Wheelset Upgrade
 

I only own one bike and it is an inexpensive entry level Giant Contend AR4. I very much like this bike, and particularly how well the frame fits me and feels, and it is the exact same frame that Giant uses on its highest grade Contend. I do not wish to buy a new bike but would like to upgrade just a bit. After reading many times that the most noticeable improvement will be found with better tires and wheels, I bought Continental GP5000 tires and Vittoria latex tubes, and the difference was very noticeable and substantially enhanced my enjoyment of this bike. I am now looking at wheelsets and I think the set I want is the Hunt SL disc wheelset. I am not mechanically inclined and will have a mechanic install them but before I buy them, I want to ask a question from this board. It sounds to me as though the primary attribute that will provide a more enjoyable ride is the lighter weight. I am unable to obtain reliable information about the weight of the factory Giant SR-2 Disc wheelset from Giant itself, but various comments I have seen online from users list it at somewhere between 2000 and 2500 grams. The Hunt set is listed at 1448g, so the savings is at least 500g and perhaps more. This sounds like a lot to me and should be an improvement I can feel while riding, and to me is an amount of money that is worth it as long as the difference is more than minimal. Any thoughts?

The SR2 are over 2000g. I don't have the exact number, but they are at least 500g heavier than the Hunt SLs.

In terms of ''is it worth upgrading'', it really depends on what you are looking to obtain and how much will it cost. ''Is 000$ to buy the Hunt SL worth the 000g weight saving?''. I would personally not buy alloy to upgrade alloy, but that's just my opinion.

Probably depends on your goals and disposable income. I suspect the marginal benefit you may get from the wheel upgrade will be more modest/less obvious than the benefit you got from the tires/tubes.

So it's reasonable to do but don't have super high expectations. If you are on a budget, save your money.

Better wheels can be a big upgrade and not just because of the lighter weight. Hub bearings, wheel stiffness, and lighter weight rims all contribute to a better ride. These wheels are tubeless ready, all you have to do is tape the rims with the provided tubeless tape(which you should do anyway even if you are going to use tube type tires), install the valves, then mount the tires as you would a normal clincher omitting the inner tube, and pump them up, first without sealant to set the beads in place, then injecting the sealant through the valve stem. I converted my gravel bike which came with inner tubes installed. I was able to remove the inner tube, install the valve, remount the tire, and pump back up both wheels in about 15 minutes. I left the tires overnight to see if they would hold air(they did) and injected the sealant the next morning, a 5 minute job. Note: the wheels were already taped. Installing new wheels isn't all that complicated, all you need is a lockring tool to tighten the cassette in place. This tool is also used to tighten the disc rotor(these wheels use a centre lock rotor).
Installing new wheels isn't a big deal, any bike owner should be able to perform this task and have the tools necessary. If you can change tires, you will be able to install a new set of wheels

Man, if you can drop ~500g from your rig for $500, I’d say do it. Light is right; it changes the feel of a road bike in a positive way, and the rim is nicely wide at 19mm IW so that’ll give a good, affirmative feel at the road, too (assuming narrower rim and same tire size as you’ve got now). You’ll be able to run slightly lower pressure, improving comfort and bump compliance/rolling resistance. It sounds like “all win” to me.

I bought Hunt Aero Disc Light wheels to replace my SR2 back when I had a Contend SL (since sold to a friend). I still have the Hunts but rarely use them, preferring a heavier set of DT Swiss wheels on my remaining QR disc bike. I found the Hunts flexy (and I weigh 63-65kg), not aero in the least (yet somehow twitchy in crosswinds), and my tubeless tires lost a ton of air until I retaped them but still unseat instead of stay bead-locked. The only thing I liked was the increased PoE.

Hunts are fine, good price, good performance, and very good-great customer service BUT they tend to have problems. I had two units with cracks at the nipple and I have read a good deal of people having long term hub issues. Again, Hunt's customer service is great so all my problems were addressed promptly. On a subjective note Hunts have hands down some of the loudest hubs ever.

Other recommendations but are direct to consumer Chinese wheels: Winspace Hyper Wheels at $1200 shipped w/ coupon for the D45 which are 46mm front/ 54mm rear w/ carbon spokes and ceramic bearings at 1420g are amazing wheels and now ship from a NJ warehouse. Also EliteWheels Drive 50D at 50mm carbon spokes and hybrid ceramic bearings and 1290g at $1010 or less shipped w/ coupon are insanely light and also perform great. 9Velo 35mm or 55mm wheels with carbon spokes, ceramic bearings at 1300g and 1486g at around $1000 shipped also are very good wheels. All three of these would be my picks for higher end wheels compared to most Hunts but at a similar price

You need to install the wheels yourself. It's easy, and if you can't do that, you also won't be able to change a flat.

I am assuming, of course, that you order the wheels with the same axle specifications as your current wheels.

Agree it's a skill worth learning, but unless you buying a new cassette he will need a cassette removal tool and a chain whip to do the job. It's easy once you know how, but to a novice it might be intimidating.

Thanks for the input, these comments have given me some things to think about.

If you are going to upgrade the wheels, I would look for an internal rim width of around 22 mm to make the most of the newer tyres. A lot of discounted wheels tend to be older, narrower specs.

Agree 100%. Lighter wheels would spin up a little faster, but once rolling there's not going to be any real noticeable differences. The Hunt SL Disc is 19mm internal with a 3 pawl ratchet hub - the stock wheels probably have the same specs.
20 spoke on the front seems a little iffy for alloy disc wheels, which tend to be more flexy than carbon. Hunt also has a warning that riders over 203lbs should only ride at max psi (90psi) to reduce fatigue on the wheelset, and have the wheels checked by a mechanic regularly, noting a 253lb total system weight limit (fully kitted up rider, bike and gear). I don't know how much the OP weighs, but this seems worth taking into consideration.

If I were the OP I'd save up for some carbon wheels that are a bit wider, more aero, will be significantly stronger and likely in the same weight range as those Hunts.

I don't have any really expensive or even modern bicycles. But what I do know is that having an extra Basic Wheel Set for your favorite ride is like having another bicycle ready to go...

I have gotten some really good deals on economical machine made wheel sets. When I get them I loosen everything up and re-set, re-true, re-tune the wheel. Most often these adjustments are minor. I you get an economical wheel set and can't do this yourself then figure in the cost of a local shop to do the same. Now days I would not use any wheel set right out of the box.

I have Hunt 50s with tubeless Conti 5000s on one aero bike and Mavic Ksyrium Elites with tubed Conti 5000s with Michelin light weight tubes in the other aero bike. Switching to the Hunts with tubeless made a huge difference from the carbon 30s it came with. Switching the tires and tubes on the other made a remarkable change over the heavier tubes and stock tires on the Mavics. Each change was substantial but can’t say one was far greater than the other. However switching out the Mavics to carbon Aeros (probably 45s would be a compromise of weight and aero) would probably yield another jump.

So a cost effective gain would be to upgrade tires and tubes. A more expensive but better upgrade would of course be carbons with tubeless. It just depends on your finances.