Bike Forums - puncture resistant tubes

Just about all the makers (not necessarily those who brand tubes) make "thornproof" tubes in the common sizes. Thornproof doesn't mean that at all, it just means that the tube is molded with double to triple wall thickness on the tread side.

However, unless you live in the west where things like goatheads will plague you, flats shouldn't be that common at all. Most experienced riders riding daily in the worst areas of inner cities still have fewer than one puncture per month (I get about 3/year), and riders in the (non-west) burbs can go for over a year between punctures. So, before you make yourself crazy trying to bulletproof your tires, try to figure out why you're getting so many in the first place.

One thing that does help (slightly) is using the widest tube that will fit in your tire. You want the inflated, but not stretched width to be very close to the tire so the tube doesn't stretch much when filled. Stretching thins the tube wall, so less stretch equals a thicker wall.

Then depending on the nature of the punctures, liquid sealers like slime, often do a better job preventing flats than tire liners and thicker tubes.

OTOH- if you live out west and are riding in goathead season god help you. From what I hear, almost nothing helps, but maybe someone who lives with the problem can give you goathead specific advice.