I read your blog and agree. Nothing as deflating as a flat (pun intended). Sometimes I feel like a "flat magnet." I can fix flats fairly quickly but prefer not to obviously. I am going to go with some Marathon Supremes as soon as I find a place to get them. I did actually join this forum years ago with my first post asking about airless tires.........So, I guess I would really prefer not to fix flats. What I have done to decrease maintenance is move to a single speed. I am slower but it gets the job done......so really the only other issues are brakes (center pull MTB style) and wheels (touring specific with lots of spokes-I am not a wheel builder)..............trying to make the bike as bomb proof as possible...............because I prefer to ride rather than tinker...........