The Bontragers are tops on my list, though I wouldn't hesitate to use Vittorias. You've probably already done this, but take a good look at the base tape around the valve opening. Also, did both failures happen on the same wheel?

I've never had that happen on my vittorias

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meanwhile I have a bunch of bad Michelins. they all leak if the presta valve is not shut completely. so valve extender use=flat tube in short order(checked 4 of these out) so I have to resort to the topeak valve extender to close the valve nut, and those do not have a particularly long useful life span of their own.

I have not had that happen.

Anything odd with the rim tape in that area, or are you maybe pushing up/sideways super hard on the valve when inflating or something?

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I've had that happen, but I'm pretty sure it was my fault for pushing the tire down around that area while trying to get the pump head on. They were also about 1 year old tubes, if that makes a difference.

No I haven't, but it sounds like an issue I had may years ago. The tube has essentially zero stress on it if it's properly installed, so it's a matter of figuring out what you are doing wrong.

In my case, I'd push the valve into the tire a bit to get the bead on, then start pumping from that point. Since the valve wasn't pressed against the rim, there was a space there where the tube could fold under and overlap. It would get stretched out and thin at that spot. Solution is to push or pull the valve tight against the rim before inflating. Of course it is slightly inflated to hold shape before it's installed.

I have Vittoria and no issues at all, sometimes some companies will have stock sitting for years and years...stuff can decay over time if you got an really old batch. Also stop adding sealant to the latex tubes and see what happens, sealant is useless anyways.

why do you say sealant is useless?

No issues with the 4 or 5 I've used. I had one blow off the rim, but that was my own fault using too high inflation pressures trying to see how much air it would lose overnight, and I suspect the tube was just under the bead as well.

I thought the testing done on sealant was pretty conclusive. A latex based sealant with latex tubes performed extremely well in the most common basic punctures. Especially slow leaks form things like sharp rocks and glass. If you cut a tire, that's a differnt story. Nothing will save you there and you better have a "boot" to even limp it home...or to T2.

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I used vittoria for the first time last weekend at Timberman and experienced a slow leak. When I grabbed my bike to bring home the rear wheel was pretty soft. I have to think that this affected my bike split. Same power average as last year, but 3 minutes slower in similar wind conditions.

I will be getting new tubes for WC 70.3.