Cyclist
Hunt Sustain wheels use recycled materials to reduce environmental impact as brand aims for net zero
Hunt Wheels has launched three new wheelsets, but rather than the usual lighter, faster, stiffer mantra, the Sustain Phase One wheel range is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and creating a more sustainable wheel production process.
The Sustain range includes the 42 Carbon Disc Ti wheelset with rims with 10% recycled carbon fibre and titanium hubs, priced at £1,149. The 4 Season All-Road Disc wheel rims have 75% recycled aluminium content and are priced at £449, while the Trail Wide 29 MTB wheelset also has 75% recycled rim content and is priced at £489.
All three wheelsets are assembled in Europe using locally made parts to reduce transport costs.
How Hunt is targeting emissions reduction
Hunt says that it’s been researching how to measure and reduce the business’s environmental impact for a few years.
The new Sustain wheels are updates of three of the company’s most popular wheelsets, but redesigned with new specs, using recycled content in both the carbon and alloy rimmed products and less resource-intensive manufacturing processes. In addition, Hunt has reduced the distances the Sustain wheels and their components are transported.
Hunt has moved to silver Zero Coat Sapim spokes and nipples, which reduce environmental impact over the more usual black anodised components. The alloy rimmed wheels swap alloy nipples for brass, which is naturally corrosion resistant.
Hunt is aiming for accreditation by the Science Based Targets Initiative, which helps companies to measure their emissions and set reduction targets. It plans to produce an emissions statement and publish its progress in reducing emissions by the end of 2024, with the target of reducing its own emissions by 50% or more by 2030. It’s aiming for net zero across its entire supply, production and waste disposal chain by 2050.
It also runs RE:NEW, which offers a discount on low-use Hunt wheels. In addition, it says that it is committed to providing spares and replacement components for its entire range, so that riders can keep their current wheels running for longer.
The Phase One in the wheelsets’ name points to Hunt’s goal of rolling out additional sustainability upgrades in the near future.
Hunt Sustain wheelset options
42 Carbon Disc Ti wheelset
Designed for mixed surface riding, the 42 Carbon Disc Ti wheelset has a claimed 1,497g weight. Its rim incorporates 10% recycled carbon fibre content, sourced from aerospace and automotive components and waste from wheel rim production.
The fibre is used to reinforce the outer rim and bead hooks, with Hunt saying that its multidirectional structure helps to improve the rim’s impact resistance.
The rims are formed on a wax core mandrel, then resin is infused into the rim during moulding. This replaces the usual carbon fibre pre-preg sheets, which need to be refrigerated before use, thus reducing energy usage. The offcuts from Hunt’s production process are also easier to recycle than pre-preg.
The wax core can be melted and reused more than 20 times, in contrast to the more frequently used EPS foam or silicone mandrels, which are single use.
The 42 Carbon Disc Ti wheelset rim has a hooked profile with 22mm internal width and Hunt says that it’s optimised for tyres from 25mm to 35mm wide.
There’s a new titanium hub too, which is made in Belgium and incorporates a stainless steel ratchet with 10-degree engagement. Spokes are Sapim CX-Ray triple butted aero stainless steel.
The Hunt Sustain 42 Carbon Disc Ti wheelset is priced at £1,149 / $1,449 / €1,349.
4 Season All-Road Disc wheelset
The 4 Season wheelset has been a staple of Hunt’s range for years, but its rims are now made with 75% recycled aluminium. This is made up of 30% that comes from post-consumer waste including drinks cans, with the remaining 45% from industry including off-cuts and waste from CNC machining.
The Sustain 4 Season All-Road Disc wheelset uses alloy hubs with 7.5-degree engagement machined in France alongside Sapim D-Light Zero Coat double-butted spokes and is assembled in France.
Internal rim width is 23mm and claimed weight is 1,718g per wheelset. The 4 Season All-Road Disc wheelset is priced at £449 / $549 / €489.
Finally, there’s the Trail Wide 29 MTB wheelset. This uses similar construction to the 4 Season All-Road Disc wheels and runs on Boost hub spacing. It’s priced at £489 / $589 / €549.
Hunt isn’t the only wheel maker to try to make its products more sustainable. A year ago, Chris King introduced the ARD44, a wheel which used a nylon matrix in place of the more usual epoxy to reduce energy input and waste in manufacturing and increase recyclability.
Read how Shift Cycling Culture is aiming to make the bike industry more sustainable.
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