Flat tires
 

I've been commuting for about 3 weeks now and have gotten flat tires on about 1/3 of my rides. Are the kevlar inserts worthwhile or is there something else you've used? Is is just cheap tires?

I have these green "slime" inserts, which actually aren't slime at all but a hard plastic. Funny thing is though, the week after I put it in the front tire, I got a flat in that same tire from some little thorns that pierced the side if the tire.

You could try something similar to Specialized Armadillo tires, along with some "thorn resistant" tubes (just thicker I believe)

What is the source of the flats? If they are on the inside of the tube, you may have a spoke poking through the rim tape. If there are 2 holes, you aren't keeping your tires properly inflated. If they are on the outside of the tube, you may have something stuck in the casing of the tire.

I had similar fate with punctures from outside the tube, but when I started putting more air in my tires, the problem literally went away. I was NOT getting pinch flats either. Seems like the cheapie $10 slicks I run didn't like being underinflated and were punctured easier for some reason. Air up!

I'm running about 35-40 PSI on road tires for a mountain bike, not slicks. That's all they suggested. Only one puncture that I've found but I will have to check tonight and see if the spokes are the issue. That is a definite possibility. The whole bike is a cheapie Magna which I'm replacing with a Trek 420 touring bike next week. I don't want to put much money into this but I do want to ride in the meantime.