recommended bike tires?

What's affordable? Check out the Espoir Sport by Specialized. Cheaper by ~10USD than Gatorskins. Flat tires are extremely context dependent, so bear that in mind. I've put about 250 miles so far on my Espoirs, not even a dent. What impressed me was that I was riding, and all of a sudden (city didn't bother putting up a sign) the pavement was all torn up down to the grooved bits. Big, sharp-edged dip, then back up the other side. I stopped and checked, the rubber didn't even have a cut.

Like I said though, context matters. I don't weigh much, neither does my bike, and I stood up as I went over the bumps/surface to distribute weight more evenly to tires. Also, someone has probably said this, but PUMP UP YOUR TIRES TO THE RECOMMENDED PSI before riding. The more pressure inside the tire, the stiffer it is, and the less it will pinch while going over bumps. Before every ride I pump the tires up to 120 PSI. The ride is way more bumpy, but it's better than pinching the inner tube and flatting.

/r/cycling Thread