Riding on streets and highways, encountering broken glass, etc. What is better: green slime or liners?

Question

I'm on a very tight budget (college student), and I need to find an inexpensive way to protect my transportation (mountain bike) against flats.

Answer 1

Personally, I would just buy better tires,

I asked a question about tires and somebody suggested these to me which seem like what you need:

Armadillo Nimbus , they are about 70$ for pair.

Answer 2

The most foolproof is Slime.  Get the automotive/lawn tractor kind that has tiny bits of black rubber in it....it's much better for punctures from nails, screws, and glass and will seal faster.   The only thing it won't seal is a huge slice in the tire/sidewall, and pinch flats.

Some liners are ok, but if they slip or if something gets past them, you're a goner.  Slime will keep you running.  

A really bombproof combination if you ride through a lot of crud on the streets and road shoulders is a tire with a flat-protection belt under the tread, combined with Slime in the tubes.  

If you choose a liner, use Mr. Tuffy or something similar instead of the Spinskins kevlar liners.....they have problems disintegrating over time and wearing into both the tire and tube.  They have mileage/longevity ratings on them for these reasons....they work great for a short time, but they're so expensive that it doesn't make sense to use them if they're going to break apart or damage your rubber parts.  

Slime:  cheap, effective, and trustworthy for at least 2 years.   :o)

Answer 3

Liners.

Mr. Tuffys have always worked for me.  They're not 100% but they're pretty darn close...even if something gets thru (I once picked up a sharp piece of rusted wire on my road bike), you'll see it stuck in the liner and will know exactly why and where you went flat (if you're into patching tubes, that'll help).

I've been considering airless tires for my "around town" bike - http://www.airfreetires.com - I saw these guys at a bike convention a few years ago, and their products look pretty good.