Originally Posted by
ericm979
Flats are part of riding. Embrace them, don't fear them.
If it took you an hour you need more practice at home.
Gatorskins suck and they don't flat less than other tires, in my experience.
I like Conti Gaterskins; reasonable ride and reasonable puncture resistance. I ride gravel roads all the time on my 700 x 25 Gators with no problems at all. That being said, no matter what kind of tire you pick, you WILL get more flats. But you WILL get faster at fixing them with practice. Just make sure you're prepared for flats on every ride. Maybe you could visit a bike shop and watch them fix a few flats. They're usually willing to give pointers and demos.