When it comes to flats, I'm kind of a cranky guy. I fix enough of them here at the shop that I really, really don't want to deal with them out on the trails. I don't have much patience for buddy's flats either, mostly because of three fantastic developments in mountain bike technology - tubeless tires, rims, and tire sealant. I'm pretty close to refusing to ride with people who do not take advantage of some form of tubeless tire technology.
Running tubeless tires with sealant virtually eliminates flats. Pinch flats disappear, because there is nothing to pinch. Punctures are magically cured within one rotation of the wheel. The only real way to flat a tubeless tire is to cut the sidewall enough that the sealant can't fill up the hole; an extremely unlikely circumstance if you chose your tires correctly and try not to run the sides of your wheels into rocks (probably a good idea anyway).
On top of virtually eliminating flats, tubeless tires allow you to run lower tire pressures (because you can't pinch flat), which increases traction, adds some comfort, and actually decreases rolling resistance over rough terrain. Ballah!
However, there are a few problems with standard tubeless setups - using both tires and rims designed to be used without tubes. The first is weight. Tubeless tires tend to weigh as much as a normal tire and tube combined, tubeless rims tend to weigh more than standard rims, and the use of sealant adds even more mass. The second is cost. Tubeless tires are more expensive, sealant is expensive, and buying a tubeless wheelset that doesn't weigh as much as the rest of your bike is very expensive.
But, do not despair! The great minds here at Velox Cycles (and lots of other people on the Internet) have devised a solution to these problems! After a few years of R&D on my own bike and the bikes of a couple friends, I've developed a "ghetto tubeless" system that allows any rider to take their existing wheels and tires, tubeless ready or not, and run them without tubes for about $10. Similar systems can be found in message boards all over the Internet, but a lot of trial and error has led me to a number of small tricks that make a successful tubeless conversion much easier to attain.
Sadly, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out exactly how to do it. Don't pout, you've waited your whole life for this moment, what's another 24 hours?
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