Louis, good input on the somewhat dying art of tire wiping - it was one of the first things the "old" guys taught me on my initial training rides in the early '70's (And, yes, I remember 'Tire Savers'. I think they were one of the best retrofits for commuters & touring, and I knew several "racer chasers" that used them to help protect their sew-ups. They certainly worked quite well).

Anyway, I'm on the other side of the question / At least I think there was some kind of question that started all this. I don't mind an occasional flat (I recollect getting three or four in the past couple of years) because the repair is easy and with CO2 devices, even high pressure inflation is a snap. I rotate the tires on all my bikes regularly, don't run the tires until you can see the air in them, check the pressures regularly, and stay away from front specific tires on the mountain bikes; but I like lightweight wheels so I go so far as to even run Continental 'Supersonics' on a couple of my "Sunday" road bikes, Specialized "S" Works (700x23 / they actually measure 700x24, which is cool) on another (I've never had a flat with them), and Continental 2.3's on my mountain bikes (I've not had a flat with them either). But it's a different story on my "coffee shop single speed" or "ballooner" where a flat is unthinkable, so I use "Slime" type tubes and haven't had a flat in probably six or seven years (In fact I've worn out a set of tires on my 'single speed' without having a flat).

I enjoyed "bikinguy's" comments also. There's a lot to be said for running wider, lower pressure tires (And some may not know this but wider tires have lower rolling resistance / certainly there are limits, but a 700x26 0r 700x28 rolls better than a 700x23, and gives a very comfortable ride - there's a bit of a weight issue, but in many applications, the wider/lower psi tire is an excellent choice).