Punctures are the bane of a cyclist’s existence. A seemingly armour-plated hawthorn spine, some wire or an errant nail can wreak havoc on your riding plans. What’s even worse is a large-diameter hole – a piece of glass can slice a gash in your tyre which normal tubeless ‘anchovies’ won’t be able to fix. In a situation like this, you need to call on something bigger and cleverer to fix your problem.
The Stan’s Dart (Dual Action Repair for Tubeless) is a tubeless puncture repair tool with a difference. It creates a mechanical plug using a barbed plastic spike with a piece of precision-cut fabric attached to it. Inserting it into the hole in your tyre, the fabric gets pushed into the hole and the barb keeps it in place. In addition to this mechanical fix, the fabric reacts with the latex that’s inside the tyre, which then creates a chemical fix. It all sounds very high-tech, and considering that each dart retails for around £3.33 (approximately £20 for a refill pack of six darts), it is definitely a significant cost premium over regular ’anchovy’ type plugs, which are available for around 20p each. So the question is, are Stan’s Darts worth the price premium?
It was with some urgency that I first tried the Stan’s Dart tubeless repair tool. I was doing a quick ‘snagging ride’ the day before heading off for a bike packing trip with my teenage son, when my rear tyre suddenly went completely flat. I soon realised that I had previously plugged a pretty large hole with a conventional plug and this had worked its way out. Despite a couple of attempts at inserting a new ‘conventional’ plug, I couldn’t seal the hole for any period of time and I was having to consider replacing the tyre, although I had run out of time to get a suitable replacement, which put the whole trip in doubt. I realised that this was probably the ideal (if a little high-risk) opportunity to test the new Stan’s Dart repair tool that I had recently been given for testing.
The tool is double-ended and each end comes equipped with a dart already attached. There’s no need go through the hassle associated with trying to thread a conventional plug into a needle-type tool. I pushed a dart into the hole and pulled it out and couldn’t quite believe how straightforward it had been. The plug didn’t need trimming and I noticed that because I wasn’t having to push a needle so far into the tyre, there was less risk of puncturing the rim tape, which sometimes plays on my mind when using a regular tool. I inflated the tyre (using the TruFlo mini compressor I now always carry with me) and the plug held firm. I cycled the few miles home and crossed my fingers that this would hold for the duration of the trip.
Some days later, I can confirm that the fix was permanent and I am now a complete convert to “the Dart” as it saved my holiday. It may cost significantly more than conventional plugs, but maybe a different comparison is more helpful. For less than the cost of a decent coffee, you get a stronger and more reliable fix and the process of installing it is significantly easier. If the weather isn’t kind and/or your ride buddies have had enough waiting for you at the side of the road, I think it’s definitely worth the money, and it has earned its place in my toolkit.
Stan’s Dart tool has a Recommended Retail Price of £27 (or equivalent local currency) and comes with two DARTs. You can buy it online here or in all good bike shops.