bluejack

Another word for kevlar tires. Before I got them I had punctures almost once per week at the worst. In the past year, with continental ultra gatorskins, I've had one blowout (which was bad: I hit a ribbon of metal that just sliced the tire practically in half. Instant flat -- I thought it was just one of those plastic straps they bundle newspapers with, but no, it was some construction detritus.)

I use patches with glue. They seem to be fine. My general policy is three patches and then it's out.

levensnevel

Might sound obvious but:
> always keep your tires at the 'right' pressure. In my case I always use the max pressure as indicated in the side of your tyre as reference.
> check your tyres for little stones / glass- & metal fragments after each ride en remove them.

just my 2 cents

Rob_PDX

I don't think that flat have to be a fact of life for bicyclists. My commute involves a couple miles in the industrial part of town -- LOTS of roadside debris. I was averaging a flat tire every month or so. I upgraded my tires to the Schwalbe Marathon Pro tires. Yes, they are expensive and they are heavy. BUT I haven't had a flat yet using these things (14 months so far).

For recreational riding or bicycle touring, I really don't mind stopping a repairing flats (I use a patch kit a repair tubes) -- BUT I really dislike it on the commute, when time is a factor. Despite the increased weight, they don't really slow me down that much.

My 0.02.

-Rob