Tubeless Tire Plugs Compared

Tubeless tires reduce the number of flats and offer a smoother ride; however, even with the added protection, punctures still occur sometimes. When a puncture is too big for sealant to handle on its own, a tubeless tire plugs in the tool to get you back on track. 

The most common tubeless tire repair tools are “bacon strip” pluggers. These tools generally have a small, forked shaft for inserting the tire plug into a puncture. The tire plugs, known as bacon strips, are small pieces of sticky vulcanized rubber that bond with the tire sealant and the tire to stanch the flow of air.  

On the plus side, bacon strip-style tools are readily available at very affordable prices. The downfall of bacon strips is that they are often only good enough to get you home. After that, you will still need to either patch the tubeless tire from the inside or install a new tire (if the puncture really did some damage). Bacon strips are more effective at lower tire pressures and on treaded tires, where the strip may not actually touch the ground. On road bike tires, however, the higher tire pressures and slick tire surface can cause bacon strips to come loose. 

Easily our all-time favorite bike accessory at Performance Bicycle, the Dynaplug takes tire plugging to the next level. With reliable brass-tipped plugs and tools made from durable aluminum, Dynaplugs provide a permanent tubeless tire fix that can be administered in seconds flat. There are a bunch of different Dynaplug options so check out our article to learn more (or just get a Racer Pro – you won’t regret it). Dynaplug tools tend to be more expensive than other tubeless tire plugs, but we think that they are worth it.  

The big name in tire sealant, Stan’s harnessed their tubeless prowess and created the DART (Dual Action Repair for Tubeless). The DARTs barbed plastic tip ensures that the plug won’t come back out and allows for easy insertion. The “secret” to the DART is a special material that bonds with latex sealant to create a stronger plug. The DART is a reasonably-priced tool though DART refills are more expensive than other plugs on the market.   

Straddling the line between bacon strips and other specialty tire plugs, the WTB Rocket utilizes bacon strip-style plugs, with a twist – the bacon strips are attached to a reusable Rocket Anchor. The Anchor keeps the plug secure in the tire and helps with the insertion process. The Rocket includes four anchors, though additional ones can be purchased separately.  

Budget Tubeless Hack:
WTB Rocket Anchors can also be installed using a hex key (2mm for the small ones. 3mm for the large ones). You can save some cash and only buy the refill kit. Then use your favorite multitool to insert the plugs and store them in a vessel of your choice.

If you use a temporary tubeless fix, such as a bacon strip, you will probably want to fully fix your tire later. You can always use a simple tubeless patch kit like this one from Rema. It works just like a tube patch kit except that you patch the inside of the tire instead. For more sophisticated tubeless tire repair, the Tubeless Pro Plugs from Lezyne use a mushroom-style plug that is also installed from the inside of the tire.