Thanks for the info guys, I definitely appreciate it. I for sure know what the plant looks like, I can recognize those little yellow flowers a block away.
I spend an inordinate amount of time digging them out of my yard.
The seeds (nutlets, the thorny part) dry and turn rock hard, and spread everywhere. They are spread by animals, shoes, and even the wind. Then they take hold and continue to spread. They are so thick in the valley in south central Nebraska where I live, that the dry thorns are on every sidewalk, path, street, even when the plant is not near. You can avoid the plant, but not the thorns.
I've commuted around here on a mountain bike for years, never going anywhere with speed or efficiency in mind. The big heavy tread tires with slime filled tubes were the only way I found to avoid flats. The skinny tire road bike is new to me, and I just wondered if any new technologies work better for the thorns.