I have used Gatorskins pretty much exclusively since I started riding- we have so many goatsheads and other thorns and debris on the roads around Tucson. I once spent 30 minutes trying to install new Gatorskis and finally drove over to the bike shop to let the shop guys do it. I recently switched to foldables- they are much easier to get on and I decided it was worth the extra $5 to be able to get them onto the rims by myself. That said, I have gotten as many as 4000 miles on a Gatorskin with ZERO flats!