Tubeless tire repair kit vs. spare inner tube?
 

For tubeless tires on road bike, what do people generally bring as backup? Is simply a tubeless tire repair kit the best option or best to carry a spare tube? I figure the quickest fix in most cases will be simply plugging the tire..which in all likelihood will have to happen at home anyways and probably lead to buying a new tire. Have people been confident in this approach or is it best to bring a tube instead or in addition? Thanks!

I had this exact same question yesterday at the LBS. We both agreed that the need to plug a tire was almost non-existant in our many thousands of miles of riding. More often you get a slashed sidewall or slashed tire, and you're not going to plug that anyways. So I just carry an extra tube on long rides.

If you're doing a lot of single track or something where you could get a decent puncture from a sharp sapling stump or a steam crossing sure. Though I have never gotten that big of puncture even riding my MTB.

I carry both. The Dynaplug racer is pretty small and does not take any space so always carry in right rear jersey pocket and if quick enough I can prevent the tire from completely deflating. The tube is for major failures that sealant or plug cannot fix. Have been running tubeless for a few years in an urban setting riding 2 -4 times a week and only had two punctures the sealant could not handle. Plug solved one and a sidewall tear required a boot and tube to get home on the other.

I’ve been running tubeless for 2-1/2 years, mostly on road, but also dirt/gravel. I carry a tube, boot and DynaPlug, so far I’ve used the DynaPlug three times, have never used the tube.

I carry both.

To those that have used the plugs, what were the circumstances?

Pretty self-explanatory, no? I took a cut too large to seal on its own but not large enough to warrant a boot. They're rare (at least for me), but they happen. Most recently, the plug blew out of a 5-6mm cut after an additional ~250 miles, so I'll probably treat them as a temporary fix to get home with minimal roadside fuss and then reassess at home (at least at road pressure).

I no longer carry a spare tube on any bike I own. 1 time I had to do the walk of shame due to a cut sidewall, but so far that's it.

Plugs are great but finicky to use sometimes. Leave too long of a tail and they may pull out. Too much pressure and they might blow out. There is a learning curve for sure. It may take a second try to get it to seal.

I prefer the "side of bacon" style plugs and have successfully used them a few times. One plug stayed in my front tire for 2000 miles until I eventually patched it.

I use the DynaPlug, the brass tip seems to keep the plug from pulling out. The new Stan’s ones are intriguing but I’ve not used them. I used one when a previously sealed puncture would start leaking again. Another time I used one when I had apparently not topped up my sealant in a long time, so it would not seal on the road. Last time I used one is in my almost new rear tire, the puncture sealed but there was a little bubble of air under the tread, so I stuffed a plug in it. That was about 1400 miles ago, it’s been fine.

I think it all depends on the tire/rim combination you have. I tested it out at home by installing a tube in my wheels and found it nearly impossible to lever them back on the rim. So a plug kit is the way I'm going.

In all my years with tubeless I’ve only ever carried a spare tube. Twice in the recent past (including today), I should have had a plug kit of some type to try and avoid the call of shame. I’m going to order that new Stans dart kit tomorrow and start to carry along with the spare tube

I bring a tube. But, I'm keeping my rides to the 20-30 mi. range and I'm always with my gf. So, if there's an issue that can't be dealt with she can go get the car. So far, that's never happened.