Halfway home today my rear blew out. It sounded like a gunshot. I didn't have a spare tube (hadn't gotten around to buying one yet) and I assumed I'd just missed a sharp bit on the valve hole, which wouldn't be patchable (and I hate field patching anyway) and it was an hour walk, so I called the SAG van (J).
When I got home the blowout was on the backside, and it looked to me like I probably nicked it with a tire tool or something, but in hindsight, I don't think this tube ever saw a tire tool; I put the tire ON without tools.
I patched it and put it back on, and about 2 minutes later, got another BANG! right in my ear. The tube had blown out even more violently, the same distance the OTHER side of the valve stem.
Turns out the tire failed around the bead. These tires are quite thin on the sidewall and either they've just seen too many miles or I abused them. Could be the latter; the old rims were actually pretty tough to get tires on and off of, and I did have to work to get them off. But OTOH, the tire looks pretty bad along several parts of the bead.
Anyway, I still have the Race Lite that was on the front last year, so that's going on the back. That's easily got a couple thousand more miles in it I think so I'm probably OK until sometime next year (I'll be buying some new studded tires for winter).

Odometer: 15134
These tires went on at 12907 so the rear lasted 2227 miles. The Race Lites went on new at 5250 in April '06, off at 8459 to mount studs, back on at 9800 and off at 12343 miles in November '07, so it already has 5752 miles on it (it was on the front before).
I also found the new amber xenon strobe in one of the storage boxes from the basement, and got the power cord soldered on to it, dug the mounting plate from the bike parts box, mounted it all up and hooked it up.