Bikepacking tire that's fast on pavement
I’m building up a bikepacking setup and I’m trying to figure out what sort of tires to get. I’ve got a Kona Unit X with i30 rims and WTB Ranger 29x2.6” right now. I just got an i25 wheelset which I want to run with slicker, more narrow (2 - 2.2") tires. The plan is to use the Rangers for MTB rides or trips that stay mostly in the dirt. For rides that stick to pavement or packed gravel, I’ll switch to the narrower tires.
I’m also looking forward to a 5 day bikepacking trip this summer in VT, which will be roughly 40% paved, 50% well maintained gravel roads, and 10% unmaintained roads and trails. So I’m hoping for something that’s reliable, fast rolling (and quiet!) on pavement, but handles well in gravel and the occasional rough stretch.
I’ve narrowed the search down to the following:
Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 50c
Conti Race King Protection 2.2”
Vittoria Mezcal TNT G+ 2.1”
The Pirelli’s look perfect, but I can’t find the 700x50c in stock – only the 45c. I was really hoping for something around 2” so I could run lower pressures and minimize fatigue from long miles on a rigid frame. Both the Conti’s and the Mezcal roll fast but seem a bit overkill (almost as knobby as my Rangers) and also make me wonder about road noise. All the reviews I've read rave about how fast they are, but I get the impression that few of these folks are putting a lot of road miles on these tires.
If it matters, I’m 180 lbs and my bike fully loaded is only about 50-55.
I apologize if this all sounds pretty dumb, I’ve been commuting, training, and touring on 26x1.5” T-Servs for the past decade+, so I have very little experience with which to make comparisons. I'm not finding a lot online either - the bikepackers lean towards the wider knobbies, the gravel folks stay < 45c, the commuters and tourers use mostly slicks.