Flats galore! Could it be something other than bad luck?

[brigada]

You don't have to buy a new tube each time you get a flat, you can patch it several times if the flats were caused by small punctures. When you do, you have to check the rim and tyre to see what caused the flat, especially if the flats keep happening like this. There could be a thorn stuck in the tyre, rim tape not in its place, protruding spoke, metal residue... all these things will give you grief when the tube is under high pressure.
It is also important to make sure that the tyre is seated properly and that the tube is not pinched between the tyre and the rim. The former would cause a wobbly tyre, and the latter would result in a pinch flat/snakebite soon after.

[Boudicca]

I just recovered (I hope) from a rash of flats -- turns out the rim tape was a notch too narrow for the rims, so little bits of metal were exposed and that wore through the tube. Found it because the holes in the tube were on the inside rather than the outside.

And then the LBS suggested I buy 29" rim tape for 700 mm tires (they didn't have the right width in stock). That one doesn't make any sense at all to me -- 29" is a good 3cm longer than 700mm, according to Google.