsional strength and direct power transfer
- Cold drawn from high grade T302 (18/10) stainless steel wire by Sandvik Sweden
- Patented Pillar Spoke Re-enforcement, butted again just before the spoke head providing more durability in high stress area.
- Black stainless treatment
Nipples
- Alloy square body for external adjustment and square head for easy internal adjustment/tensioning. square spoke key included.
- 16mm length with washer for a strong connection to the spoke added durability.
- 14 gauge.
- Black anodized finish.
Tires Info
- Maximum tire pressure for this rim is 100psi when used with 25-28mm tires. 100 psi is more than enough for any rider on road. Click here to listen to a podcast exploring the science of why lower pressures were found to be faster by pro teams.
- Maximum tire pressures for other tire sizes: 30mm - 32mm do not exceed 70psi, 33mm do not exceed 50psi, 35-45mm do not exceed 45psi, 45-50mm do not exceed 40psi.
- Please do not exceed the maximum pressure stated on your tire.
- Suitable for tires from 23mm up to 50mm wide.
- Suitable tubeless road, gravel and CX tires are available from a huge range of companies including Schwalbe, Hutchinson, Panaracer, Maxxis and many more. Schwalbe Pro One 25mm tire weighs just 255g, is tubeless ready and is Schwalbe's class leading clincher racing tire.
Axle Size
- These wheels are available with all existing disc brake road bike axle adapter sizes. All our axle adapters are easy to swap but we'll fit the adapters your bike needs to save you the work. After your order checkout is completed a simple form will show, as well as being sent to you in your confirmation email. The form allows you to select the axle size your bike needs, don't worry it also includes the option to tell us your bike model and we will find out and then fit the correct axles, plus we're happy to change them later at our cost if you don't quite get it right. Please note; this form is shown after you have completed your order. Please click on the Front Hub and Rear Hub tabs to see which sizes are available.
Front Hub
- We fit the axles you need, just complete the simple form shown after checkout:
- All existing road/CX disc front axle standards are available including:
- Quick Release (Quick release skewers included)
- 12mm Bolt Thru
- 9mm Bolt Thru (uncommon)
- All axle adapters are also available separately.
- Forged and CNC’d 6061-T6 heat treated aluminium alloy body.
- 7075-T6 aluminium alloy axles.
- Polished anodized black finish with laser graphics.
- Centre-lock disc mount. If you require a 6 bolt adaptor you can purchase separately here
Rear Hub
- We fit the axles you need, just complete the simple form shown after checkout.
- All existing road/CX disc rear axle standards are available including:
- Quick Release (Quick release skewers included)
- 12x142 Bolt Thru
- 12x135 Bolt Thru (uncommon)
- 10x135 Bolt Thru (uncommon)
- All axle adapters are also available separately.
- 7075-T6 heat-treated aluminium alloy freehub body.
- Steel Spline Insert freehub body reinforcement provides excellent durability against cassette sprocket damage to the freehub often seen on standard alloy freehub bodies.
- 3x treble-tooth individually leaf sprung pawls with 48 teeth on the ratchet ring for fast 7.5 degree engagement and instant acceleration.
- All freehub standards accounted for, including:
- Shimano/SRAM
- Campagnolo
- SRAM XD Driver
- SRAM XDR Driver
- Hunt Race Season Disc straight-pull super-light alloy.
- Forged and CNC’d 6061-T6 heat treated aluminium alloy body.
- 7075-T6 aluminium alloy axles.
- Centre-lock disc mount. If you require a 6 bolt adaptor you can purchase separately here
- Polished anodized black finish with laser graphics.
Bearings
- Industry leading CeramicSpeed hybrid ceramic bearings
- 3 to 5 times longer lasting than other ceramic bearings on the market and 10 times more than standard steel bearings.
- CeramicSpeed bearing balls are of the highest quality Grade 3 Silicon Nitride, featuring the highest achievable surface finish and roundness. 15% harder, take 99% higher loads and are more than 100% smoother than other ceramic balls typically seen in the market. The smoothness and the hardness of the CeramicSpeed Balls are unique.
- 6 year warranty
Warranty, HUNT Rolling Road Tests & Weight Limits
These wheels come with H_CARE (Free Lifetime Crash Replacement) for the first owners. Read all about it here.
A full 3 years (6 years on CeramicSpeed bearings) from purchase date warranty is offered to the original purchaser only on all HUNT wheels against material or workmanship defects, please click here to read full details.
All HUNT wheels models have to pass our harsh cobbled-rolling-road tests for rider weight limits, please see here for more details. 109kgs is the upper recommended rider weight limit for these wheels. Please include the weight of any luggage in your total rider weight when choosing the correct wheels. If a rider is over 90Kgs then an experienced bike mechanic should check the wheel regularly and it is advisable to use tires at max 90psi as this will reduce the fatigue on the wheelset. We are cyclists ourselves and do of course go above and beyond to offer excellent service if you ever do experience any issues. We carry full spares at very reasonable prices and offer complete support.
60 Day Ride & Return Period. We are certain you'll be impressed by the acceleration, low-weight, speed and durability of our wheels. We are cyclists and as such strive to offer class leading service and support. Buy with confidence, if for any reason you wish to return the wheels for a full refund of your order you can do so up to a full 60 days after you receive them whether they have been ridden or not. Please note we cannot offer refunds on wheels that have suffered from crash damage but do offer H_CARE (Free Lifetime Crash Replacement) on these wheels.
Tubeless Tire Options
These are only some of the options you can have fitted on your wheels. To see the full range, click here
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Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless Tires - 28mmThe Schwalbe Tubeless road tires consistently win plaudits from journalists and customers alike. We have been testing them for a long time and have been very impressed. The One Pro's are Schwalbe's top of the range tires and feature their triple compound tread so you get extremely low rolling-resistance combined with excellent grip and durability. |
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Schwalbe G One Speed Tubeless Tires - 30mmUnleashing profile and breathtakingly fast - especially when large volume counts. As a 30mm wide road race version with V-Guard, G-One Speed is a tire for the real tough jobs. You can ride it as a handmade tubular or with the most modern tubeless easy technology. But it is also a guarantee for maximum speed in the extra-wide 60mm execution - of course, not only at the fascinating beach races on Holland’s coasts. The new G-One Speed is an evolution of the former S-One and Big One. |
Reviews
Bike Magazine and Website Experts' Views
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"Road CC Editor's Choice""Hunt says its 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels are the fastest disc brake-compatible road wheels up to and including 50mm deep, thanks to its patented Limitless technology. Going wide is the key apparently, and going by the way they perform out in the real world, Hunt could really be on to something. These wheels are quick!". |
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"HUNT releases “world’s fastest aero disc wheelset” (and actually backs it up with data)""Hunt’s new Limitless 48 Aero Disc Wheelset is claimed to be the world’s most aerodynamic disc wheelset below 50mm deep and — unlike many other similar wheels — these claims are backed up with a detailed and transparent white paper." |
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"HUNT Limitless 48 Aero Disc: The world’s fastest wheelset under 50mm deep?""Every company with an aero wheel claims that. But HUNT, the British consumer-direct wheel company has done something new — dare I say, innovative — in order to make such a tired claim." |
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HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc “world’s fastest” road disc brake wheels are ready"There are always tons of claims in the bike industry about how one aero product is faster than the next. Hunt knows that too, so they’ve tried to be totally transparent about how they make those claims. A full technical white paper is available that details their research protocols for wind tunnel testing methodology, including data/graphs and the full range of wheels that were tested against. Read it yourself here." |
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"The Hunt 48 Limitless: The fastest sub 50mm wheel in the world?""That is some exceptional value for money especially when you consider the wheelset uses CeramicSpeed bearings and claims to be the fastest in the world." |
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Road.cc Best Overall Wheels"Hunts make the bike feel like it doesn't need as much power to maintain a given speed, especially when that speed is around 20-25mph." |
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GCN Take a look at the 48 Limitless Aero Disc |
In the Box
Contents
- HUNT Black Shield tubeless rim tape fitted to wheels.
- The axle adapters needed for your bike, just fill in the simple form shown after order completion, the form is also included in your order confirmation page.
- Cassette spacer for 8/9/10 speed
- Tubeless Valves
- Spare of each spoke plus nipples
- Quality control card signed by your wheel builder
HUNT 48 Limitless Aero Disc Wheelset
