The 48 Limitless Aero Disc is Hunt’s first wheelset designed in-house, and is boldly proclaimed as the fastest in the world up to, and including, a 50mm depth.
Such claims are validated by countless wind-tunnel hours, with Hunt’s 2019 white paper showing the wheelset outperformed competitors at various yaw angles. Optimised for 28mm tubeless tyres, these wheels have a whopping 34.5mm external width.
Hunt’s research demonstrates that it’s aerodynamically beneficial for the rim to exceed the tyre’s width. Internal width is 22.5mm, so even though it’s not recommended by Hunt, it’s safe to use tyres as narrow as 23mm, should you need to.
Our pair came with CeramicSpeed bearings and, as a standard, Hunt provides rim tape, tubeless valves, spare spokes and a spoke key. Hooked rims means almost any tubeless-ready or standard clincher tyres will fit; ideal for triathletes who may opt to stick a tube in if the worst happens mid-race.
We found fitting tough going, though, with some refining of our technique needed to get the tyres on quickly. If you’re used to narrower wheels, it’s noticeable just how wide they are when looking down, with our 28mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres sitting inside the edges of the 34.5mm wide rims.
On the road, these hoops lived up to their name, feeling markedly faster than our older Specialized Roval C38 discs. They roll remarkably well at 40km/h and beyond, needing what felt like less power to hold those speeds when compared to similar wheelsets we’ve tested.
The 48mm depth proved no problem in the wind, offering at least the same amount of stability as shallower wheels we previously had fitted on our test bike.
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The hub ran very smoothly on the CeramicSpeed bearings, not to mention the terrifying freehub screech that’s sure to alert rivals. Is the upgrade worth the extra £290 over the £1,099 steel bearing option? We’re sceptical, but if you want every possible advantage, the upgraded price is still reasonable for what’s on offer.
The wheels ran perfectly true out the box and stayed that way. But should this change, the nipples are external, allowing you to make any required tension adjustments.
With the extra puncture protection tubeless offers, you’d have to be unlucky to flat in a race. But if you do, we’d recommend nailing your technique and experimenting with tyre choice before using the 48 Limitless Aero Disc in a crucial race. Otherwise, there’s not really anything to dislike about these fast, smooth and affordable race-day wheels.
Verdict: Fast mid-depth wheels with proven aero benefits and a great price
Score: 91%
