Hunt 54 Aerodynamicist Carbon Disc wheelset review

Hunt’s Aerodynamicist range is an affordable way into the British brand’s in-house engineered aero wheelsets, featuring trickle-down technology from its exhaustive ‘Limitless’ wind tunnel project. But does it deserve a place on our list of the best triathlon wheels?

Design and build

The rims, which incorporate a mix of Toray T700 and T800 carbon fibre, are the same used on the Carbon Spoke Disc wheels (around £500 more expensive), but you get steel spokes instead.

These spokes are “top-of-the-range” butted blade aero spokes according to Hunt, and it means the total weight for the pair is 1,524g as opposed to 1,410g for the Carbon Spoke Disc.

That being said, you’re saving a sizeable amount of cash and conventional steel spokes are more easily serviceable, so it’s swings and roundabouts, really.

While Hunt is a strong proponent of hookless technology, the 54 Aerodynamicist sticks with a hooked rim bead, so you can choose to run tubeless or standard clincher tyres with inner tubes.

The rim width is 20mm internally and 29mm externally, a size that means you can run tyres from 23mm all the way up to 40mm.

Other than tyres, tubes and sealant, Hunt supplies everything you need to get going out the box, including rim tape already affixed to the rims and 80mm tubeless valves.

I went tubeless for my test rides, going for a 28mm tyres pumped up to 80psi.

Ride performance

To ride, the 54 Aerodynamicist wheels aren’t the nippiest from a dead start and performance on hills is middling.

Then again, I’ve not tried anything better at this price point, and am comparing to the performance of wheels in our recent group test that cost two, even three times as much.

We’re talking pretty negligible differences here, and for triathletes it’s always going to be the performance when riding at a consistent pace and cadence that matters most; and I can safely say these wheels are superb in this regard.

When you get up to speed you can really start reaping those aerodynamic rewards.

On time trial efforts it’s difficult to distinguish the 54 Aerodynamicist from super premium mid-depth rims.

The Japanese EZO bearings within Hunt’s own aluminium freehubs ran smoothly at all times, and these wheels also feel very nippy on descents, too.

Any descending or freewheeling is accompanied by a screechy freehub sound that will let competitors know you’re there, but it isn’t absurdly loud.

Handling in wind

They handled the wind very well, too, and I didn’t experience any more or less twitch on the Aerodynamicists than any other wheels in our 2024 group test.

If you’re a confident bike handler you could spend a little more on the 7387 Aerodynamicist instead, offering a 73mm front and 87mm rear rim depth as the name suggests, but for a lot of us the 54 will be the sweet spot between weight, speed and handling.

The bottom line

The Aerodynamicist range of wheelsets are still among the best value out there in 2024 with few compromises.

Ultimately, with this 54mm-deep version you’re getting fast and reliable wheels that you could use on your triathlon and/or road bike to make your spend go even further. There’s very little not to like.

For more ways to upgrade your bike setup, see our list of the best clip-on aerobars and the best aero road helmets for triathlon.

Hunt 54 Aerodynamicist Carbon Disc wheelset specs

Price	£999 / $1,399
Available from:	Hunt Wheels
Spokes:	20 front/24 rear
Rim depth:	54mm
Internal rim width:	20mm
Tyre type:	Tubeless or clincher
Weight:	1,524g