I once had a flat on a new michelin axial pro (less than 75 miles) caused by a piece of glass that went all the way through the rolling surface, and left an ugly gash. I was about 50 miles from the car, so I put a patch on the inside of the tire and replaced the tube. I'm still riding both, about 2000 miles later. under close examination, the tire looks ugly, but I still train on it.