Dynaplug Micro Racer tubeless bicycle tyre repair kit

The Dynaplug Micro Racer is the lightest and smallest alloy tubeless repair tool in the company's range. The Micro bit refers to it being 10g lighter and two-thirds the length of the already-small-and-light Racer Pro tool. If you want Dynaplug functionality in a tiny, light package, look no further.

> Buy now: Dynaplug Micro Racer for £37.99 from Team Cycles

US brand Dynaplug is pretty much the undisputed king of fast, effective tubeless repair. I've used many (but admittedly not all) tubeless plug-style repair tools, and Dynaplug has repeatedly beaten all the competition with the speed of use and effectiveness of repair. Yes, they are premium tools to buy and reload – but what price getting rolling again quickly and with air still in your tyres?

Over the years we've reviewed a number of Dynaplug tools – David rated the Racer and I really liked the £24 Dynaplugger. 

The plugs used in the Micro Racer are the same standard ones as in other Dynaplug tools. As with the Racer, you get a threaded, double-ended tube holding two standard plugs. In the Racer tool you get two of these, hence two endcaps and four plugs in total. In the Racer, one of the threaded insert tubes has a fatter end to hold a Dynaplug Megaplug – the larger blunt-nosed insert for larger cuts. If you already have a Racer tool, the Mega-insert holder will fit in the Micro – but you can't buy the insert tubes separately from Dynaplug.

Speaking of inserts, expect to pay around £20 for a pack of five refills. Yes, that's a decent whack – but in my view, when you're trailside in the cold and wet, if a £4 plug gets you back rolling quickly it's worth every penny and then some.

Measuring 75mm long and 12mm across and weighing just 15g, the Micro Racer is about as small and light as you can imagine a fast, effective tubeless repair solution being. It will fit into the smallest of seatpacks, bar bags or bikepacking luggage with ease, so will appeal to the weight-conscious or space-strapped alike.

At £39.99 for a tool with two inserts it's certainly the most expensive bang for your superlight/small buck in the Dynaplug range. For just £7 more you could get the Racer Pro, with an extra standard and Mega insert. Clearly, if you're going for the Micro Racer, it's because you want to shave every gram *and* millimetre off your tubeless repair solution.

The £38 Racer tool is glass-fibre-reinforced plastic rather than alloy, meaning it weighs 1g less, but it's a bit larger. It holds the same three standard inserts as the Racer Pro plus one Megaplug insert, so that's the one to go for if you are less fussed about size.

As for the Micro Racer's ability to actually plug holes – take it from me, it just works, almost all the time. If it doesn't, nothing else would have likely worked either – but then I can count the number of times Dynaplug failed me due to a cut being too large on about one finger. It takes longer to read the sentence describing the action of unscrewing, flipping, resecrewing and stabbing the second insert into a still-leaking tyre than it does to actually do it.

The competition is a plethora of variations on the fork-and-strip idea – some of them very good (and a LOT cheaper) – but the Dynaplug solution is the best I've used. In my experience with other designs, the time it takes to fish out, peel, thread and stab a strip means almost certainly your tyre is now flat, possibly popped off the bead, and you're in even more trouble than before. In the cold and wet, with gloved fingers – triple that. If you're happy with that, and want to save your pennies, there are plenty of options for a lot less money.

Stan's Dart Tool is a cheaper option at £25; I haven't used it but the reviews aren't glowing and the darts themselves are huge – meaning carrying spares is another container.

A more expensive option is WTB's £50 Rocket; it's kinda similar in that it uses a metal head to keep standard 'bacon strips' in place, but it looks to be a faff compared with the Micro Racer, and there's considerable risk of losing small parts out on the trail.

Conclusion

Overall, the Micro Racer is a worthy addition to the Dynaplug range. The only drawback is that you don't get an option to use a Megaplug insert, but if you can live with that and want the smallest tubeless tool around, it's an excellent choice.

> Buy now: Dynaplug Micro Racer for £37.99 from Team Cycles

Verdict

Pretty much the last word in ultralight, small, fast, easy tubeless repair