The Hill Climb SL

Aug 12, 2023

Hunt weighs in with a new set of ultra-light disc brake wheels which (barely) tip the scales at just 963 grams

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Hunt has announced the latest addition to its race-focussed hill climbing lineup with the new Hill Climb SL disc wheelset.

Tubular, and weighing an unbelievably slight 963 grams (claimed), the new wheels feature the latest and greatest carbon technology throughout, along with input from the current national champion, Andrew Feather.

Many avid hill climbers (like myself) long await the months of September and October to come around for the short - but sweet - season that sees riders tackle short hill climbs against the clock. With no minimum weight limit, you often see some pretty crazy event-specific bike builds, which the Hunt Hill Climb SL will surely feature in this year - but how have they got the wheelset so light?

Well, for a start, these wheels are tubular. This traditional tyre fixing method allows for less material to be used on the rim, which Hunt has used to its advantage. Hunt has opted for a 30mm deep and 26mm wide rim, which the brand says offers plenty of strength. The wheels are optimized for 23-28mm tyre widths - essential when trying to gain traction on British roads.

Hunt has also used its TaperLock UD carbon spokes which save as much as 10 grams per spoke compared to standard stainless steel spokes but, more importantly, also offer real usability. The technology, which Hunt first employed in 2019, allows carbon spokes to be re-laced and trued in the same way standard steel spokes can, which means your wheel won't have to go to a carbon specialist if you snap a spoke - as you would for the likes of Lightweight's wheels.

The hubs, too, are new, made out of a CNC'd 6066-T6 aluminium body which has been heat treated for added strength. To add a more instantaneous response, Hunt has also used a 40-tooth ratchet drive, meaning you'll only have to turn the pedals through 9-degrees before the ratchet bites into action.

The strange steel bar across the hub is functional too - Hunt has included its 'anti-bite' insert, which the brand says helps to prevent your cassette from gouging out soft alloy - the other splines have been removed, again in the name of weight saving.

The Hubs are also available in Shimano/Sram 8-11 speed, Campagnolo 8-11 speed, Campagnolo Ekar, Shimano 12 speed, and Sram XD/XDR setups, so whatever your groupset preference, you are covered.

The current National Champion will be riding the new wheels this season

Perhaps most impressive, is that Hunt has managed to bring all these claims in at a price point of $1,699 / £1,299. There's no doubt that they still cost a lot of money, but when you consider something like a Lightweight Meilenstein can cost over three times the price, Hunt has certainly undercut competitors in the rather niche field.

For more information on the wheelset that will likely be ridden to a fair few victories by the National Champ this year, visit Hunt's website.

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Joe is Cycling Weekly's tech writer. He's always had a love for bikes, since first riding a two wheeled steed before the age of four. Years down the line, Joe began racing at 16, and enjoyed great experiences internationally, racing in Italy, Spain and Belgium to name a few locations. Always interested in tech, Joe even piloted his Frankenstein hill climb bike to a Junior National Title in 2018. After taking a step back from elite level racing in April 2022, Joe joined our team as a freelancer, before becoming Tech Writer in May 2023.

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