The only way to say you will not get a flat is to have a solid rubber tire, other than that, your taking your chances.

CS

I would look for a tire with a TPI >120. You can also add things to the inside (Slime) or get a thicker tube, but it all adds weight and rotational weight will steal speed faster than anything.

The best thing to do is use a new(er) tire for the race and get proficient at changing it just in case you do flat. Nothing is 100%, but using a newer tire will at least give you the best chances.

I Always put new tires on my race wheels for an IM and then willuse those tires for 2, maybe 3 halves. Then I change them out. That means I have a bunch of tires that have about 300 or so miles on them. New for training issues, old for racing. (Then again, I don't pay for them so cost isn't an issue for me.)

CS

There are some more flat resistent tires, e.g. specialized armadillo, continental gatorskin or bontrager hard case. They all weigh a lot, ride like garden hoses and roll slow. The casing is thicker and they use kevlar and such to keep glass and nails from ripping the tire.

People get flat from riding underinflated tires, hitting holes and such, riding though debris, riding in the rain and riding worn tires, or just from dumb luck.

Anyone who rides a bike needs to change a tire when it goes flat. A tire takes about 5 minutes to change, it's just part of the sport.

ther are a few items you need to learn--fixing tires, understanding gearing, washing the bike, lube the chain, keeping everything tight so it doesn't fall off--that's about it to start, not too bad to learn.

Once you change a few times, it goes really quickly. Sometimes when I'm trying to hurry I just shut my eyes and let my hands find their way.

There are a lot of people on this list who have only recently learned, so they can help. No sense being a barbarian.

I've always been reasonably capable with mechanical things - so it surprises me a bit that so many people are so intimidated by the task of changing a tube. Around Boston, there's this guy Sheldon Brown. He's a bit of a character (some might say "nut case") but he's compiled a wealth of information about bikes on his website. Here's his flat tire[/URL" target="_blank"> page. It's got more information than you'll ever need and is well worth the read.

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