The best tubeless tyre puncture repair tools 2025 for road and gravel tyres
No one enjoys abruptly ending a ride due to a flat tyre. Our testers purposefully punctured their tyres to discover the top tubeless repair tools that could rescue your ride.
While the best tubeless sealants do a fantastic job of sealing the best gravel or road tubeless tyres, they will need a little extra help with larger holes. That is where tubeless tyre puncture tools come in.
No one wants to cut a ride short due to a mechanical issue. Tubeless repair kits are small and easy-to-carry tools that can make the difference between limping home and actually completing your ride.
Working like a needle and thread, tubeless repair tools allow you to force a rubber strip, more commonly known as a "plug," into your tyre and fill the void. This should allow the sealant left inside to do its job. These tools are available in various formats, with most of those highlighted in this guide being specialized tubeless repair tools. A prime example is our top-rated tubeless repair tool, the Blackburn Plugger, which boasts a sturdy handle, space for extra plugs, and a strap for easy transport on your bike.
Tubeless puncture tools are more frequently now offered as part of the best multi-tools. There are several great examples of tools that can be integrated into your handlebar, top cap, or chainset spindle. The Wolf Tooth Encase is a fantastic example, and it can even be placed with Wolf Tooth's own pump for simple transportation and security.
In this guide, we willingly punctured our tyres in pursuit of the best tubeless tyre repair tool. The result is eight tools that we rate highly and you can trust by the side of the road or trail. We have also made a number of honourable mentions for your consideration if these don't quite meet your needs.
Best Overall
Best overall
Affordable, easy to use and with a reliable outcome. Comes with a strap to attach tool to your bike.
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Over best overall tubeless puncture repair tool, the Blackburn Plugger.
Our expert review:
The Blackburn plugger kit does one job quickly and reliably. Its plastic housing feels lightweight but durable and contains the tool and ten plug strips. The plugger can 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 tyre and were easy to insert and load.
The system's wider diameter can be 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 has a hook and loop strap that enables fast access by strapping the kit to the bike’s frame, fork leg, or zip-tied anywhere. We thought strapping it to our travel pump was rather clever. Blackburn claims repairs are permanent so you can ride easy knowing that your tyre should last.
Our expert review:
Dynaplugs, originally used for motorcycle tyre repairs, are fast, reliable, and beautifully machined tools. The Racer Pro's slick aluminium housing contains “Twin Tube™ technology” to hold four ready-to-go plugs, including one Megaplug (three 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 made 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. The Racer holds two plugs, compared to the Racer Pro’s four, for a bit of cost savings. Dynaplug also claims repairs are permanent for the life of the tyre.
Our expert review:
The Wolf Tooth Encase Chain + Tyre Plug Multi-Tool is meant to be a multi-tasker, and it’s a clever one at that. Initially, the kit seemed too large to fit in the curve of a drop bar. However, the installation was consistently a breeze once we'd placed the pivoting tool correctly.
The tubeless plug tool is encased in an aluminium 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 tyre.
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 without 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.
Our expert review:
A tool that's hidden but always there. Granite's Stash Tyre Plug seamlessly disappears in your handlebars or hollow axle crank, out of the way but there when needed.
The quality aluminium all-in-one kit comes with a reamer and fork, medium-sized strips, and two different end caps. For a small 35-gram weight addition, you can fit the stash tool in your handlebars, steerer tube, or hollow crank.
The tool looks super clean, and we found that the reamer and fork itself did the job at hand. However, the tool's insertion and removal require an additional 4mm hex. It's also a tad time-consuming, resulting in quite a bit of air and sealant loss. Stashing the tyre 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.
Our expert review:
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 tyres, 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 tyre. 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 strips 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 colour pop or colour-coordinated bar end is also appealing, as these come in 12 colour options. They are the most involved in fitting 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 it is potentially an issue of lost time, tyre pressure, and sealant.
Our expert review:
Much like the other plug kit from Wolf Tooth, this system is stacked, quite literally, as the full 8-bit kit comprises several interlocking magnetic multi-tools. The Chain Breaker and Plug tool can be purchased separately, but it is 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.
Our expert review:
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.
Our expert review:
If you don’t catch your puncture right away, you’ll likely be airing up your tyre and trying to plug a hole. The Dynaplug Air Kit combines the ease of the system described in the Racer with a CO2 inflator.
While a pump is typically handy on most adventures, CO2 can help re-seat the bead of a tubeless tyre if it has become quite flat. The versatile design allows 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.
As I mentioned in my introduction to this guide, it has become commonplace for the best multitools to come equipped with tubeless puncture repair tools. The Crankbrothers M20 multi-tool is a great example of this and was subsequently awarded the best multitool for tubeless repair.
Not only does it feature 20 very useful tools, including the usual Allen keys, a chain tool, and a unique rotor straightening tool, but it also features that all-important tubeless puncture repair tool, which we found during testing to be one of the most useful parts of the M20 tool. However, that's not all. It also comes equipped with a small box for storing additional tubeless plugs and keeping them from drying out.
Our honourable mention, the Crankbrothers M20 multi-tool
Lezyne Rap II-20 Tubeless multi-tool
What happened? It's an awkward application, and there is no option to preload plugs - I could not get the strip to stay in the tyre. We liked the idea of an abrasive/reamer-along tool, but it might be best on larger tyres only.
Lezyne Tubeless Blaster
What happened? Plug insertion failed several times, leading to me giving up.
Genuine Innovations Tackle Kit
What happened? These plugs were the stickiest in the test, which was a drawback because they adhered to the applicator tines. I did manage to get one plug to hold successfully, but I am concerned about its reliability.
SWORD Plug Kit
What happened? The Sword tool is supplied with gigantic strips that I struggled to insert; however, it was easily installed into the ends of drop bars. There is no obvious storage for extra plugs, and the only option for Pre-loaded is that the plugs are left loose inside the bar and can dry out or stick to the inside of the bar.
While the traditional flat kit of tyre 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 tyres 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.
The testing of tubeless tyre puncture repair tools is the only time we willingly want punctures to see which is the best tool. To avoid any accidents or injuries to reviewers, our testing is done in the relatively controlled environment of our warm and dry workshop. While it doesn't replicate real-world scenarios, it does allow us to test a larger number of tools and kits whilst being able to replicate different-sized punctures and damage.
Clearly, the most important job of a tubeless tyre plug is to repair punctured tyres 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 tyre retain air, especially when 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 and the kit's value for money.
Plug and sealant working in tandem to achieve an airtight seal
Having tested nearly a dozen tubeless repair kits for this guide, my resounding answer is yes! Of course, not all kits are as reliable or easy to use, but having also been in several scenarios out on the road and trail where I have had to rely on these tools, you can be reassured these tools are ride savers.
While the plugs are most commonly used in emergencies, there is no reason that your plug can't last indefinitely until the tyre wears down. Plugs are vulcanized rubber just like your tyre, given that it's a good fit and the plug is fitted correctly, with a good tubeless sealant to help seal any minor gaps; at the very least, you shouldn't need to replace the tyre immediately.
