One thing I probably would do though - tough tires! Certain areas of the US have nasties like thorns that can make short work of a racing style tire (or the el cheapo tires that usually come on bikes). Maybe try to get the shop to throw in a pair of Armadillos? Tire liners might be a good option too - I've always had good luck with them in my 700c wheels (they don't seem to work as great in my 650's though.... the overlap tore holes in the tubes. I think it was just too much and moved around a lot)