My Trusty Steed is Nearly Ready
Almost done, just a few tweaks and a rear wheel away from being ready to roll.

Almost done, just a few tweaks and a rear wheel away from being ready to roll.

I hate flat tires. Running to the garage to squeeze in a one hour ride and finding one, sometimes TWO flat tires? I hate it! So I sat down and thought about it, and came up with several minor things I can do to help prevent flat tires.
Here they are, in order of expense. I'm focusing on training here, not your race day setup. But you might find this info handy for either:
Fatter Tubes:
My local bike shops sell two suitable sizes of cyclocross tubes: 700x28-32c and maybe something a little bigger like 700x35-43c. I'm sure you'll find something similar at your bike shop. Get the bigger size. The tube walls are thicker and more robust. There is no extra cost here, just pick the slightly heavier tubes next time. Do NOT run road tubes. Too thin. You will flat, I promise.
Cost: $10
Latex Tubes:
Latex is said to stretch WAY more than butyl. Therefore, it is logical to assume latex tubes will get less punctures. Thorns and sharp rocks will have a harder time poking through, and you should be able to survive more bumps that would cause a pinch flat with a butyl tube. Challenge is the only company I know of that sells cyclocross sized latex tubes.
Cost: $25
Sealant and the Right Tubes:
If you look hard enough, you can find tubes that have removable valve cores (a valve core is that little head/valve you unscrew on a presta valve to inflate the tire). That will allow you to squirt some sealant (e.g. Stans) into your tubes. While it won't protect you from sidewall punctures, it will certainly help for some flats, especially the thorn-induced kind that surprise you when you are about to go out on a ride. If you can't find a brand you like, try QTubes. They don't cost any more than a normal butyl tube.
Cost: $26 ($10 for tubes plus $16 for sealant)
Go Tubeless:
You can go tubeless on a huge budget range:
Regardless of your option, just be careful. Consider this:
I don't want to artificially alarm anyone. Odds are if you have any problems, it will just be your tire burps air and you can stop and pump it up again. No biggie. But do some research and get a reliable setup going before you trust your equipment day in and day out for training.
Cost: $20 - $2000.
Tubulars:
Perhaps the most expensive and least wise option of them all. You'll get less pinch flats, but there's still those pesky thorns and sharp rocks. Get a flat? Roll a tire? Hmm well that sucks. Carry a cell phone or be prepared to jog home. There is no pit in the real world.
But, if you are meticulous with your equipment and don't mind getting stuck out there, go for it.
Cost: Not worth it
Nine days! Good God, I am getting so jazzed for cyclocross season!
It's been raining, and I've been riding in it. Mud everywhere. Usually for me, September yields dry hard-packed rides in Forest Park's gravel roads. But now it's already a mess down there. Big muddy medians that you can churn through and slip around in. So fun, and so much closer to race conditions.
My preparation for cyclocross has been horrible. The house addition is almost done, but it's just taking up a ridiculous amount of time and energy away from everything else. I'm coaching soccer for two teams, so there's four days of practice, plus game day. There's just not enough time in the day to get everything done sometimes. I'm working hard at it now but who knows what will happen. So I'm going in hopeful of improving into November but really I've no idea how I'll do.
Last year, my high point was top 10 at my favorite venue, Barton Park. And I did it after a mishap had me stop at the starting line while everyone rode away from me. This year, I'd like to snag another top 10. I think that's not too lofty of a goal.
I want to do better at Nationals, too. I got my butt kicked last year, hard. I was only about 50 feet from being lapped. I just found the existence of this picture yesterday. That's me, looking back, and realizing I was going to be that guy -- the last guy out there finishing the race while everyone is walking around on the course and going home. I guess I can be happy I didn't get lapped and pulled like a lot of other folks, but that's not really good enough for me.
I had lofty goals for this cyclocross season, but it just kind of fell apart. There's not anything I can do about that, so I'm looking forward. My race slumber will fuel my motivation. I will enjoy the mere privilege of racing cyclocross this year. With time so rare these days, I value even an hour's time I get to spend on the bike. Throw in some mud and it's really something special. I am feeling very good on the 'cross bike right now, and very motivated.
It's here. It's almost here. I forgot how much I loved it.