Anyone else have Stan’s Darts? I have them (friend gave me a set he got at a demo day), and I’ve used them successfully, but wanted to know if there was any reason to switch to Dynaplugs instead.
1 Like
Yeah, you can still pinch flat with tubeless. Just in a different location. I would say it is harder to do on tubeless though.
I’m convinced something is missing in the low-pressures-for-road-tires movement. There certainly is a large body of data that says low pressures are faster for lots of riders. The story of how Zipp developed the 303, and the corresponding low tire pressures, for the classics is super compelling. But there are just a lot of riders for whom the low pressures don’t seem to work. Either due to flats, slowness, weird handling, etc. My hunch is that some unknown factors contribute to certain riders being better at higher pressures. Rider weight (larger-than-pro-size riders need a steeper pressure curve)? Weight distribution (sub-optimal bike fits make the rider put different forces on the tire)? Rim width (if you’re still running antiquated 15mm inner widths, the low pressures squirm too much)?
Who knows.
On the MTB, I keep creeping down to lower and lower pressures, so it works for me in that application.
I just left the tail of it hanging out of the tyre. After many miles it wore itself down and seemed to merge the rest into the tyre.
I only gave it any thought because it was the first time i’d used it, being new to tubeless and still not 100% convinced at the time.
A couple of months and many miles later, and the plug is still in my tyre and i’m 100% sold on tubeless and Dynaplug.
2 Likes
I carry the Dyna-Plug but have not used it.
I have used the bacon plug, it sealed very well, and put some miles on the bacon plug.
I really like the idea of both the dynaplug and the stans dart my biggest worry is I use wheel on trainer and the dynaplug might not hold up too well. And has anyone used the stans dart with muc off sealant it says it works with any latex based sealant but I’ve seen people say it doesn’t work with well with all brands.
So I want some advice on now when to use this Dyna plug! Had a tubeless blowout on a descent this week, must have grazed a pebble perhaps. The sidewall cut and it instantly went pop. I thought about plugging the hole then using co2 to inflate but wasn’t sure it would hold so just threw a tube in. In that scenario, should I be able to plug the hole then inflate to get home?
Unlikely if the sidewall cut was too big. But what I do, the rare times it didn’t seal on its own, is first try the plug. If it doesn’t work you can still put a tube in. But, you need to have enough co2 available when making these decisions.
2 Likes
I had the Dynaplug Air Tool that lets you insert the plug and air in sorta one motion. Got a flat during a short XC race and, in a rush, I could not find the leak. And of course, I left the air hose at home, that you need to use the Air Tool as a regular CO2 inflator. No other CO2 than the one attached to the tool.
So in a moment of extreme brilliance, I made another hole with the tool to put in more air and inserted the plug in the hole I made, with the hope that the sealant would seal up the hole with more air in the tire.
Obviously, the tire kept on losing air and I DNF’d.
So if you use the Air Tool, don’t forget the air hose!
As for the bacon strips, I wonder how much of a pain it would be to have to thread the strips if you end up having to use multiple strips…
I carry a Dynaplug Racer every time I head out. I might put the Air Tool back in service when races start up again (and remember to bring the air hose).
Bacon sucks on road bike tyres. Dynaplugs are fantastic. Never tried the Stans. Like someone said, dynaplugs are the final missing piece for tubeless road. Carry CO2 though. Much better than a pump.
I use the dynaplug micropill for gravel events. I’ve used bacon in the past. In terms of sealing punctures I think they’re both comparable.
I like the micropill for two reasons. #1 it’s easier/faster for me to deploy. I keep it at the rear of my top tube bag so I can just unzip the bag about 1/4 way, grab the pill, hop off the bike, plugholdspin, and we’re off. #2 The form factor is great. The plugs don’t get dusty or clumped. No need to dig around in your bag or thread strips. With the micropill everything is always right there.
One complaint I hear about the dynaplugs is that the metal tip can come off and roll around inside your tire. There is no denying that happens! It doesn’t bother me but if you are mentally susceptible to distractions like that it can be a problem.
One thing I’ve noticed with bacon strips is that it helps to have the right size. I had a mesquite thorn hole that wouldn’t seal. I tried the usual mountain bike size strip and it was really hard to install because it was so big, even with reaming out the hole. A road bike sizes skinny strip would have been perfect.
I’m also carrying some Dynaplugs now but I haven’t got the opportunity to try one yet. I worry that they will be hard to get in. They look so huge. I guess the head will help.
One problem with tubeless is not being able to master repair techniques until you get out on the road with a puncture that is, unless you want to put holes in your tires for practice. 
Semi related question for the dyna-plug tip: Since they are pointy, once you use them, I envision them pointing at the rim. Any risk of damage to the rim if you were to say compress the tire with a root in a MTB situation?
I won’t say zero but very low for a couple of reasons. First, the height of the tip is generally much less than the depth of your rim profile. So most of the time the tire will pinch against the rim before the tip of the plug contacts the rim. Second, the plug tip tends to just fall off after not too much riding.
I was worried that it might puncture the tubeless tape when I first started using them. Never had an issue as far as I know.
HOWEVER, if your particular circumstances have got you really concerned you can buy the bullet-tipped plugs instead.
1 Like
I have had a Stans Dart on my gravel bike for a while and had the chance to use it a couple of weeks ago. Ran over a large piece of gravel which may have pinched my tire and pierced the sidewall of by Panaracer Gravel King SKs. (I may have been running too low a PSI for the 38mm tires)
I pulled the Dart out and it was very easy to use. Took a couple of minutes for the sealant (Stans) seal it up but once it did all seemed good. But this was on a gravel tire with around 40 psi - can’t say for road tires with higher psi.
Has anyone used the Lezyne tool that inserts the bacon strip and has the attached CO2 to add air at the same time? I have this tool on my mountain bike but fortunately have never had an opportunity to use it.
Got a chance to use my dart on my road bike the other day, worked fine and was easy. I’d lost quite a bit of air, so had to pump up, but all in all it probably took me a minute until I was back riding. Happy with that!
1 Like
Dynapluggin’ on a golf cart.
+1 for this - had a Lezyne kit that I prepped but never got to use. Then it fell out of my pack on a ride. Curious if I should upgrade to the one with the attached CO2
I tried bacon on a GP5000TL, lasted for about 3 miles. Tried again, same result. Went with a tube for the rest of the ride.
When I got home, I put sealant in tire, pumped it up and plugged with a dart. It was magical. Sealed very quickly and the plug easily lasted 6-700 miles. Only reason I am no longer using that tire is because at some point something on the road bit out a chunk of the tread.
That being said, I have heard from two team members that their dart experience was not good. When inserting the dart, the “feathery” part detached from the plastic tip. This has me wondering whether I should buy a Dyna Plug just in case…and experiment with that should the dart fail. But the dart hasn’t failed me yet.
Also worked in plugging a MTB sidewall, lasted for a while.