Zefal Repair Spray

This tin of Zefal Repair Spray is a nifty little addition to your ride kit if you aren't a fan of fixing punctures at the side of the road, or are often up against the clock whether racing or commuting. It's not a guaranteed fix for every occasion, but nine times out of ten it'll get you home.

• Pros: Works on the majority of small punctures from thorns and flints; cheap fix
• Cons: Attaching to the valve can be fiddly; only fixes holes up to 2mm

The Zefal Repair Spray isn't a tubeless sealant. It's similar, as in it'll react with the air at the surface of the inner tube or tubeless tyre, turning into a solid to plug the hole, but it is purely a temporary solution to get you home/to work/finish the race.

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It doesn't just inject the sealant, though, the compressed gas will also inflate your tyre at the same time – ideal if you are travelling light without tube and pump.

I really don't suffer from a lot of punctures as I tend to keep the pressures up to what most people in this day and age reckon is too hard, but hey, it works for me.

In 2019 with 8,500 miles covered, with a split of about 60/40 between road and gravel, I had maybe three flats. Two were from thorns, so small holes, and the other was a short slit no doubt caused by some glass or flint.

Testing the Repair Spray in the workshop, I replicated these kind of intrusions using a drawing pin and then a 2mm slit with a Stanley knife through a 28mm tyre and an inner tube.

The Repair Spray can be fitted to both Presta and Schrader valves (the former by an adaptor that screws into the end of the tube), although you have to be 100 per cent sure it is on correctly.

With the fittings being plastic, it is very easy to cross thread things if you are in a hurry or being a bit hamfisted, and the first you'll know about it is when the sealant starts going everywhere but in the valve...

If you've fitted it right, though, holding the bottle upside down and pushing the button will see the tyre inflate. I got about 40-50psi into the 28mm tyre – enough to get you home if needs be, but Zefal recommends you ride for about 3km to get the sealant all around the tyre and then inflate it up to your preferred pressure with a pump.

> All you need to know about mini pumps + 6 of the best

I pumped the tyre up to about 80psi and it remained inflated fine for at least the next 24 hours.

After a couple of days the sealant would have dried out and the tube could possibly leak again, but it had done the job of getting me home so that I could fix or replace it.

I say 'would have' dried out, because that is what Zefal says will happen. I couldn't test that because I went on to put a bigger slit into the tyre and tube with the knife, about 1mm thick and 5mm long, just to check Zefal's claims that it'll only work on holes up to 2mm.

It had a pretty good go at fixing the hole but it was just a bit too big to let the sealant set before it was being let out through the hole, so this would be a roadside repair job.

> How to fix a puncture

This 100ml tube (75mm and 150ml are available) has an rrp of £5.99, although you can get it for under a fiver if you shop around.

It's more expensive than a patch, but if you are in a rush or the weather is atrocious it certainly pays for itself, in my eyes. Its size also means that it will fit in a jersey pocket, or it is available with a mounting kit.

It certainly looks a bargain compared to the 125ml Kwiki Sealant Inflator at £14.99, although that does look to get more pressure into your tyres by a fair bit, compared to the Zefal.

Decathlon offers its own version for just £1.99 at the time of writing. It only seals holes up to 1mm, though.

Overall, the Zefal is a great little solution to keep you moving when out on the road in the majority of situations. After testing, I've since bought a couple of cans to keep in my rucksack just in case.

Verdict

It won't fix every puncture but it'll sort the majority to get you on your way quickly