The new Crankbrothers Plug Mate tire plug anchors are designed to ensure that mountain bike tire plugs stay in place. The inexpensive, tiny plastic bits are compatible with most plugs and plug tools, making them an easy addition to any tire repair kit. Here’s how they work, and what makes them different.
Plug Mates fit most forked plug tools and work with standard strips
Crankbrothers Plug Mates look like tiny ninja throwing stars with a hole in the center for threading a tire plug. There are two sizes, small and large, designed to fit various plug sizes. I found small plugs are easy to thread into the yellow Plug Mates, while fat plugs are a much tighter fit in the bigger orange Plug Mates. Ultimately, I resorted to twisting and pinching one of the fat plugs in my teeth just to get it to fit.
The next challenge is getting the Plug Mate onto your tire tool. I found a tight fit with the Muc-off tool shown here in the photos, and another forked tool from Lezyne that I tested. With the Muc-off tool, I used a small screwdriver to pry the tool’s tines apart enough to get a Plug Mate loaded.
With a different forked tire plug tool from Ryder Innovation, the Plug Mates slid on easily, no screwdriver required. Of course, Crankbrothers offers their own tire plug tools — F-series, M-series, SOS, and Cigar tools — and presumably Plug Mates will fit those tools best.
It can be difficult to insert a standard, forked tool into a small tire puncture; after all, a puncture is usually just one hole, and the tool has two sharp tines. Plug Mates have just one pointed end, and the plastic slides into punctures easily. More easily, in fact, than any tool I’ve tested. Even the fat plugs go in relatively easily.
The real advantage is plugs that stay in place
Once a Plug Mate and plug are inserted in a puncture, it’s unlikely that baby is coming out. The plug is essentially looped around the plastic bit, which sits inside the tire. Though I haven’t had a rubber tire plug pull out on a ride before, it’s certainly a possibility, especially if you’re running high tire pressures or braking a lot. Vehicle tire plug kits often include rubber cement to secure plugs for this very reason.
Plug Mates are similar to WTB Rocket Plugs, though Rocket Plugs are made of metal and require the use of a special tool to insert. Dynaplug uses a similar tip-plus-plug design, though Dynaplug tips are not reusable, and they are not attached to the plug as securely.
I’d like to be able to preload a Plug Mate to ensure a quick repair, but unfortunately, none of my forked tools has space to spare. You can certainly thread the Plug Mates with plugs ahead of time, but with most tools, you’ll still need to attach the Plug Mate to the tool at the time of the repair. Here, Dynaplug has an advantage because it’s always loaded and ready to go.
Because Plug Mate tips are sharp, it’s important to remove them from the inside of your tire before inserting a tube. The same goes for Dynaplugs as well.
Plug Mates weigh less than 0.3g each, and a six-pack (three small, three large) plus 15 plugs costs $9.99 from Crankbrothers.
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