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First impressions are pretty good in that they mounted without levers and seated evenly. I’m planning to use them with tubes initially. The bead was tough to unseat after deflating but nothing major. The carcass is “supple” in that they collapse under their own weight and probably provide a less dead ride than the heavy-duty touring focussed ETs. Total cost including shipping from Strids was about £110, they arrived in 48 hours with no customs fees.
Opted for WTBs in the end, they look great! Online commentary suggested ETs might’ve been a smidge too wide. Due to drop the rims off at Wheeler’s Retreat this weekend as the hubs have landed with Gary.
Turns out SON do a 12mm thru axle to QR adaptor for their dynamo hubs, and Bitex have a cheap and cheerful method of switching out the 12x142 axle to make it a 135 QR without tools. That’d make the 26+ wheelset Big Dummy compatible which is brilliant and takes the edge off the ‘you really don’t need two wheelsets’ guilt. That doesn't address the chainrub and fender issues in fitting such wide tyres on the BD, but we'll cross that bridge later.