Stans Dart trail side tips?
 

I got a puncture that was too big for my sealant. It was honestly not too bad but it just kept hissing. This was on the rolling surface of a Maxis Dissector. Not on the knobs but on the flat surface between knobs.

I have carried Stan’s Darts for a couple years now. I realized that I’d never had cause to use them. Cool, plugging tires is kinda fun.

First one, I pushed it in and by the time the tool had bottomed out, only a small portion of the patch was inside. As a pulled it out, the whole thing came out.

I tried the second one (typical kit comes with 2). I tried to massage it in further and got a slightly better result. Enough that I went ahead and aired it up. It appeared barely in. I rode in a circle for a minute to check it. It almost immediately fell out. Whoosh and squirt. It seems like the introducer/long pointy part on the tool needs to be at least 5mm longer.

I soft pedaled back to the parking lot, fortunately still close. I wasn’t far enough in to justify the mess of putting my spare tube in. I drove to the nearest shop and got a dyna plug. My plan was for bacon but they didn’t carry it. The dyna plug went in perfectly and I pumped my tire back up and rode 2 more hours. I finished at the same psi as I started and it’s still unchanged overnight. This is the type of repair I expect. I like bacon but this was quite easy and definitely reliable. Cool, I got a new tubeless repair kit.

I still think the Darts are supposed to be good? To read their advertisement, they’re the best on the market. Stan’s makes quality wheels and hubs IME, so what gives? Is this user error? Are they unable to get through a rolling surface, sidewall only repair? I have 4 or 5 spares in a refill pack but I’m tempted to never use them again. Is anyone out there successfully using Darts?

And holy sheet, I’ve gone on some epic rides in the middle of nowhere with those darts in my bag. I didn’t have cause to use them. Sounds like I lucked out.

Seems like you've found what you need with the Dynaplug. Those are very popular and very easy to use.

I have an inexpensive Lezyne bacon strip tool, and it worked fine the one time I had to use it.

DynaPlugs, as you found out, are great. I'm sure the Darts work just fine too, but there's always a bit of trial-and-error involved in plugging a hole, and the trailside isn't always the best place to give a product its best trial. If you've got a supply of Darts on hand, maybe practice the procedure in the comfort of your garage until you get the hang of them.

I've heard many reports of failure with Stans darts, although I've never used them myself. I used Dynaplugs with some success in the past, but I'm not a huge fan of those either. I've had them pull out on the pavement and sometimes the metal part on the end rattles around inside the tire. I've been carrying and using the bacon strips for years and haven't had any issues with them.

The bacon is a more tactile secure method for me. I prefer it but wanted to ride and only dyna plugs were available. So far It does seem fine.

The latest version of the DART has different tip (clear) and is MUCH improved. Use in combo with their 2Oz bottle repairs most punctures.

Haven't used the Dart but I have had good success with bacon strips. I find the repair easier if there is some air in the tire. Maybe true for the Dart, however you can manage it.

Use bacon with zero issues or leakage. One bacon lasted 3000 miles when I pitched the worn out tire.

I carry both dyna-plugs and darts, they are each small enough that there is no problem fitting both in my saddle bag. There isn't one best from my experience, sometimes one does better and sometimes its the other. By default I have used the dyne-plug, but on holes on the side of the tire the plug doesn't get compressed by riding and the dart can do better there. Thus far I have managed to plug all holes well enough to keep going with one of the two.

No experience with Stans but good experience with Dyna Plug. Had zero issues and the tyre went on for another 500k. Probably could have gone longer expect I was going on a 160mi ride and I did not want to risk having issues at the 100mi mark so I replaced the tyre.