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review

Topeak Tubi Pod X

7
£36.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Comprehensive tubeless repair kit with some neat touches, for bigger tyres
Comprehensive kit
Large repair plugs
Includes a knife
Light
Frame mount saves bag space
Not for road tyres
Knife isn't integrated into the pods
Expensive
Weight: 
63g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Topeak Tubi Pod X is a frame or seatpost-mounted tubeless repair kit that contains almost everything you could possibly need to deal with a puncture, though it's designed with large volume gravel or mountain bike tyres in mind, rather than road tyres.

Topeak's Tubi Pod X sits in the middle of its pod-type Tubi tubeless tyre repair range. It's a step above the Tubi Pod I reviewed recently, with greater capabilities and a very different design.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

Unlike the cheaper Tubi Pod, and the majority of pod-type repair kits that consist of a single housing, the Pod X is made up of a pair of pods.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X - parts opened.jpg

Both pods snap onto their plastic housing and sit parallel to one other. In the middle of the mount there's a slot for the included knife and the whole shebang attaches to your frame or seatpost via a Velcro strap built into the mount. A rubber pad on the underside of the mounting bracket keeps the Pod X securely in place, even over rough stuff.

At 11.6cm long, 4.3cm wide and 2.4cm deep, and weighing in at just 63g, the Pod X is reasonably small and quite light when you consider what you get in the kit.

The slightly shorter pod of the two is made from 'engineering grade polymer' and inside it contains five repair plugs. As with the Tubi Pod, they're chunky and long, at 3.5mm x 10cm, though in this case you get an extra two of them. This is a better deal if you're planning a multi-day ride where there might be a greater chance of multiple punctures.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X - detail 3.jpg

The longer pod is made from sturdier aluminium, and inside one end is a 2-in-1 insertion tool and reamer, and in the other end is an air stop. Both end caps can be removed simply by pulling them off, and o-rings on the side of each end keep them snug and protected from the elements.

Cleverly, the air stop is held in place magnetically, so when you plug it in the puncture hole – to prevent air escaping – you can leave it in place while you access the end containing the insertion tool. This allows you to prep the puncture repair plug. As I mentioned in the review of the Tubi Pod, I'm not convinced an air stop is absolutely necessary in a tubeless repair kit.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X - detail 2.jpg

Plugging the hole in your tyre is a pretty standard affair: first use the reamer to roughen up the hole, then grab a plug (I recommend using just half the length unless it's a big off-road tyre) and slot it through the end of the insertion tool, then jam it into the hole.

Unlike with most other repair kits, where you need to use your fingers to hold the ends of the plug in place while you remove the tool, the Pod X has a plug retainer integrated into the neck of the tool. While the insertion tool is inside the tyre, you simply unscrew the retainer from the body, allowing you to remove the tool without the plug coming along for the ride. Is it totally necessary? Maybe not, but it's a neat trick. (You can see how it works here on Topeak's website.)

The party tricks don't end there either – once you've got the plug ready to trim, the insertion tool can be unscrewed from the main body of the pod and in its place you can screw in the knife.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X knife and insert.jpg

This gives you a decent amount to hold on to while you cut the remainder of the plug. The knife isn't particularly sharp, though, so it does take a while to cut through the excess, and you need to be careful not to pull out the plug while you do so.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X knife.jpg

Even if some of these design touches aren't totally essential, it's nice to see Topeak has considered the whole repair procedure from start to finish, finding ways to make it a smoother, more enjoyable experience. And let's be honest, repairing punctures isn't much fun.

> How to avoid a puncture: 11 top tricks

OK, let me get the small gripes out the way before I move on to the bigger one. First: why isn't the knife integrated on the inside of the pods? As it is, it sits externally, and although it's held securely in place, and it didn't come out during a ride, I do wonder how it would fare in winter weather. Admittedly, I can't imagine the stainless steel getting tarnished much, but it's something that would certainly bother me.

> Want to go tubeless? Here’s what you should know

Second small gripe, and this is totally personal preference, is that I like to keep my bike tools neatly hidden – usually in a bar bag or seat bag of some kind. Because the Tubi Pod X is designed to mount externally, whether to your frame or seatpost, you don't really have that option. Yes, you could separate the two pods and stuff them into a bag, but it feels like you're defeating the purpose somewhat.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X - parts.jpg

On to the biggest issue with the Tubi Pod X, and that's the size of the insertion tool and repair plugs – as with the Tubi Pod, they're just too big to work with road tyres. No problems in the gravel/mountain bike tyre department, though. Topeak would seem to have designed this kit with bigger tyres in mind.

2021 Topeak Tubi Pod X - detail 1.jpg

As the setup is practically the same as the Tubi Pod (and the more expensive Tubi Master – full review on that to come), the results were the same – that is, good for sealing punctures up to 5mm. As with smaller kits, it wasn't able to seal anything bigger.

Value

There are plenty of tubeless repair kits out there that get the job done without much fuss or flare and for a lot less money than the Tubi Pod X's asking price of £39.99, such as the Ruzer Pro at £18 or the dirt-cheap Zefal tubeless repair kit at £7.99. 

The Ruzer Pro is the better option if you want space and weight saving – it's a more compact form, and lighter too. It also works better with road tyres, because of the smaller size of the tool and plugs.

The Zefal kit is very basic against the Pod X, but it's over £30 cheaper and the tool and plugs wouldn't take up much space in a bag, as long as you don't mind them jangling about inside.

Throw the slightly cheaper Dynaplug Racer tubeless repair kit into the mix (now £37.99), and the Tubi Pod X fares better; the Racer isn't as impressive by comparison. It does work fine, but Topeak's offering is much more comprehensive.

Verdict

Comprehensive tubeless repair kit with some neat touches, for bigger tyres

road.cc test report

Make and model: Topeak Tubi Pod X

Size tested: 11.6x4.3x2.4cm

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Topeak says, "A compact, tubeless tire repair kit. Tubeless repair tools store inside a machined pod while five tire plugs store in a lightweight polymer pod. Both pods secure to a mounting module that can be strapped to a frame tube or seatpost – ready and waiting for action."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Topeak lists:

2-in-1 tire reamer / plug insertion tool, knife, air-stop

TOOL MATERIAL Stainless steel

POD MATERIAL Aluminum / Engineering grade polymer

ATTACHMENT Adjustable nylon strap

MOUNT Bike frame, tubes

ADDED FEATURES Tool stop, repair plug compartment, mount module, and 5 pieces of 3.5mm x 10cm tire repair plugs included.

SIZE 11.6 x 4.3 x 2.4 cm

WEIGHT 63 g

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very well designed and built.

Rate the product for performance:
 
5/10

A struggle to get it to work with a 28mm tyre, though not impossible – it's better with bigger gravel or mountain bike tyres. The plug retainer is a neat touch for keeping the plug in place. The knife is handy, but it's not particularly sharp, so cutting plugs takes a while.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Tough exterior and sealed from the elements, so it should last a long time. A question mark over how the knife will last after being subjected to a few winters, though.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

Very light given how comprehensive this kit is (plus there's a mount to take into consideration).

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

It's one of the more expensive kits out there, but the Tubi Pod X makes up for that with its smart design and wealth of capabilities. The frame mount is a worthy inclusion too, meaning the kit is to hand when you need it.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The kit works well at sealing punctures, but it's better designed for gravel or mountain bike tyres. The knife could be sharper, though.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The design is very smart – it feels like it's been built to make the repair process as smooth as possible.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It's designed for mounting to frames, and I prefer to put it in a bag. Not a fault, per se, just a preference.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Expensive against kits like the Ruzer Pro and the Zefal tubeless repair kit – the latter more so – but it stacks up well against the Dynaplug Racer, which isn't as comprehensive as the Topeak Tubi X.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? For off-road riding, maybe, but not for road riding.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a good option, despite the high cost – you really do get a lot here and it's all very well made. Aside from a CO2 inflator, there's everything you might want to repair a puncture. The neat frame mounting will be seen as a bonus by many, especially if you want to save space/don't have room in your luggage.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 6'4  Weight: 175lbs

I usually ride: Steel audax bike  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, sportives,

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1 comments

Avatar
ktache | 3 years ago
1 like

Attaching the plugs/anchovies on brown paper makes them look like streaky bacon, or maybe I'm a bit hungry.

Nice use of the term "shebang"

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