Hunt's 1317g Gravel Wheels Cost $2,899—The Steel Version Might Be the Smarter Buy
Hunt's 5AM Gravel Limitless wheels: 1317g with carbon spokes or 1447g steel at $500 less. Aero-optimized for 50mm tires with oversized rim beads for pinch flat protection.
1317 grams for a gravel wheelset optimized around 50mm tires. That's the number Hunt is leading with on the 5AM Gravel Limitless Ti_UD, and it's worth interrogating because most aero gravel wheels clock in 100–150 grams heavier while chasing similar drag figures.
Hunt's approach here splits front and rear duties in a way that makes aerodynamic sense but complicates the marketing story. The front rim runs 54mm deep and 45mm wide—big enough to smooth airflow around modern gravel rubber. The rear drops to 49mm deep and 38mm wide, prioritizing weight savings and power transfer over aero gains that would mostly get lost in the turbulent mess behind your legs anyway. It's a pragmatic trade: you get the drag reduction where it counts and shed grams where it doesn't.
The pinch flat protection angle is interesting for anyone running lower pressures on chunky terrain. Hunt widened the rim beads to 9mm front and 5.5mm rear—essentially building a buffer zone to spread impact force before the tire bottoms out against the rim edge. Whether that translates to fewer sidewall failures at 25 PSI on rocky singletrack remains the kind of thing only miles will prove, but the engineering logic is sound.
The Steel Spoke Option Changes the Math
At $2,399, the steel spoke variant weighs 1447 grams—130 grams heavier than the carbon spoke build but $500 cheaper. In Hunt's own wind tunnel data, the steel spoke version actually recorded the lowest drag of all 12 tested wheelsets with 45mm tires, edging out the carbon spoke model by a margin within the tunnel's error range. So you're paying the premium on the Ti_UD primarily for weight, not speed. For riders who aren't chasing KOMs on every climb, that's a hard argument to make.
The hookless rim interface limits you to tubeless-ready tires rated for the system—no running your old clinchers with tubes. And while Hunt includes lifetime crash replacement for original owners, the carbon spoke version puts you near Zipp 303 XPLR SW territory on price while asking you to trust a less established spoke material for long-term durability. Riders logging serious mixed-surface miles in all conditions might find the steel spoke build a more sensible bet. Those obsessing over every gram for Unbound qualification will pay the difference and not look back.
— Road.cc
