I've finally made up my mind and going to get this one. However, I've read that the OEM tires are not very flat resistant. I'm wanting to swap tires at the time of purchase to save a little $.

I know that the LBS has Serfas and Vittoria, and probably Kenda. I'll confirm tomorrow with the LBS on what their selection is.

The terrain will be paved MUP and roads with loose sand and the odd gravel patch and hard pack.

My last tire purchase was Schwalbe Marathon 28mm. Not the heavier Pluses. Your LBS could certainly order them.

Yeah, the LBS could order them, as well as any that are sourced through QBP, J&B, and KHS. As I'm going to have to put this thing in layaway, they should have ample time to order the tire of my choosing. Thing is, I have no experience with anything other than the 26x1.5 Tioga City Slicker that are on my current bike.

So I can either have them order me something to swap out at the time of sale or just take the OEM's and replace them after I get tired of fixing flats. I would like to do a bit of research through QBP's offerings, but I don't have the required permission to view the site- apparently, you have to be in the "industry/bicycle business" to get a logon ID.

And I think that I will stick with the 700x32 format, as I know nothing about how narrow or wide the rims can take...