Plugs!

[AndreZA]

When plugs don't want to work.

 

[Cassie]

I read somewhere that one can make your own plugs by cutting strips of old tube into various sizes....anyone done this before?

Or are there something magic on the bought ones?

 

Great read!!

[KnobbyMech]

What stops the plug from coming out when you pull the tool out? Is there a specific technique when pulling the tool out?

 

EDIT: See knobbymech's post above...

 

Never bend the eyelets as the gap sise is designed to give enough resistance to pull the plug up to the tyre, but not too much to pull the plug through. Also the reason why you have to twist the plug a couple of times.

[Tubeless]

Nice posts.

 

Why do this?

Now twist the tool a number of times

 

Love the idea of keeping the "strip" on the tool when on a ride.

[Sammyboy]

Riding with some of the hardcore Hermanus crowd from Hermanus to Lebanon forest. Motoring it down a rocky single track section, a nice sharp rock sliced a whole, too big for sealant.

 

My measly little plug kit would not have fixed the situation. Fortunately one of the guys seemed to know all the tricks. I think he is a doctor by profession, anyway 1st he pulled out a small round file and as he described it as "cleaning the wound". Then he pulled out one of those big plugs No-Muppets described and squirted it full of tube repair glue. He stuck the glue covered plug into the tire with one of those forked tools, and cut off the excess with a small blade. The plug held for the +/- 40km home and 100s of hours riding since.

 

Lesson learnt, upgraded my riding kit to; big plugs + plug tool, small file, glue, blade, bombs + pump(bombs kill sealant), spare tube(last resort). The hassle of lugging these things with you is small compared to being stuck miles from nowhere.

[amasendeinja]

I read somewhere that one can make your own plugs by cutting strips of old tube into various sizes....anyone done this before?

Or are there something magic on the bought ones?

 

Great read!!

 

The bought ones are as sticky (tacky?) as all hell, so yes, there's something special about them. I guess you could cut strips from a tube, but at max R30 for 10 real McCoy's why would you bother? Personally when I'm out in the boonies I'd rather ensure maximum chances of a quick and effective fix rather than some homebrew "hope it works" plan - especially when Mr. Hi Jack might just notice me standing still for too long... a very real concern to anyone I'd think.

[david16v]

Buy a new tyre!

[Johan Bornman]

These snollies are designed to stay put by the force of stickyness, or whatever stickyness is called.

 

However, when you have sealant in there and it coats the inside of the tyre, it lubricates the plug very well and air pressure can push it out.

 

This is not a problem if the hole is in thicker rubber where the snollie can gain some traction, but on this tyres it has nothing to grip on and just pops right out.

 

I think some of the bicycle-sized snollies are just too small to create enough friction in the hole. Try a car/motorbike snollie.

[numbnuts]

I also just get the big [car] plugs from Midas or autozone. It is a big plug but you just unwind them to the size you want

[D Vader]

I've had to do this hundreds of times when my commute route had a lot of glass.

Really the easiest thing in the world.

Use the 4mm plugs, and keep one ready as previously stated.

No need to add glue, and I have never needed to twist the tool when plug is in. More plugs for bigger holes, have used up to 6 big plugs on a big cut and still got home.

Carry plenty of spare plugs, one dumb rocky descent ( and under-inflated), I used all 12 plugs I had after taking tyre off and plugging from inside.

Still managed to bomb it and got home ( which was several hrs away)

No need to cut away tails on plug.

2nd best invention after tubeless.