My Hunt 35's are going back under the 60 day 'ride and return' policy due to a couple of hub issues.

Are there any reputable wheel builders, building wheels on similarly reasonably priced carbon rims, but with greater care and options for better hubs (DT, Hope etc.)?

I've done a fair bit of web trawling but not really found what I'm looking for. Cheers

https://www.justridingalong.com/product ... -of-wheels

I'd trust these guys. Well.. with wheels if not graphic design ; )
They built the last set of wheels I put on my Jones and that was over 10 years ago now. The rims are looking beat but they've stayed impressively straight.

Are Hunt still having problems with Novatec hubs?
Halo hubs are good ime and not too pricey, they have souced from Novatec but the Spin Dr hubs I had were from elswhere and good spec.
I was a bit dismissive of Hope hubs having had the disc mounts on a Pro2 start to crack, but then my DT 240 shell on another bike split recently. I've since learned to build wheels and both rebuilds are doing ok - buying the parts and doing them yourself isn't hard if you're competent mechanically (as I know you are).

Thanks James.

I did find the JRA wheels and it looks like they're building on the kind of rims in my price point, but I'm wary of unbranded/rebranded hubs, and the availability of spares down the line.

I don't mind paying the extra for something like a DT350 hub and I'm tempted to just get some built on a DT GR531 rim for about £500, but figured someone would probably be building 350 hubs onto reasonably priced (light bicycle?) rims in the UK for about £1k?

Maybe I'm way off the mark, or maybe the wheel builders don't trust the far-eastern rims in the same way I don't trust the hubs...

https://www.lightbicycle.com/?gad_sourc ... fcQAvD_BwE

Rims or complete wheels with a choice of hub, you pay all taxes as part of postage. Even with that they come out at good value.

Can you not just source the rims and get a decent builder to make it happen?
Mate of mine was raving about Silt wheels (MTB only), but smashed a rim on the final descent of our GR5 trip and had some freewheel issues - though squirting soap into it after mistaking it for oil probably didn't help
They did replace the rim FOC, but not much help if half way through something.

After a month or two on DT alloy wheelset I got these https://www.lightbicycle.com/700C-32mm- ... tible.html in hookless and IIRC for 24 front, 28 rear spokes. At the time got a great deal on DT240s through a Deutscher Onlineladen, ne.
My fav. wheel builder put it all together with bladed spokes (something from DT) and brass nipples, since I ride all year, rarely clean and get loads of salt on roads in winter where I live.
The alloy wheels felt okay, but I constantly had to true them, especially the rear. Not the the replacement wheels.

These DT/LB wheels have been brilliant.
Got a rear tyre explosion from picking up a finger sized piece of rusty iron going nearly 40 km/h on rough gravel. It'd take me long to explain, but I'll just say that hadn't the rim proven it's strength in many different areas, I wouldn't be riding it any more and I probably would've crashed. All it took was some smooth sand paper and a little nail varnish to make it look like new, yet I'm sure I could've used the rim as it was.
On another occassion I rode about 10 km with a flat. Yes. On a carbon rim. Mix of gravel, grass and tarmac. Rim still like new.

On yet another occassion I hit a pothole (what's the correct name for a hole on a gravel track?) at about 35 km/h when not paying attention when I should've. I hit the deck, got a decent gravel rash and trashed my bike, sliding across broken bricks and roof tiles (farmers "repair" bad tracks with them here abouts). Cost the insurance CHF 3400.-. Of course the wheels where just fine.

They now have well above 10000 km in them and no issues, though can't remember if I changed the bearings in the hubs last year after sensing a little play, but that could've been my trailbike
Every now and the I check spoke tension, I guess about 3 x a year, and there's hardly any correction needed.

I really don't take much care and those wheels also see a lot of use in train transport, leaning onto other bikes etc. and guess what. Like new
Highly recommended.
Use 350 hubs on nearly all my other bikes. Moved away from Hope when multiple hubs I was using cracked (freewheel).

+1 for Light Bicycle rims. I built mine on to some old Hope Pro 4s I had and they've been well used and abused for years now without issue. They're a bit tatty now but still rock solid.

I'm wary of unbranded/rebranded hubs, and the availability of spares down the line.

Fair, there are some very good ones though - I have Taiwan-made rear hubs that I rate as well as both DT and Hope (given I've had DT and Hopes crack/fail in the last 12 mths with massive proviso that the use isn't directly comparible across all the hubs, this is just impressions based on time on a bike and my estimates of the use the wheels had). I also have a Taiwan dynamo hub that has certainly done more miles and had a tougher life than my SON hub which is now needing to be sent for new bearings, plus I can sort the bearings on the TW hub myself.

Spares should be ok if you buy from a company who have an interest in supporting what they do, JRA or Halo/Ison etc.

But the answer is DT 240 / 350, probably on LB rims given their rep. Would JRA do you their rims on some 350s?

Thanks for all the replies.

I've messaged JRA about building something onto DT hubs, just waiting for a reply.

Failing that, it looks like ordering the rims from Light Bicycle and having them built on DT hubs by the LBS is the next option, although I'd really like to be riding them sooner than this would take.

In the meantime, I'm going to have to buy either a pro4 microspline freehub, or a 12s HG MTB cassette to keep riding the cursed Sonder using a wheelset from another bike, neither of which are particularly cheap for a temporary fix.

JRA won't build onto anything other than Bitex hubs, and my local well respected bike tech (Cycle Fast) hasn't replied to my request.

I'd really like to be rolling faster than the light-bicycle lead time and they also don't have an option for microspline in the 350 hubs..

I found a builder via eBay who also has a web shop. Seems very knowledgeable and happy to build custom wheels using Farsports rims. Quote seems reasonable so unless someone here tells me this is a terrible idea, that looks like where my money is going.



All credit to Hunt, despite the wheels being crap, the 60 day ride and return policy was excellent. The wheels saw some fairly hard riding and were a bit scuffed up when they went back, but the refund was issued in full without question.

Ryan Builds Wheels in Bristol are an excellent option and well worth a look.

https://www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk/

Loki wrote: ↑Fri Apr 04, 2025 1:19 pm Ryan Builds Wheels in Bristol are an excellent option and well worth a look.

https://www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk/

Unless I'm missing something, they don't seem to list any carbon rims for the gravel wheelsets

Not had any issues with my Plastic Hunts after two years of a good beating in the Lakes one broken nipple and the rear hub has just developed a bit of play so probably time for a service!

Gone down the light bicycle route as they run to higher pressures than the hunts. Also dt 350 hubs which will be a first for me. Just need to get spokes then get twiddling!

I really need to get my arse in gear and get set up for lacing my own.

Let us know how it all comes together Phil

I was going to update this after riding my new wheels. I can't ride due to injury, but I have managed to get them on the bike.

As per the quote above, they're DT350 hubs, 28 Sapim CX ray spokes and wide, carbon farsports rims.

I communicated directly with the seller via his website and email, which brought the price down a bit from the eBay ad.

They appear very well built, even spoke tension and beautifully true. They arrived very well taped, and the tyres (mezcal 45's) went on easily and set up tubeless with a track pump, and have stayed inflated since, without any spinning or riding

One day I might even get to ride them

eBay link to original advert
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126736572436 ... media=COPY