Wow, lots of options out there indeed. I was first looking at Panaracer for the Pacela tires, but when I got to their site, I saw the new Rimbo ones and thought those were better for my purposes. I also like the Schwalbe tire options too, especially for what I have read on their pucture resistance.

As for the size, could I get away with 1.5 tires on my wheels? I'm not looking to buy new wheels, as buying new tires is enough of a purchase for me right now. Also, with smaller width tires, would I want to get new tubes to match the new tires? Does it all depend on the actual width of my wheel, and how much small of a tire I can get away with? This is all new to me, so sorry for all the questions.

Oh yea, what are goat heads? Never heard that term out here in AZ. Mostly the issue out here would be cactus or paloverde tree thorns. But my route doesn't seem to go by any cactus. I see the occasional broken glass, and a couple of pot holes in the bike lanes.