I kind of agree with Mark, here.

Options are great and all, but I think the whole wide tire thing is a bit overblown. Don't get me wrong; everybody's got a preference. If you like wide, ride 'em if you got 'em!

But they are by no means necessary for poor road quality. Pa, where I live, ranks near the bottom when it comes to the integrity and maintenance of roads and bridges. I see Seattle's roads rank poorly as well. I feel your pain.

The bike I'd commute on, the one pictured earlier in the thread, has 27 x 1 1/8 Paselas. They're about 28mm wide. I ride them all over the place here. Never once have I ever felt the need to put wider tires on it. I could go to 1 1/4 or even 1 3/8, or switch to 700s and have at it. But, for me, the cost would be completely unnecessary. I've got a vintage mountain bike with 26 x 2 tires. I prefer the road bike, even over some of the mine fields they call roads here.