treebound 

You're gaining that thing we call "experience". When I'm helping out at the LBS and people want a flat tire fixed I try to show them what the problem was. Most of the problems are one of two things, either a piece of glass in the tire, or a snakebike flat where they ran over a curb or pothole and pinched the tube against the rim. Other times I've found small pieces of wire embedded in the tire that would repeatedly flatten a new tube and was only found by flexing the tire inward to expose the offending piece of wire.

When I'm taking a tube out to fix a flat I am carefull to keep the tube oriented to how it was in the tire and then I fill the flat tube with air to find the hole. Once I find the hole I can then go back to the tire and check the area in the tire that aligns with the hole in the tube. Just one of those "tricks" that can really help you isolate where the problem is.

Keep on riding and keep on learning, you're going to do just fine based on your reply above.

mawtangent

This is probably not helpful but I've had many flats (aprox. 40%) where I couldn't find the "culprit"...I'd be riding along on a relatively smooth surface with well inflated tires (quite sure I didn't snakebite), hear a hiss, know I flated. I fixed the tube, examined the inside of the tire, found nothing amiss, put everything back together and all was well. I assume something sharp pierced the tire just enough to get to the tube, but then was deflected away from the wheel by the flexing of the tire. I'm not sure.

On the positive side (for those new to the cycling thing) when I first got back into bicycling a couple of years ago I had all kinds of issues with high pressure road tires. I had to figure out presta valves, I got a couple of pinchflats, and I learned that I needed a beefier rear tire than the one that came with my bike. The first 15 months I had 15 -20 flats. In 2008 (with a bit more wisdom)I rode more but had only 4 flats in 1500 miles.

Pedaldown

I worked in a bike shop when I was younger and ran across several rims that had imperfections or barbs. Pay particular attention to the area around the valve stem.

BTW: This is my first post here- what a great Forum.

PD

dlittledlite

Instead of being comical about my thread you could offer your advice the same as others do, in the form of: "Take it or leave it"

I do not yet use tire levers, I did conclude that you meant I should use a tire lever. Based on your other (long winded) reply I will continue to not use tire levers.

Don't waste your time responding to threads and asking abundant questions, and blaming me, the OP, for not being savvy enough to provide more details. Just help or don't help. Do not misunderstand this reply, I am not upset I am offering you advice. Answer questions no matter how silly they sound to you. And if you need more information don't reply in a manner that places you at a higher stature especially if you are the professional. It is your right to disagree, but keep in mind it isn't your intentions that speak to people it's what you say, and the context it is understood. In short: If you are right, there's no need to argue.

I would assume to keep the peace so don't reply to my post if you'd like to pick on me. Fights merely agitate others and I'm not going to cooperate with these motives.

A bailz

i just saw this post so i didnt read through all the suggestions...im not going to make it out to be something that its not like some do.... there could be something on the rim...check your rim tape and wipe out your tire and inner rim with a soft cloth so if there is any snags in the rim or something stuck in the tire you might feel it snag on the cloth. use tuffy tire liners....the tire gets harder to put on the rim in a 700c size but they help. also look into thorn proof tubes i know they make a 27x1/4 which will fit 700x35 and up so im not sure about any smaller size 700c tire.... good luck....oh this will add a few pounds to your bike if you install the tire liners and thorn proof tubes. i rock both and i never had a problem....at this rate my tubes will dry rott before they puncture...ha