Are the $780 Hunt All Mountain H_Impact Carbon Wheels Too Good to be True?
Carbon wheels are often the pinnacle of upgrading a mountain bike. They are usually lighter, stiffer, and transfer power more efficiently, which makes for a transformative experience switching from alloy hoops, especially a heavy, flexy OEM alloy wheelset. For years, the carbon mountain bike wheel space was dominated by a small handful of brands, and they were often unattainable for many because of their price. After already spending a few thousand bucks on a mountain bike, who wants to go drop two or three-thousand more on a wheelset?To get more news about
mountain rims, you can visit zpebicycle official website.
But every year, we have seen more and more affordable wheels for the average everyday trail rider, to make their bike lighter and improve the ride quality. UK-based Hunt Bike Wheels has been around for a little while, but their wheel distribution is fairly new to the US. Last year when I was in Sun Valley, Idaho for an event, I was introduced to the folks behind Hunt, and they gave me a look at their new All Mountain Carbon H_Impact wheelset. Since then, they have been getting more and more wheels to the West, and are setting up a North American shop in Boulder, Colorado.
At the time, the new carbon wheelset was retailing for $800 (!) Hunt caught my attention. Since then, the price has dropped by $20. But, yes, $800 for a carbon wheelset, is generally what people pay when shopping used.
[W]e operate on a leaner business model than the cycling industry has traditionally featured,” says Ken Rodriguez-Clisham, brand manager of Hunt. “Without having to fuel a large marketing department/budget we are able to invest significantly more in components than we might otherwise be able to. Secondly, by selling directly to the rider, our products do not have to travel through many (price-inflating) layers of distribution, thus we’re able to offer wheels at fair prices whilst being able to sustain a business seeking only to serve more riders with the same.”
Last fall, Hunt sent a set of the wheels to try out. I got a few rides in on the H_Impacts last year before the snow came. This spring, with plenty of quarantine time on hand, I threw the wheels on a new bike I built, and have been riding them steadily since then and have only had more positive impressions.
