[Closed] Anchovie Curious

You can get packs of lesser-branded of varying thickness for cheaper on fleabay. Need something to push them into the hole with. Shove em in. Pump with a pump. Not really any knack. You'll wonder why you didn't use them before!

Damn, was just ready to offer my Puttanesca pasta sauce recipe.

Worth carrying a few cable ties if it gets serious. Guides at Basque MTB got me out of a few holes with a combination of plugs and cable ties, rode the rest of the week like that on EWS stages. Good as new!

Assuming going anchovies rather than dyna plug, I'd start with a kit, like weldtite but there are many. That has everything you need and will get you through quite a lot of punctures before you start worrying about top up supplies, then ebay anchovies by width, and I'm not aware of any being better than others assuming size is ok. I'm still on my weldtite kit bought 13 years ago plus a pack of anchovies off ebay so vast I keep giving whole sheets away and will still be left with a lifetime supply.

YMMV of course but because I don't need to save a few seconds I'm happy with anchovies over dyna plug. Because anchovies double over I find they are a little more reliable at filling some holes.

I haven't needed a tube in at least 5 years (he says, thereby guaranteeing the need for one next week). I might change this policy once I start riding further away from home again but for many months I haven't carried a tube for mtb.

Oh and mushroom patches I keep in stock at home, just in case I get a puncture I think will be better fixed by those. They make a tidier finish although to be perfectly honest I'd probably have been just as well leaving the anchovies in most times I've used them.

Weldtite's kit works really well, and ime works better than dynaplug with bigger holes, basically because you can mash in more worms more easily. it's amazing what can seal up with enough optimism. So that's what's in my camelbak. I am not generally a "travel light" rider so the bulk is no problem

Dynaplug is so tidy and compact though, so that's what's in my saddlepack for the road bike and in my bumbag for fast rides. It's a really clever solution.

If I have a puncture to fix I want to have my weldtite kit, or something like it. But if I have a small bag to pack, then the dynaplug is awesome and the weldtite kit isn't. And most of all if I get a flat, I want to have something, and in a small bag that's maybe the choice- dynaplug or nothing. Or something concealed on the bike, or nothing.

(I've got too many bikes so I don't go for the "stuck in the bar ends" thing, even though it's pretty nifty)

I guess I'd really like something that combines the best of all worlds- a smaller tidier less rattly kit that doesn't feel like an 80s puncture repair kit, but without giving away quite as much usefulness as the dynaplug does. Maybe it already exists and someone's going to recommend it.

The only thing I have to add is that you should cram in the largest plug you can fit.

You should use the rasp/bradle to standardise the size of the hole to ensure you know a fixed size of plug fits tightly.

I've seen people poke in plugs only slightly larger than the hole and watch in amazement as carcass flex and pressure push them back out in record time.

Thanks for the replies everyone, lots of good points to consider. Yeah Northwind I think you touch on quite a few of my concerns/questions, I'm looking to get a kit with a view to adding to my on the bike toolkit. I'm thinking of getting a wolftooth b-rad mini that I can swap between bikes so the weldtite kit looks like it'd be too bulky. Also would want to use it on multiple bikes so don't want bar end kits (as cool as they look).

I'm thinking something like this lezyne kit would be a good size. Not sure how important the rasp is though? It doesn't look very substantial! Also is the knife and rubber solution that you get with the weldtite kit needed?

Any of the just ram it in and get riding asap types would be my choice. I have the dynaplug racer.
Before I had an anchovie kit but they had all dried up and were stuck to the backing when I needed to use it.

I guess I’d really like something that combines the best of all worlds- a smaller tidier less rattly kit that doesn’t feel like an 80s puncture repair kit, but without giving away quite as much usefulness as the dynaplug does.

I hear you.

I bought the cheaper plastic version of that Lezyne tool and combined additional supplies in a soft case that doesn't rattle. Tool remains loaded for the least faff time.

Also is the knife and rubber solution that you get with the weldtite kit needed?

I've only ever used rubber cement (not vulcanising solution) when the repair kit uses strips of rubber that you cut from a small sheet.

The sticky plugs/anchovies seem to work fine without it. The knife I rhink is necessary to cut the end of the plug lower than the tread - if left long they can get pulled out like a trodden on shoe lace.

You're perhaps overthinking ... pretty sure mine started off as decathalon "kit"... get a few sizes and stick enough into an old style puncture kit plastic box... refill/top up as needed.

Dynaplug racer is TINY! fits nicely in a hollow crank with a bit of foam packing wrapped round it.

Twice had anchovie kits fall on plugging holes, second time annoyed me so much went and picked up a Dynaplug racer from the LBS and its worked several times since easily.

Only annoyance is the cost of the plugs once you use the ones it comes with, but for the ease of use its Dynaplug everytime for me.

I'm just about to convert to tubeless so looking at plug repair options, so this thread has been very useful. Thanks.

I see the Weldtite kit comes with a rasp tool to clean/open up the puncture. Is that needed/useful? I don't see it provided in any other kits. In my search I came across the Ryder Innovations SlugPlug kit which looks like a neat cheap option. Does anyone have any experience of this?

I've also seen mention in other, olderthreads of people using 'mushroom patches' to repair larger holes & cuts. Can anyone please explain how you use these? My initial thought was that the stem part of the mushroom is pushed through the damaged area from inside. But the adhesive would be on the wrong side of the patch to serve any purpose. Confused!

@deltacharlie72

My strong suspicion is that my punctures would've sealed fine without the rasp tool but it's no hardship to have it along. Some above have however aluded to its importance.

Mushroom patch - clean inside of tyre, apply vulcanising soln to patch and tyre and let go tacky as you would fixing a tube, pull patch through by the stalk, press to stick, let dry, cut off with a few mm still sticking out. You could apply more pressure by inflating a tube in the tyre but I never have.

Mushroom patch is a tidier finish and more secure in a tiny minority of punctures but generally not worth the bother if your trail fix is holding fine. Clearly you have to get inside the tyre to do it. I keep a few in stock in case of a puncture I think would be better fixed this way, like at the bead sometimes, although mushrooms still deform the tyre and require a bit to stick out, so a version of the same issue remains.

deltacharlie72
Free Member

I see the Weldtite kit comes with a rasp tool to clean/open up the puncture. Is that needed/useful?

I've used it once, but never used it for a normal flat. What it's really useful for, is really small punctures that won't seal for whatever reason- they can be literally too small to put an anchovy in otherwise, so you have to open them up in order to fix them. (with me, it was a gouge in the surface of the tyre, which hadn't really made much of a hole but had taken out enough rubber to make sealing a problem. So I stabbed a bigger hole where it was leaking and plugged it. You could probably improvise tools for the same result.

I’ve also seen mention in other, olderthreads of people using ‘mushroom patches’ to repair larger holes & cuts. Can anyone please explain how you use these? My initial thought was that the stem part of the mushroom is pushed through the damaged area from inside. But the adhesive would be on the wrong side of the patch to serve any purpose. Confused!

Yep, it goes through from the inside, and the adhesive goes between the patch and the tyre (and also on the bottom of the stem). It's a completely permanent fix (the air pressure holds it in place rather than wanting to blow it out, the glue is only sealing) and adds a bit of strength back to sidewalls which is useful where you've got a slice that wants to pull open. But it's 100% a "do it at home" job not a sensible trailside fix.

I reckon anchovies are close enough to permanent as to make not much difference most of the time- if it gets you home it'll probably last. But mushrooms are much tidier and give a bit more peace of mind so I'll usually pop one in when I get home. Once cut flush you can generally barely tell where they are.

@luket
@Northwind

Thanks for the additional info guys. Much appreciated.

So I had my first road tubeless puncture yesterday, a pft pft noise, and a hole bubbling that wasn’t sealing, massaged it a bit with my finger and tried pumping it up, pressure held but as I was using a lezyne pump it took the core with it on removal, tightened the core and reinflated.
10min down the road it’s holding but there’s a wobbly blob of sealant on the tyre but underneath it’s sealed, a little less pressure seems to have helped, it’s probably 65-70 psi so very much rideable.
Tyre is still up a day later so what now?
Leave it alone and ride it? Put a park patch on the inside? Put a tube patch on inside with rubber cement? Get some rubberised super glue?

I have the weldtite kit but forgot it for the ride, had a tube if needed so will remember to carry it now...

i bought the nukeproof kit a couple of years ago, used it for the first time at the bottom of stage 1 at graythwaite on sunday.
had to put 2 anchovie's in the hole where the sidewall meets tread then used the insertation tool to enlarge the hole next to the rim so i could get one in there. held up fine for the rest of the day.
did take a while to figure out the noise the bike had picked up was the exposed part catching on the mudgaurd(was a font tyre).

with the current stock level of front wild enduro's i'm going to have to run it like that for a while but don't think i would want to go into a race weekend relying on it.

When I first went tubeless, I bought a little pack of anchovies off eBay for a few quid, and it came with a little two pronged tool for poking them in. It's worked on the few occasions I've had to use it.

Genuinely curious as to what the advantage of these expensive kits is? My "kit" probably weighs less than 10g. Some of them have the anchovy preloaded... it takes approximately 5 seconds to pull one off the sheet and shove it in the tool. Do your shoelaces come pre-tied too to save you the hassle?

I had cause to use my Shamuri SWORD repair kit in anger the other day. Worked a tread. Not sure if anyone is bringing them into the UK currently though.

Anchovies can be faffy and frustrating if you have thick carcass tyres, but they usually work in the end.

Dynaplug is good for some holes, but more expensive and less versatile.

Not tried any of the other solutions.

Genuinely curious as to what the advantage of these expensive kits is?

i had done the same as you, bought some anchovies which came with a tool. i then got the nukeproof one so the anchovies where stored inside a metal container along with the tool, the metal container doubles up as the handle of the tool, so that i can't accidently stab myself with it when i crash.

Anchovies. The weldite kits my go to.

I use a half an anchovie and glue normally.

If its shit weather/rushing it gets a full one with no glue

Just started to do proper repairs at home as anchovies seem like a bodge.Just glue them in place. 2 punctures , 2 fixes.

I have these on both bikes, they work really well. https://muc-off.com/products/stealth-tubeless-puncture-plug