Well, I have slime tubes on my road bike, and I like them. I got a goathead in one; pulled out the goat head, spun the tire around; shot in some CO2 and it's still rolling just fine. Before I add air, I leak a little air out of the valve and haven't had any problems with my floor pump. (It does smell pretty bad, and I have a paper towel handy--it's pretty nasty.) I think it's important to have good tires as well. Cheap tires are just that--cheap tires!