The best tubeless tire puncture repair tools 2024 for gravel tires

No one wants to be the rider who has to end a ride early. Tubeless plug tools are a small item that can make the difference between getting in the miles and limping home. 

While tubeless sealant works magic on many small punctures, for larger holes or ones that don’t seem to be sealing quickly, tubeless repair tools are incredibly handy and have become essential items in the gravel riders’ repair kit. 

Most of these function on the same principle, a two-pronged fork holds a rubbery strip that is inserted to plug the hole in the tubeless tire. There is a range of associated accessories, strip sizes, and carrying methods. Some of these are built into robust tool systems, designed to replace the traditional multi-tool, while others are stealthily hidden into handlebars, or stashed with the rest of the repair kit. For most, the goal is to rapidly plug the hole losing as little sealant and tire pressure as possible.

We've tested a variety of tools, putting them through their paces to help you figure out the best tool for you - and because not everyone's requirements are the same we've selected a number of tools suited to varied disciplines and rider needs.

The quick list

The Best Tubeless Puncture Repair Tools

Best overall

The Plugger kit from Blackburn does one job and it does it quickly and reliably. The plastic housing feels lightweight but durable and contains the tool and ten plug strips. It allows the plugger to be preloaded, allowing for fast deployment. A quick turn releases the tool from the housing, which is a metal tube with an open and pointed end, rather than the frequently seen fork. We appreciated this difference as the strips always stayed in the tire and were easy to insert and load. 

The wider diameter of the system can be a bit tricky to insert in a smaller puncture, but those would likely seal up with sealant alone. The manual encourages loading “up to two plugs at once” for larger holes and we found the tube was fairly easy to load with one or two strips. Two plugs were nearly enough to seal a larger (8mm) sidewall tear, but we might not trust that as a long-term fix. The Plugger kit comes with a hook and loop strap that enables fast access by strapping the kit to the bike’s frame, fork leg, or zip-tied anywhere as well. We thought strapping it to our travel pump was rather clever. Blackburn claims repairs are permanent so you can ride easy knowing that your tire should last. 

Best for gravel racing

With origins in motorcycle tire repairs, Dynaplugs are fast, reliable, and beautifully machined tools. The slick aluminum housing of the Racer Pro contains “Twin Tube™ technology” so that it holds four ready-to-go plugs, including one Megaplug (3 times the thickness of their standard plug). Unlike the more common strips, these plugs are metal tipped to enable low-force insertion - for us this helped to make the repair easier. It also helps reduce the risk of nicking rim tape or damaging nice carbon rims. 

We found that the system took just seconds to insert into a puncture, with more plugs ready to go if needed for larger holes. This is a go-to choice when every second counts on a racecourse. For a bit of cost savings, the Racer holds two plugs, compared to the Racer Pro’s four. Dynaplug also claims repairs are permanent for the life of the tire.  

Best for stealth

The Wolf Tooth Encase Chain + Tire Plug Multi-Tool is meant to be a multi-tasker, but it’s a clever one at that. Initially, the kit seemed too large to fit in the curve of a drop bar, however, once we'd  placed the pivoting tool correctly, the installation was consistently a breeze.

The tubeless plug tool is encased in an aluminum body and threads onto the tool which pulls double duty as a chain breaker. It has space to store the included 5 repair strips and preload the fork tool with one as well. On its own, the plugger was pleasant and easy to use. Strips loaded into the fork easily, even when doubled up, and we found they plugged punctures well, detaching from the fork to remain in the tire. 

The Encase System is well designed and richly featured, a pro if you’re looking for a full tool kit and a con if you’re just after a plug tool to add to your existing kit. As a stand-alone, the chain tool seems robust, but was not tested, and does require an external 4mm hex to function. The system storage sleeves seemed to fit snugly with no noise or rattling but were not tested on the trail. Wolf Tooth does acknowledge that this system will not work with some ergonomic-style road bars with extra bends in the drops and has a running list of known bars that fall into this category. 

Best for storage

A tool that's hidden but always there. Granite's Stash Tire Plug seamlessly disappears in your handlebars or hollow axle crank, out of the way but there when you need it.

The quality aluminum all-in-one kit comes with a reamer and fork, medium-sized strips and two different end caps so you can choose to fit the stash tool in your handlebars, steerer tube or hollow crank for a small weight addition of 35 grams. 

The tool looks super clean, and we found that the reamer and fork itself did the job at hand. But the insertion and removal of the tool does require an additional 4mm hex. It's also a tad time-consuming, which we found resulted in quite a bit of air and sealant loss. Stashing the tire strips inside the tool is a bit of a squeeze but Granite doesn't provide a dedicated place to store them, meaning you either stuff them in with the tool or carry them in a pack separately.

Best for wide tires

This kit comes with the traditional fork encased in one bar end, a knife to trim plugs in the other, plus 3 packs of different size strips. The strips are described as being small for road, medium for gravel tires, and large for mountain. Our first attempt with the medium strip fared poorly with the tacky strip sticking to the tines of the fork and itself, failing to stay in the tire. A second attempt using the smaller strip went smoothly and held well despite a tricky placement right next to a knob. The knife to trim down the strip worked well and did not create any resistance or pull any of the strip back out as we were concerned it might. With this in mind, this kit may be best for a more aggressive gravel adventure bike or to share with a mountain bike.  

Having a color pop or color-coordinated bar end is also an appeal as these come in 12 color options. They are the most involved to fit into drop bars and also the slowest to remove. Utilizing the 4mm hex to get a comforting snug install also means you need the 4mm to get the tools out of the bar ends. It’s not a complicated ordeal, but potentially an issue of lost time and lost tire pressure and sealant.

Best for bikepacking

Much like the other plug kit from Wolf Tooth, this system is stacked, quite literally as the full 8-Bit kit is comprised of several interlocking magnetic multi-tools. The Chain Breaker and Plug tool can be purchased separately, but are still a bit of an investment. While this kit is likely a few things too many for your usual day ride, it includes some of the items that you’d want to take bikepacking or touring, like master link pliers and a knife.

The tubeless portion is the usual fork with reasonable-sized strips. The way the tool is stored doesn’t allow for a pre-loaded strip as it stashes inside the tool body and doubles as the 3mm hex for the chain breaker. However we still found it satisfying to use, with a large grip area and good leverage. As a fairly hefty tool, it’s good for broader uses, but not what we’d suggest for fast deployment or race situations.

Best for big holes

The DART Tool is certainly a different concept than most of the other tools we tested and that came with its pros and cons. The light plastic body houses two large “Dual Action Repair for Tubeless” aka DART that are almost reminiscent of a badminton birdie, and the rods to insert them. 

While Stan’s describes these rods as “ultralight, corrosion-resistant and incredibly strong carbon” we had one break on the first attempt and don’t seem to be alone in this issue. Luckily the tool comes with two and the other side held up and sealed an ugly sidewall tear that any other plug or strip would have struggled with. To aid matters the DART is also said to create a chemical reaction with Stan’s sealant to enable a stronger and more durable fix. This benefit, however, only appeals if you’re already a Stan’s user.  

With some breakage and the plastic head of the DART as a real struggle to insert, this tool might only be useful with large punctures. If you seem to tear sidewalls, or go big with punctures and need a way to get home, this might be the tool for you.

Best plug kit with inflator

If you didn’t catch your puncture right away, chances are you’ll be airing up your tire as well as trying to plug a hole. The Dynaplug Air Kit takes all the ease of the system described in the Racer and adds a CO2 inflator. 

While a pump is typically handy to have on most adventures, CO2 can do the trick to help re-seat the bead of a tubeless tire if things have gotten quite flat. We found that the versatile design allowed us to inflate either through the puncture hole while repairing or separately through the tubeless valve. The hose that comes with the system is a clever attachment tool and is a great addition to an already slick system. 

Advice

Tested but missed the mark

Lezyne Rap II-20 Tubeless multi-tool

What happened? Awkward to try and plug can’t preload - Could not get strip to stay in the tire. We liked the idea of an abrasive/reamer along tool, but might be best on larger tires only. 

Lezyne Tubeless Blaster

What happened? Could not get the strip to stay in the tire 

Genuine Innovations Tackle Kit

What happened? Goopiest feeling of the plugs and therefore hardest to thread into the tines. Includes two valve cores as well. 

First attempt stuck to fork tines as I attempted to remove. Tried again and stuck to itself, turning into a goopy bacon ball. Second attempt was successful and seemed to hold. 

SWORD Plug Kit

What happened? Gigantic strips that really did not want to go into the tire. Easily installed into the ends of drop bars. No obvious storage for extra plugs. Pre-loaded is loose inside bar can dry out or stick to the inside of the bar. “Counter clockwise spiral twist ensures lock and release mechanism for a tight and secure fit in the bar end. (ensuring plug still stays dry and sticky)”

What should you look for in a tubeless plug tool

While the traditional flat kit of tire levers, tube, pump (or CO2 inflator) and multi-tool is the core basics you should have on every ride, the addition of a tubeless plugger can make the difference whether or not you need to use those resources. To find the right plug tool for you, consider a few variables:

Storage - Ease of access to this tool can make the difference between losing a few psi or leaking sealant all over the road. Many products are designed to be stored in a handlebar so they take up minimal space. Others strap onto your bike, and some are small enough to be added to your existing flat kit or tool wrap. 

Multi-taskers - Many of the best plugger tools we tested were built to do that one thing, while others are built into multi-tools or entire tool systems. Are you happy with your existing multi-tool or other elements of your flat kit? If not then consider these multi-taskers as a clever way to build out your tool arsenal. 

Type of riding - This test was structured with gravel riding and the tires and likely punctures of this style of riding. Many of the pluggers in the market are oriented to mountain biking and size their tools and repair strips accordingly. We struggled with this larger strip size and left off several tools that fell into this category. Additionally, the kit you carry may vary depending on pace, terrain, and remoteness. Some tools are oriented toward fast and light, while others are heavier-duty or feature-rich. 

How we test

Clearly, the most important job of a tubeless tire plug is to repair punctured tires so that they hold air again, so this was the primary concern of the test. The Plug's ability to seal large and small holes or slashes was assessed, as was its speed of deployment which could be crucial to help the tire retain air, especially if racing.

However, elements such as ease of storage, simplicity to use and inclusion of other handy tools were also considered when giving a star rating as well as the kit's value for money.