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.

scottfsmith

Did you consider something with less tread? Such tires will be a lot faster. For example the Terra Hardpack from Conti which comes in 50c. It is designed for hard-packed gravel. It has enough tread to be OK on unmaintained trails, but you will slip in the mud and won't be as good in turns. May or may not work depending on how wet it will be.

cyccommute 

I like Schawalbe Racing Ralph’s and Maxxis Ardent Race for a capable knobby that rolls fairly well. Although both of these are 26” tires…I know, I’m a luddite…they are available in 622mm sizes as well.



The Ardent’s are fast enough that I was able to do 12 mph average over a 40 mile route that included 5 miles of barely moving uphill (including 10% to 20% grades) and 2 miles of riding railroad ties.

arvin smee

I was interested in these but I read a few reviews that were critical of the handling and durability. Have they held up well for you?

arvin smee

The Racing Ralph's do look pretty good! The Ardent Race get a low score from Bicycle Rolling Resistance - I'm not sure how much to trust their numbers though. It seems to be generally well regarded, but I'm wondering if I might be leaning on it too hard since there's a wealth of data there and I have little else to go on. Most MTB tire reviews don't talk much (if at all) about how a tire handles on pavement...

zandoval 

(REM: I don't do touring)

I see allot of people in our area that are touring. They camp out over in our State Park just down the street and often I stop to visit or help with my tool bag. Many are comfort touring. That is they are packing heavy and slow over short distances of less then 300 miles. So far the best Touring Tires I have seen being used are the Continental Ride Tour tires. They have a stiff center rib that is fast on pavement and just enough bite to keep them floating in the dirt. They also have good flat protection built into them.

https://www.continental-tires.com/bi...tour/ride-tour

scottfsmith

I don't have those but I have some less knobby tires on my gravel bike (which don't come in 50c).. Terra Speed and Vittoria Terreno Dry. I was more making the general point to look for some less knobby tires given the preponderance of time you will spend on pavement and hard pack gravel.

tyrion

I recently got some Rene Herse Antelope Hill (700x55 slicks) which are pretty dang fast on pavement, decent on (true) gravel. On dirt they slip and slide a bit.

Tourist in MSN

On my medium duty touring bike with 26 inch wheels, I use 40mm wide Schwalbe Marathon (with greenguard) when predominantly on pavement, but when primarily on gravel I use 50mm wide tires that are now discontinued and no longer for sale anywhere.

john m flores 

My girlfriend and I rode an abbreviated version of Vermont's Green Mountain Gravel Growler route a couple of years ago. Most of the gravel sections were pretty well-maintained farm roads. There were a couple of singletrack sections that we chose to skip. I was riding Vittoria Randonneur Trail 700 x 38 that has a raised center rib for the road and some modest knobs for dirt and gravel. They were fine for the trip.

irc

Consider using a slick tyre on the rear for low rolling resistance on road combined with a tyre with tread on the front where you need grip for braking and steering.

Slick tyres are usable on gravel roads to a point. Even if both front and back are slick. I have used Marathon Supremes on sections of gravel like the Flint Hills in Kansas. Here in Scotland I found the slick rear and knobbly front set up ideal for mixed surface touring.

I had a side by side comparison on a road section with a long very gradual hill. I coasted it. My two friends on conventional off road tyres pedalled the whole thing.

Of course modern gravel tyres roll better than full MTB tyres but still not as well as slicks. May depend on the gravel/road balance.

L134 

I would not consider my Racing Ralphs "quiet" on pavement. I like them well enough though.

djb

I bought a set of these for the same reason as you.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/Hurricane-11159184

There are lots of nice gravelly tires out there, but these are a reasonably priced option. My 26x2.1 versions 54mm are 620g and they are pretty quiet on pavement. The side knobs aren't going to be great for fast, hard cornering on pavement, but on looser surfaces they do a good job.

What appealed to me was the tread pattern, the price, the weight, and the price. Totally worth it for me to try out. I'll be doing more gravel trips this year so will get more riding experience on them. So far a pretty good balance of cost and performance.

aerohorst

I haven't seen anyone else point it out. Just in case you aren't aware: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...gravel-reviews is testing tires for rolling resistance, grip, puncture resistance, longevity (indirectly through thickness) etc

fishboat

A couple years ago I needed to pick up some things at a bike shop I frequent and I figured riding there and back would be a reasonable round trip(~60 miles on paved roads and bike trails). I grabbed my gravel bike for the trip as it had the best rear rack for what I needed to haul. The bike had Panaracer Gravel King SK tires on it (700x38). I did a few double-takes on the tires during the trip as I had a hard time believing how well they rolled on an asphalt surface. I run GK Slicks (700x38) on other bikes (known to be a fast road tire..the Rolling Resistance website rates them quite high) and the SK tires were dare close to the Slicks. I didn't expect that. They come in black or brown sidewall.



https://www.thebikesmiths.com/collec...29406492164130

djb

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.

cyccommute 

They are a whole lot quieter than many other knobby tires.

autonomy

I run the 2in version of these in the summer and they're great. I've done 50-60mi pavement rides on them. Yeah, they won't be as fast as smoother, thinner tires, and can be a little buzzy on pavement, but they roll surprisingly well. The one thing I absolutely hate about them is they're very hard to get on the rims each season.

fishboat

They can be a little snug to mount on some rims, but a tire jack makes it much more manageable. Once they're mounted and run for a while they can be removed and remounted much easier.

irwin7638

Take a look at Rene Herse tires. I put their 44mm on my Hunqapillar and can't believe how fast they are compared to the Schwalbe Big Ben I was using. They are pricey but worth it.

Marc

Inusuit

I ride a mix of pavement, gravel roads, two-tracks, and occasional single track. I like the Schwalbe Land Cruisers on my Rock Hopper. Quiet and roll well on tarmac, sufficient grip in the dirt.

Pearson100

Another vote for Renee Herse tires. I've used the Oracle Ridge for parts of the Great Divide route - worked great on both dirt and pavement.

scottfsmith

.. or cut out the Renee Herse middleman and save $$. Panaracer Gravelkings are made in the same factory as RH. The specs are a bit different but it's more like apples vs oranges. Here is a head-to-head on them at BRR for example:

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...se-barlow-pass

GK comes out ahead in most categories here.

Pratt

I live in Vermont, so my recreational riding is a lot like what you are planning. I ride Bruce Gordon tires for recreational and touring. I think they are actually made by Panaracer, but based on his specs. They look a lot like the pic posted by Fishboat. They seem fine on pavement, and were also fine on the Erie Canal Towpath, and the GAP/C&O.

str

the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel behaves like a heavy lame BRICK! took them off after 10K