I like Continental Sprinters. A bit less than the best ride quality, but <$40 on sale, and they wear extremely well IME. After a couple of k miles, a Vittoria Corsa would be sliced and diced but the Sprinters plug away. My last two tires wore to the cords without a flat- helpful if you go long and can be hours away from home.
I also carry a dedicated spare that is small and light- only 50% bigger & heavier than an inner tube & fits in saddle bag.
Changing a tire on the road is NBD. Sounds like you could do fine. I would get two Sprinters @ $46, a Tufo Elite Jet (spare) @ $65, and a can of glue for $20, & be good to go. I have an older set of those DA wheels (rim brake), & they've been great- very light & the hubs are nice.