Wondering how to patch a tubeless tire? If you flat a tubeless tire while on a ride, you have three options for dealing with it so that you can keep riding: 1) Install an inner tube; 2) Inject pressurized sealant into it; and 3) Plug it.
1. Install an Inner Tube
You should always carry a spare tube, tire levers, and a mini pump or a CO2 cartridge inflator with you when riding. In the event of a giant hole, installing a tube is the only way to keep riding, with the addition of a tire boot (an energy bar wrapper or a dollar bill inside of the tire to keep the tube from bulging out through the hole). Knowing how to fix a tubeless bike tire temporarily is an important skill, as it’s not always possible to perform a complete fix while you’re out and about.
Simply remove the tire (check it and the rim strip for sources of further punctures), remove the valve stem from the rim, and install a new inner tube. If you don’t know how to do any of these steps, they’re all covered in detail in Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance and Zinn & The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance.
2. Inject Pressurized Sealant Into the Tire
You will need to carry along an aerosol sealant canister like Hutchinson Fast’Air or Vittoria Pit Stop. This is the fastest method for how to fix a tubeless bike tire—no wheel removal or plugging, patching, or installing. If it works, you can be back to riding within seconds. Learning how to patch a tubeless tire is still worth your time and effort, but this is a convenient option that can get you back on the road quicker.
- Screw or push the end of the canister nozzle onto the (open) Presta valve. You need not remove the valve core.
- Depress the button on the aerosol sealant can and hold it down until the full contents are deployed into the tire. This will inflate the tire and fill it with sealant at the same time, so this method on how to fix a tubeless bike tire can also be useful if you don’t have a pump handy.
- Rotate the wheel until the hole is at the bottom, and hold it that way until the sealant has filled the hole and no more air is escaping. Continuing to ride will further spread the sealant around in the tire and keep the hole sealed.
3. Plug The Hole In The Tire
If the hole is too big for either the sealant that was already in your tire or an aerosol canister of sealant to fill, then you will either need to install an inner tube or plug the hole. As far as how to fix a tubeless bike tire quickly goes, plugging it is quicker than installing a tube, as it doesn’t require removing the tire or even the wheel from the bike, and it’s a permanent fix.
You would need to bring a plug kit to use this technique; some of them are incorporated into handlebar end plugs for convenience. There are two kinds of plug kits: ones with a “sticky worm” of gooey stuff on a twisted wire that you push into the hole, and a “Dynaplug” – a sharp brass plug that you pop into the tire. Both kits will do the job, so it really just depends on your preferences on how to fix a tubeless bike tire.
The tool for the sticky worm looks like the thread end of a giant sewing needle attached to a handle; you push the sticky worm through the loop in the end of the tool, push it into the tire, twist it, and pull the tool back out, leaving the two ends of sticky worm sticking up out of the hole (and more of it inside, plugging the hole).
The Dynaplug is a fatter, sticky worm already attached to a sharp, brass tip. The tool consists of a hollow tube sticking out of a handle that the sticky worm slides up into so that the sharp brass tip is now the end of the tool, which you shove into the tire. Once the tool is in place, here’s how to fix a tubeless bike tire quickly and easily: pull it out! When you pull the tool out, it leaves the brass end inside the tire and the sticky worm filling the hole with the end of it sticking up out of the tire.
Another option for how to patch a tubeless tire is The Dynaplug Air. It’s a 15-second plug-and-inflate system; it has a CO2 cartridge that screws onto the tool, becoming its handle. You simply shove the Dynaplug into the hole until a small hole in the side of the tube of the tool is inside of the tire; slightly unscrew the CO2 cartridge to open its regulated air valve, which inflates the tire, and pull the tool out. That’s it! You plugged and inflated the tire. That’s how to fix a tubeless bike tire without ever using the tire’s valve!
Get Your Repair Gear at Zinn Cycles
Tubeless tires can be challenging to install on and remove from a rim, so replacing an inner tube on the road is generally slower and more challenging than doing the same with a standard clincher tire. This is less true with mountain bike tires, and large gravel bike tires fall somewhere in between. However, with the other two options—aerosol sealant canisters (which also can work with standard clinchers with inner tubes) and tire plugs, a tubeless flat tire is no big deal and can be quickly and easily remedied.
We hope this guide on how to fix a tubeless bike tire is helpful next time you need to do your own repair job. Now that you know how to patch a tubeless tire, get the cycling gear you need to do it right the first time. Zinn Cycles has been servicing the cycling community for 40+ years, so you can count on us to carry the highest quality products. Check our cycling blog for more helpful tips and tricks.
