Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Topic started by: bludger on 29 October, 2019, 02:20:12 pm
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I like to take at least 4 tubeless plugs with me on a serious ride. Unfortunately the kits only tend come with 5. Being something of a tight fisted bastard I'd be game for having a go at making my own, using old inner tubes, bits of belt or something. I do see automotive ones going in big bundle packs on fleabay but these are really much bigger than I'd like. Does anyone know of any good guides on homebrewing them? Googling around there's one guy on another forum who reckons bits of old wetsuit and belt have worked for him in the past. https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/tubeless-tire-plugs-1043854.html#post13139843 But that's all I can find.
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I saw a video of someone using sponge strips.
It worked......eventually ::-).
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I await the stories of epic failure. :thumbsup:
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I've never had to use them yet, but did think that you could perhaps cut them in half... and it appears you can https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGx6YBp27_U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGx6YBp27_U)
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Given bacon strips are cheap and they work. Why bother trying to budge this to save not alot.
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Awesome! Another thread that convinces me to stick with tubes :thumbsup:.
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Awesome! Another thread that convinces me to stick with tubes :thumbsup:.
Why? It's a bit like being put off inner tubes by someone asking about home made patches. 🤔
I've found bits of parcel string to work better than the commercial strips, as they absorb the latex sealant in use. But I've only tried them in low pressure MTB tyres - they might not work so well at high pressure.
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Awesome! Another thread that convinces me to stick with tubes :thumbsup:.
Why? It's a bit like being put off inner tubes by someone asking about home made patches. 🤔
Just an impression - watching friends/acquaintances/internet. There's plenty of positive experiences too - but in circumstances that don't align with mine.
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I've never had to use them yet, but did think that you could perhaps cut them in half... and it appears you can https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGx6YBp27_U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGx6YBp27_U)
OT whinge:
This is classic "learn stuff from Youtube" 6minutes of waffle and crap music, and the 10 seconds where the KEY STEP is shown;
I can't see the hell what he is doing.
Useless. I hope the manufacturers supply better support.
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I'd say bits of old cut up tyre and a bit of flexible superglue would do the job. You only need the plug to stay in place, and reduce the hole sufficiently that the sealant does the rest. No need for a perfect fit. I carry a small Stanley type blade to trim the amount of plug beyond the tyre. As the plug sticking out seems to be a common way for it to work loose over time.
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I always cut mine in half - not had a problem yet.
As for trimming them when fitted, as they are half the original length, not as issue. There's usually about 5 to 10mm sticking out, this gets flatted on the road and eventually falls off - the good thing about the worms at the moment is they fray and splay like a shoe lace without a ferrule and this I think aids them self-trimming to the tyre surface. I'm not sure you would get this effect with string or old inner tube - but worth a try.
I've never had one work it's way loose - there's enough both inside and outside the tyre to secure it.
Personally, worms are so cheap and seldom used that I think a homebrew version is not worth the bother, but happy to be convinced otherwise :thumbsup:
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Surely you can just look around at the start / controls / finish of a ride and pull them out of any other people's tyres?
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Anyway I've now got a spare alexrims tubeless ready wheel and a tubeless ready tyre, and a paying job that might permit me to do such stupid fannying around, I might do some experimenting on it the near future. If anyone has some ideas in particular jot them down and I can give them a whirl. So far I've got:
Parcel string (maybe with a load of vulcanising rubber or shoe goo on it?).
Piece of old wetsuit/overshoe/whatever
Bit of old leather belt
Bits of old tyre (got plenty of that... And inner tubes too 🙄)
If nothing else it might make for a fun blog article.
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Why bother?
I can only assume you are over-estimating how often you might need to use them.
I've used them twice in five years of riding tubeless. The first time they didn't work and I had to replace the tyre, the second they did work for a while. I've still got the original pack of 5 that I bought years ago - which I needed to buy anyway to get the tool that you use to insert them!
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Twice in one year so far for me.
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Why bother?
I can only assume you are over-estimating how often you might need to use them.
I've used them twice in five years of riding tubeless. The first time they didn't work and I had to replace the tyre, the second they did work for a while. I've still got the original pack of 5 that I bought years ago - which I needed to buy anyway to get the tool that you use to insert them!
I have two tubelessly fitted bikes - my cyclocross bike which I race on, and my audax bike. I've gone through about 5 plugs and repaired a stranger's on an audax in the past year. I will also be MTBing this winter season.
Honestly it's mostly just curiosity - if I could find a way to swerve a couple of quid spent over my lifetime that would be a plus.
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in three years of tubeless riding i haven't needed the the plugs yet (sealant did the job so far), i've not been carrying them either as every tool/system seems lacking for road tyres. i might get a dynaplug as an insurance as it looks least flawed of them all.
i like tinkering but in this case i'd rather use something readily available and tested by others.
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in three years of tubeless riding i haven't needed the the plugs yet (sealant did the job so far), i've not been carrying them either as every tool/system seems lacking for road tyres. i might get a dynaplug as an insurance as it looks least flawed of them all.
i like tinkering but in this case i'd rather use something readily available and tested by others.
I managed the whole of PBP with three dynaplugs blocking a cut I got the day before - why risk an inferior bodge? I had to pump up the tyre after 700km and add a bit of sealant. That really isn't bad. It's holding air now, though hasn't been ridden since.
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Thanks, I'd not heard of dynaplug. It sounds good, I'll get one of those!
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Thanks, I'd not heard of dynaplug. It sounds good, I'll get one of those!
I have the Megapill. I got used a couple of plugs on a DIY 200k back in June or so, and you can buy refills online, which I did for PBP.
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Ugh. Went MTBing today, using the borrowed 26er which is with tubes, and remembered why it is worth going to the fuss.
I hope some absolute waste of skin hadn't been scattering tacks but you never really know. It's happened in other places for sure.
(http://i.imgur.com/OQVimn4.jpg)