Carbon is a great material, especially for sporting goods such as high-quality bicycles. It is light, strong and, given these properties, relatively inexpensive with the right production techniques. But there is an environmental problem. The laminated composite of carbon fibres and epoxy resin can hardly be separated again at the end of its service life, at least not with equivalent and therefore economic results. Carbon products therefore usually become non-recyclable waste. At most, they can be shredded and used as a filler in injection-moulded plastic parts or in road construction, but this is hardly economical and therefore rarely happens.
Sustainable carbon wheels: separation of resin and fibres
The British wheel manufacturer Hunt now claims to have taken an important step towards recyclability. A manufacturing and recycling process for carbon products is to be used for the carbon rims of the new "40 Carbon Gravel" wheelset, which allows the raw materials to be reused. The process was originally developed to separate the glass fibre and epoxy components of large wind turbine blades.
The technology, which Hunt calls "H_Cyclo", is based on a special resin that can be separated again with the help of a chemical solution called "CleaVER" as well as heat and mechanical action - i.e. "stirring". Hunt promises that the properties of the resin are comparable to those of a conventional thermoset resin and that there are no restrictions in terms of stability-to-weight ratio or the structural integrity of the products.
It is not clear from the press release whether there are any restrictions regarding the reusability of the recycled materials. The company also did not publish any images of the process itself. However, at least the carbon fibres are already cut into suitable pieces during the production of the rims and can therefore not be reused at will.
Withdrawal guarantee and discount
According to Hunt, it is in the process of building a total of three recycling plants, two in Asia and one in Europe. Until the plants are up and running, Hunt intends to store the returned products for the time being. The company did not specify a time frame for this. The manufacturer offers to take back all H_Cyclo wheels free of charge at the end of their service life, i.e. even after a defect or crash. In addition, there will be a discount of up to 200 euros on a new Hunt wheelset as part of the return process.
HUNT 40 Carbon Gravel H_Cyclo - the facts
Race version
- Weight: 1431 g pair
- Inner rim width: 25 mm
- Outer rim width: 30 mm
- Spokes: Straight-Pull, Pillar PSR XTRA 1420 Aero Butted 2.0-2.2/0.95-2.0
- Number of spokes: 24 front / 24 rear
- Hubs: HUNT H_Ratchet 40T DBL, 9-degree engagement angle with two 40 tooth disc rings
- Bearing: Precision industrial bearings
- Price:1399 Euro
Dynamo version
- Weight: 1431 g pair
- Inner rim width: 25 mm
- Outer rim width: 30 mm
- Spokes: Straight-Pull, Pillar PSR XTRA 1420 Aero Butted 2.0-2.2/0.95-2.0
- Number of spokes: 24 front / 24 rear
- Hubs: SON 28 dynamo (front), HUNT H_Ratchet 40T DBL, 9-degree engagement angle with two 40 tooth disc rings
- Bearing: Precision industrial bearings
- Price:1899 Euro
The new technology will initially be used in a gravel wheelset, which is optimised for 40 millimetre wide tyres with an inner width of 25 millimetres. The rim should be suitable for a very wide range of tyre widths from 29 to 60 millimetres. The front wheel is also optionally available spoked with a high-quality hub dynamo from SON. The prices are 1399 euros for the Hunt 40 Carbon Gravel Race and 1899 euros for the Hunt 40 Carbon Gravel Dynamo.
Carbon recycling: several sustainability approaches
For the wheel brand, carbon recycling is just one part of a comprehensive sustainability strategy. The company is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and having them measured independently. Recycled aluminium and carbon fibres are already used in the production of other wheels. This also includes the commitment to provide service and spare parts for all wheels from 2015 onwards. The brand also keeps a stock of spare parts for wheels from before 2015, but repairs are not guaranteed. Since 2022, Hunt has also been bringing used and retreaded wheels back into circulation.
Jens Klötzer
Editor
