Sub-optimal commute Tuesday morning as I received confirmation that it's time for new bike tires a mile away from the office. I changed the tube anyway and the new tube blew up as I used my third-to-last CO2 canister to inflate it. A 20-minute walk isn't so bad, if you haven't already spent 20 minutes getting your hands filthy and you don't have to push a bike on the bike path. The new tires are the first made-in-Germany product I remember buying since the Audi we nicknamed The German Patient. Hopefully the tires will last longer than the car. I managed to get the rear tire mounted at work without my tire levers (a plastic knife broke and I found that stubborn thumbs can manage) and used my second-to-last CO2 canister to top it off after inflating with a hand pump. (Not quite: the recommended pressure is 110 PSI and I'm not sure if I reached half that; my car pressure gauge is useless for Presta valves.) Heading home now with a single CO2 cartridge and mismatched tires, hoping the front won't die of old age and the rear won't pinch flat.
I ran Zafiros and ate an inner tube every two weeks (300 miles). I switched to a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus and I've gone 2500 miles without a flat. I've heard good things about the gatorskins but a friend borrowed my bike and brought it back with a Marathon on the back; I got home with a wood screw sticking out both sides and decided not to hunt too much more. My inflators won't get my 700s over 55 psi. However, 700s will roll fine at 55psi. I also carry an alcohol wipe. The optical ones are the right size, they last forever, and they keep your grips from turning gray the minute you have to change a tire.