As I said, I’m a Clydesdale. I stress wheels more than the majority of cyclist. I rarely get flats. I do wear the tread right off the tires though. I get about 1200-1500 miles on the UltraSports and Equinox tires. 700c x 25mm. I prefer Continental tubes. I use Velocity Deep V’s, Mavic, and Rolf for wheels. I do change wheels for riding conditions. I inflate my tires before every ride. I do a pre-ride check of the bike. The most I ever have to do on the road is tweak the derailleur a bit. I have to ask the same question as IndianaFrank. Are the roads you ride that crappy? The roads in Iowa for the most part are good. The concrete roads you have to pay attention to cracks. Chip seal can get soft. Rural roads get muddy from ag equipment pulling out of fields. But that is about it. RAGBRAI does an excellent job of selecting decent roads. Local community service groups are always out cleaning ditches of pop cans and litter. Helping keep Iowa roads clean. So I just don’t understand why some people are plagued with flats. When I do get flats. They are mostly pinch flats. I get about one or two flats a year. I’m usually good about keeping an eye out for road hazards. But have hit some rails to fast or a crack I didn’t see. I’ve never had a flat on RAGBRAI (9 years). I attribute this to good wheel maintenance, quality tires and tubes, and solid wheels. I ride in the right wheel track of roads. Wheel tracks are the cleanest area of a road. I rarely ride the white line. Cyclist have full use of the lane and I use it.

I never rotate my tires. I put all new rubber on, tires and tubes. The used fronts I use on my trainer wheel and keep as spares. I also never use “light” inner tubes. They have thin walls.