Stan’s NoTubes might have finally come to the rescue of expensive tyre repair throwaways.
The American sealant and rim specialist has now launched a new tyre plugging product which promises to solve your tyre-puncturing issues without ruining the rubber.
Stan’s is marketing a new tyre repair tool called the DART – and that acronym dual-action-repair-for-tubeless. Weighing only 15g, the DART is specially targeted at sealing tyre gashes which are larger than 5mm in size.
Although tubeless sealant will deal with most thorn or small puncture issues, if you are unfortunate enough to carve a larger cut into your sidewall or tread surface, you’ll need to plug.
The issue with traditional mountain bike tyre plug kits, are that they use off-road adventure vehicle technology, with tyres that have a lot more material and sidewall strength than a mountain bike tyre.
Stan’s designers analysed the issue with conventional tyre plug systems, especially the sharp prod used to force plugging material into the gash and deduced that many plugging kits did as much damage as good.
With the DART Stan’s completely re-imagined what a mountain bike tyre plug kit should be, and the solution looks rather strange – but promises to work a treat.
A barbed tip inserts laser cut plugging material into whichever hole or gash needs to be sealed. Stan’s has carefully engineered the mechanically sealing material inserted with its DART to work a lot better than traditional worm shapes, which can be awkward to shape and seal.
The Stan’s plugging material looks like a series of false eyelashes which are pieced together. When your tyre is leaking air, speed is of the essence, and often riders are too zealous when using a plugging tool, with the metal prod gashing rim tape.
With the DART and its barb, Stan’s has engineered its new plug-kit to always have perfectly safe insertion depth, and because the tool is double-sided, you can quickly seal two gashes in succession.
Beyond its outstanding mechanical design, the DART’s sealing material is also coated with a chemical which reacts to tyre sealant, creating an additional chemical bond to ensure than even the worst sniper root or rock cut is contained.
Stan’s is launching the DART at a price of $25, with refill kits retailing for $20 – containing five refills.
