Plugging a puncture or new tyre ? - forum advise please

[hollo]

Hello , I've an annoying very slow puncture in my rear tyre . I've not had the chance to take the wheel off and locate it yet , but there are a few visible suspects of sharp stones in the tread . It's a bit wired , as it's only loosing about 1psi per day . I've never had a tyre plugged before.

Is plugging a tyre a safe and a permanent fix , or to be safe should I just get a new tyre ?

Thanks

Mike 

[Jenny Pryde]

If the plug is in the centre of the tread, you can plug it with no issues. I have done it many times and am still alive.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Past safe experiences are no guarantee of future safetyability. The safety of any plug fitted may increase or decrease and might just fail totally, like that condom which you once used extremely vigorously, then pulled out and saw the end was ripped.

[Pat]

I'd check out the valve first.

Had similar on mine recently. In the interests of ruling out the easy/cheap stuff first, I did the bit of spit on the valve & it showed it was letting air out. I then whipped out the valve core & checked it over before re-inserting it. Seems to be holding air fine now.

[lorenzo]

If it's only losing air slowly there's either a puncture with the cause still wedged in or it's the valve. Pull any potential culprits out and plug the hole if that's the issue, otherwise replace the valve. Even if the puncture is towards the sidewall of the tyre and you can't really plug it, you don't want to be riding around with the potential for you to have the nail or whatever come out and your tyre deflate unexpectedly.

In terms of safety, so long as it's in the main treaded bit of the tyre, I wouldn't hesitate, I've done a fair few over the years and never had any issues.

Edited June 23, 2022 by lorenzo

[Thunderbolt]

8 hours ago, hollo said:

Hello , I've an annoying very slow puncture in my rear tyre . I've not had the chance to take the wheel off and locate it yet , but there are a few visible suspects of sharp stones in the tread . It's a bit wired , as it's only loosing about 1psi per day . I've never had a tyre plugged before.

Is plugging a tyre a safe and a permanent fix , or to be safe should I just get a new tyre ?

Thanks

Mike 

How new is the tyre?

Can you pop back to the tyre fitter and ask them to check it?

It might just be the valve hasn’t been done up, or the bead isn’t sitting quite right.

If you can’t, soapy water is your friend. 

[bazzer107]

Me and others have ridden loads of road miles and I've done track days with rear plugged tyres without any issues.

What I will say is make sure they are done professinaly (Not the road side kits), they won't do it if it not safe to do so.

[EXUPDEL]

Don't go pulling anything out of the tyre. Take it to a fitter and have the tyre removed. You need the cause of the puncture in place so you can see where it is If you removed the cause then there is a chance you won't find the hole on the inside.

[hollo]

Thanks for the replies . The tyre has been fitted for about 3 years now , so a fair time . I'll have to nick the washing up bowl when she is not looking and try to find where the leak is coming from . I'll check the valve area first. If it's not that at least I know that getting it professionally plugged is OK , as there is still plenty of life left in the tyre .

Thanks

Mike .

[lorenzo]

2 hours ago, hollo said:

Thanks for the replies . The tyre has been fitted for about 3 years now , so a fair time . I'll have to nick the washing up bowl when she is not looking and try to find where the leak is coming from . I'll check the valve area first. If it's not that at least I know that getting it professionally plugged is OK , as there is still plenty of life left in the tyre .

Thanks

Mike .

Last time I tried this trick I got absolutely soaked. Serves us right for having a dishwasher instead of bowl.

[spiney]

A bit late to this, but a cautionary tale. I plugged a tyre and it was fine, but then rode my Nuda to Cadwell for a track-day. First session out, about to flick left into the Gooseneck when it didn't feel right. Rode straight on off circuit onto the grass. Tyre dead flat.

Moral (if there is one) is road use OK, track use not.

[spiney]

9 hours ago, Tony Nitrous said:

Plugged from the inside? 
Tyre off and penny-on-stick pulled through and glued from the inside? 

That's a very fair point, mine was plugged by me from the outside so not as you did which has clearly more integrity.

[Thunderbolt]

I have used craftyplugger for several years.

Plugged about seven LDU bikes.

Only one didn’t make it to JOG, from Cirencester.

[spiney]

On 7/29/2022 at 8:22 AM, Tony Nitrous said:

Opinions, not facts. 😉

What I said wasn't an opinion it was a fact of my experience with external plugs which I agreed were inferior to your penny stick solution😉