So today i was 10 miles from home bounding down a forest track over small, sharp, flinty stones which i had gone over 100 times before and suddenly i was being sprayed from both ends with the dreaded white mist of sealant.
The front tyre has a 8mm gash that required 2x plugs to fill. The rear tyre has a 4mm gash which was sorted with a single plug. I then used 2x CO2 cannisters to pump them up and headed home instead of continuing my planned 40mile route which would have taken me a maximum of about 15 miles from home.
How much trust do you place in plugs? Would you guys just plug it and continue the ride and then keep using the tyres for another 1000 miles or do you consider that it’s a get-you-home feature and the tyre is a throwaway?
I’ve used then on road tyres before and left one in for 500 miles and it seemed good forever but i’ve not got the same confidence in XC for some reason…
I’ve seen tyres with plugs last an entire year of hard Enduro riding, and I’ve seen plugs come out the next ride in less chunky situations.
(To actually answer the question, I’d replace them both. I don’t want to be caught out far from home or have one of my riding days ruined if I can help it)
I had to plug both a front and rear tire Ground Control XC and Fast Track in the Rear XC. about month before a 4 day MTB Stage race in rocky terrean. both tires were in excellent condition almost new not signifigantly worn both plugs on the sidwall. I was concered I opted to leave the front Ground Control on with plug and I changed out the rear Fast Track with plug for the new Renegade.
The pluged front Ground Control held up NO problems during the month of training and the 4 day stage race in rocky conditions.
In the past I wouldn’t have thought twice about replacing both plugged tires race or not. But trying to be more frugal in 2023 I made the change.
Since the mtb race I have focused on road training and have not touched the MTB until today for a ride tomorrow And I’m now faced with the task of replacing the good Renegade with the old plugged Fast Track … Yes, I will do it but not tomorrow…
So yes you can ride plugged tires if the plug is set well and you aren’t losing air now or over night.
A friend a hard core enduro type rides with his rear tire full of plugs NO issues. Can’t figure out if he is frugal or cheap
Your call . I raced four days on a plugged front tire no issues.
