Originally Posted by
arvin smee
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.
I totally get the 2in width for more comfort, having more volume and float with the right pressure for you and your bikes weight makes a huge difference.
This is my take on your dilemma-- I have ridden with 2in slicks a lot on all kinds of surfaces and been surprised by how well they work on "regular" dirt roads and trails (regular is pretty darn hard to quantify though!). Over the decades I have ridden narrower slick or nearly slick tires 38, 32, 28s on similar dirt roads and its never really been a problem, BUT I wasnt doing it that much and I wasnt doing it in damp or wet conditions where mud and that will just turn things into a slidefest.
I ride all winter in Canadian snow, fatbike too, so am pretty comfortable with being on the edge of traction, and especially when I know a tire will only be used on looser dirt for just a small percentage of the time, then having a faster rolling, quieter, smaller knobbed tire makes sense.
I guess you'll have to try to balance out what you expect on the Vermont 5 day trip, hopefully reading up on what others have experienced may give you a better idea of what to expect and what compromise of tire would be good for you.
I'll be using these Schwalbe Hurricanes that I mentioned before, figuring that the vast majority of what I do this summer will be okay for them. I might be wrong and wish I had more tread, who knows, I will find out.
Going from what you see of the Divide Ride folks (regular and the fastee folk) the 2.1-2.2 range seems to be a good compromise, and if on the Vermont trail you have to maybe walk a little bit here and there, its not the end of the world if the vast majority is reasonably gravel etc., but thats just my uninformed opinion.
oh, and as you know, for trickier sections, lowering pressure can make a huge huge difference of what is rideable or not, and way more comfortable and less jarring.
