The new Hunt 5AM wheels are the latest wheelset in the British brand’s Limitless Aero range. According to Hunt’s wind-tunnel tests, the new wheels are the fastest it has ever made and weigh less than the brand’s Sub50 Limitless wheels. The claimed weight for the 5AM wheelset, complete with titanium hardware and carbon spokes is 1,212g, down from the Sub50’s 1,380g.
The 5AM Limitless wheelset is the latest to use a deeper front rim than rear, following on from Roval’s Rapide CLX Sprint and CLX III. For aerodynamic purposes, the 5AM combines a front depth of 58mm with a 55mm rear depth, while the rims use separate profiles with only the front rim using Limitless polymer in the walls to save weight due to its larger profile. Front and back do share width though, with Hunt installing a 23mm hooked rim bed that’s optimised for 28-30mm tyres rather than the hookless rims it has preferred elsewhere in the Limitless range.
Every tier comes with the carbon spokes, but prices vary from £1,999 to £2,489 depending on whether CeramicSpeed or stainless steel bearings are fitted.
Hunt’s most aerodynamic road wheelset ever
Using what Hunt calls its five-stage aero development process, including CFD simulations, wind-tunnel testing of both individual wheels and entire rider and bike systems, and sensor-based road testing,
Hunt focused on research that understood aerodynamics as a full bike and rider system, rather than a collection of separate parts. This has resulted in a design that uses asymmetrical depths and rim profiles to produce the Sussex brand’s fastest racing wheel system to date.
This builds on the premise that there is more to be gained aerodynamically at the leading edge of the bike, where the air is cleaner and less turbulent than at the rear wheel.
As well as being 3mm deeper, the front rim has been made wider without adding too much weight by using Hunt’s patented Limitless Width Aero Technology, a fabrication method that inserts a low density polymer into cavities between the carbon to maintain a wide aerodynamic profile while keeping weight low. With Hunt saying aerodynamics are less of a concern at the rear wheel, weight is saved on the shallower rear rim by using a narrower profile.
Hunt has tested the 5AM wheels against its main aero rivals and claims they are the lightest and the fastest, both in the wind tunnel and out on the road. This equates to a claimed 4.35 watt advantage over the Enve 4.5 Pro in the wind tunnel at 45kmh and a 5.9 watt advantage over the Scope Artech 6 on the road at 41kmh. Hunt partnered with Dr Barnaby Garrood, the founder of Aerosensor, for this testing, which required a special on-bike sensor setup.
Weight drop: fewer, lighter spokes and a slimmer hub
Hunt says it has further reduced drag by reducing the number of spokes to 33 (15 front and 18 rear) and smoothing the rim by making the nipples internal. According to Hunt’s white paper, because of the higher speeds the spokes are moving through the fork compared to the bike as a whole, a small reduction in spoke count correlates with drag reduction, especially at higher speeds. As per the graph below, Hunt calculates that a four-spoke reduction translates to a 2.9-watt reduction in drag at 53kmh.
The Vonoa Ti_UD carbon spokes used in the 5AM wheels weigh 1.7g per spoke, which is a significant reduction from the 2.7g Bladed UD carbon spokes Hunt uses elsewhere in its range. Hunt says these bladed spokes are not only lighter but provide 400kgf of tensile strength versus the 300kgf provided by the most premium steel spokes.
The overall system weight of 1,212g is 457g lighter than the Hunt 60 Limitless wheelset, with the closest aero competitors being Scope’s Artech 6 at 1,244g and the Enve 4.5 Pro at 1,295g.
Contributing to this weight is the Chase SLC Hub system made from CNC-machined aluminium. The 48t ratchet hub has a 7.5° engagement angle and the slim hourglass shell (shown below) is said to reduce drag.
Spec options, prices and availability
The headline claimed 1,212g weight is for both the stainless steel and the CeramicSpeed bearing options, which are both built with carbon spokes. The CeramicSpeed bearings come with a lifetime guarantee.
All variants have the same mismatched 58mm and 55mm depth front and rear with a high gloss finish. Both rims are hooked and have a 23mm internal width, with a 34.5mm and 30mm front and rear external widths.
Hunt says pre-orders placed now will be fulfilled in the third week of May 2026. There are two price variants as listed below. As ever, Hunt has provided more in-depth information on the development of the 5AM wheels in its white paper, which is shared on huntbikewheels.com.
HUNT 5AM Limitless Ti_UD Carbon Spoke, Stainless Steel Bearings:
- Spokes: TaperLock UD Carbon
- Bearings: Double-sealed stainless steel cartridge
- Claimed weight: 1,212g per pair
- Price: £1,999 / $2,599 / €2,349
HUNT 5AM Limitless Ti_UD Carbon Spoke, CeramicSpeed Bearings:
- Spokes: Vonoa Ti_UD Carbon
- Bearings: CeramicSpeed
- Claimed weight: 1,212g per pair
- Price: £2,2489 / $3,199 / €2,899