Sorry guys, gotta vent and you're the ears on this one...

Last 3 rides, 3 flats! Got glass in the back, then glass (and a small rock) in the front the following week.

I had another small rock puncture a couple months ago, so I thought maybe my tires are getting bad/more susceptible to punctures since I bought a model that was 2 model years old when I got it. Who knows how long it was in the showroom, and they were inexpensive Kendas. So I bought some new tires.

I thought about Gatorskins, but even being a relative noob on the road, I wasn't ready to take on additional rolling resistance. So I looked, read research/reviews, and tried to pick a tire with a good balance of lower rolling resistance and decent flat protection. I flipped a coin between the Conti GP 4000s II, and the Schwalbe V One. The Schwalbe won the toss.

So I ordered a set and put the new tires on, and they are much better than what I had! I really like how they feel/roll so much more than what came with the bike... but 25 miles into a 50 mile ride (and the FIRST ride on these tires), I noticed at the halfway break a small tear in the sidewall right by the rim on the rear tire - and I could see the tube was bulging out of it! I could have fixed it there, but decided to try and make it back so I could fix it in the comfort of my home. Yeah, that shit never works for me - I never get breaks like that. I rode gingerly, constantly aware it could go at any time. It held until mile 44, then POW!

So now I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get to complete a flat-free ride again. My biking buds (who ride the same road with me, at the same time, through the same crap) have 0 flats. They were telling me (offering moral support on the side of the road as I changed the tube/patched the sidewall) I should lobby for sponsorship from a tire manufacturer to reduce my cost on tubes. *******s.

Checked my little ride log I keep, and I'm 3 miles shy of 600 since I got the bike in Mid October. And 4 flats.

I think next week, I'll drive a nail into the tire before we leave. Change the tube, and hope that satisfies the tire gods. I have no idea what I've done to anger them. Even the wife recently got a piece of glass in her car tire. Any ideas how to win back their favor and put an end to the flats?