DYNAPLUG RACER PRO REVIEW

MY FAVORITE FLAT FIXER

Review by Alex Sardella | Photos by Dusten Ryen

Is a $54.99 tubeless repair kit worth it? After 4 years of relying on Dynaplugs to save my bacon, I am here to convince you it is. I first got turned onto Dynaplug at the Downieville classic in 2018. Those that know Downieville know it’s fast, rocky, loose, techy, and rough. So, popping tires in the northern Sierra’s can come easily, due to the rugged and raw nature of the terrain. Getting a flat sucks. It kills the downhill flow state, can interrupt a fun group ride, and gashing a brand-new tire is a dreadful feeling, especially with the price of rubber these days.

“Where’s Alex”
“Oh, he is just fixing his flat, should be a second”
…15 minutes go by
“Should we go check on him?”

This used to be me as a bacon strip guy. Don’t be a bacon strip guy, be a Dynaplug guy – your friends won’t need to pedal back up the trail to make sure you know how to fix a flat, and you’ll likely expend many less expletives on the trail side when the inevitable happens. This isn’t an article sponsored by Dynaplug in any way, simply the sharing of my outstandingly positive experiences with their product.

THE LAB

The Dynaplug Racer Pro’s body is a sleek Anodized 6061 Aluminum that is 4.25” long and .44” in diameter. It essentially is the size of a small pencil. The material used to plug the tire is a viscoelastic rubber, combined with a Nonabrasive brass or aluminum arrow on the standard and Megaplug respectively. These are loaded into twin-tubes with a stainless steel core, which are easily stored within the Racer Pro body to be ready for deployment in a tire emergency.

The Dynaplug Racer Pro Kit comes with 1 heavy duty Megaplug and 3 standard size plugs. Additional plugs are sold separately, and 5 standard sized plugs will run you $12. All in all, the Dynaplug weighs 25 grams and costs a hefty $54.99. But the price here is quickly paid off with how easy and quickly the Dynaplug is to use out in the woods.

THE DIRT

You know what’s the worst? Bacon strips. I think the mtb community just likes them because they have the word Bacon in it, but this Bacon can cause more headaches than it solves. From the silly plastic piece they stick to, through to the little tool that is needed to use them that you always lose or break, bacon strips have never really worked for effectively fixing sizable gashes for me in a timely fashion. Thankfully, there are better options out there.

The Dynaplug is an incredibly simple tool that works nearly flawlessly. You find the leak, push the plug in, the back end of the arrow catches the inside of the tire, and you pull ‘er out. Boom, done. It’s easy to put another plug in too, if the gash is too big for just one plug. The aluminum body is well manufactured, threading together smoothly and with enough texture to use the plugs effectively with sweaty hands. The Racer Pro’s dual twin-tube design means you’re well covered for a long race or if you forget to refill after a puncture and is small enough to disappear into a hip pack or sit nicely in a frame strap.

Here are a couple pro tips for the Dynaplug users out there. In order to successfully apply a Dynaplug, you will need a bit of PSI in the tire: It cannot be completely flat, the tire needs some resistance to effectively push the plug into place. Once I get back home after plugging a tire, I will line the plug with gorilla glue on the outside, helping to hold the plug-in place and preventing sealant from escaping. If you really slice your tire and need to put in a tube after applying a few plugs, you will need to remove the plugs before inserting the tube. The sharp arrow will pop the tube, every time. But given that the Dynaplugs’ aim is to retain a tire for tubeless use, it’s not something that should be held against it.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Since I started using Dynaplug the summer of 2018, I haven’t used anything else to fix a flat. It’s simple, efficient and effective, so there has been no need to try anything else. When I am out on a ride and get a flat, the last thing I want is to take up time trying to fiddle with an ineffective flat fixing system, or even waste precious CO2. With the Dynaplug, I am completely fine with the price point – it has always worked for me and gets me back on the bike quickly, which is near enough priceless. At the end of the day, that is what is important to me – getting back to slapping berms and rallying downhill in quick time.

Price: $54.99
Colors: 6, polished shown
Website: Dynaplug.com