As far as the best enduro MTB wheels go, the Hunt Enduro Wide MTB V2 are a great for hard riding at a great price. With neat touches to the rim width and spoke count, they manage to balance strength and weight very well, while retaining a fast and comfortable ride feel.
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Hunt Enduro Wide MTB V2 29 wheelset - Technical details
Built on large hub bodies, front and rear, with a five-degree ‘RapidEngage’ free hub, they are available in boost or super boost (boost tested) options and contain large double sealed cartridge bearings. These have remained smooth during the past six months of riding. The axles are thick 17mm 7075-T6 - which claims to ‘increase strength and stiffness, and reduce hub flex to increase bearing life’. Discs are mounted using a six-bolt configuration.
Using a 28 front and 32 rear spoke count arrangement, the j-bend spokes are triple butted, and laced into 6069 T6-welded hoops which feature a 33mm internal (rear) and 31mm internal (front) rim widths. The valves supplied are easy to use and have a core removal tool built into them.
Weighing a respectable 2,120g (quoted 2,170g) with valves, the wheels are tubeless ready and tyres can be mounted easily by hand. Some inflated with a standard track pump, a few with a charger but the good news is they stayed inflated with little in the way of pressure loss. Hunt recommends 2.35-2.6in tyres for the best performance. Visually, the all-black finish is stealthy and resistanet to dings and scratches - of course this all depends how hard you ride but our test pair still look pretty good and held up well over the test duration.
Hunt Enduro Wide MTB V2 29 wheelset - how they ride.
From the first ride, the Hunt Enduro Wide MTB V2 wheelset felt fast and light, and handled my rock-based trails with minor damage. They’ve remained straight, both vertical and horizontal. Hub engagement is par for the course - pick-up is crisp and this helps when working up technical climbs from trackstanding situations or slow speeds.
The wheels feel taught but balanced. On longer rides they delivered a comfortable ride quality, thanks to the pliancy of the alloy construction. Tyres have remained seated with no burping whatsoever - even after some low-pressure tests and some pretty heavy huck-to-flat hits.
On longer rides, the reasonably low weight has helped across all riding situations and terrain types, as has the enduro-level toughness and all-round strength. The finish, look and build quality is excellent and they’ve proven predictable in rockier terrain, and been reassuring on drops and landings. With a rider weight limit of 120kg (that's rider, clothing and bag) they should suit most riders.
The front rim is 2mm wider than the rear which has squared up the tyre shape, adding more assurance anf front-end purchase in corners - this despite the somewhat minimal 28-spoke assembly. Out back, the 32-spoke load-bearing rear rim is marginally slimmer. This has helped with outright speed in both straight-ahead and cornering situations and also proven to be quite resistant to rock strikes and impacts.
Hunt Enduro Wide MTB V2 29 wheelset - Verdict
At £370, the similarly priced Hunt Trail Wide Boost 29 Wheelset is a more trail focussed version but lacks the outright hardiness of the Enduro Wides. Slightly higher up in price is the £410 Shimano Deore XT M8120 wheelset. The Hunt Enduro Wide V2 Wheels are a no brainer and you'll be hard-pressed to find anything on the market that matches them for value and performance. If that's not enough, Hunt also offers a crash replacement policy (35% off a new pair) for added peace of mind.
The Hunt Enduro Wide MTB V2 are a pretty much fit-and-forget wheelset. The spokes have remained evenly tensioned and the bearings are still smooth, despite most of my testing taking place over a winter/spring period.
They ride great and instil in the rider a supreme level of confidence, the latter of which is a massively important feature for those wanting to improve and get faster at enduro events. They're easy to maintain, even easier to set up with tubeless tyres and come in at a really impressive price point.
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