Topeak Tubi Master+

The Topeak Tubi Master+ is an all-in-one tubeless puncture repair and inflation tool. Whilst the intent and execution is mostly good, the overall experience is below that of separate components which can be purchased for far less money.

If you run tubeless tyres, when a flat happens that your sealant can't handle you need to help things out with a plug. Six years back I reviewed the now £5.99 Genuine Innovations Tubeless Repair Kit, and it's still a great option for laughably-cheap but effective tubeless repair, in a tiny and superlight package.

More recently I was very enamoured of the £24.99 Dynaplugger – a different level of beast, both for price and performance.

Both of these are plug-only solutions – you'll still need a pump or CO2 to get rolling again if you've lost too much air. There are a load of great inflators out there around the £20-25 mark, though, so you can have a kit that matches the Tubi Master+ in functionality for around £30.

The Tubi Master+ head is a nicely-machined and quality-feeling bit of kit, whereas the handle storing the three repair strips feels thin and plasticky. The included 16g CO2 cartridge is stored threaded into the head, with a 'safety lock' that prevents it screwing in fully and thereby releasing the CO2 before needed. Nice.

On the back of the head are the tools for inserting and trimming the repair strip: the 'fork' and a serrated knife, both with locks to prevent them folding up when applying pressure. On the fork is a plug retainer, a sliding ring that keeps the plug inserted whilst removing the fork.

The tool firmly clicks into a mount, which attaches to your bike with a wide and grippy Velcro strap. This is good for a wide range of tube diameters, but if used on a smaller tube can leave a fair bit of excess strap loose with no way of tidying it. I had it fixed to various bikes and it didn't budge at all, even during long descents of seriously rocky, black-graded mountain bike trails.

When mounted the head sticks out a bit, but it has a plug to keep crud out.

You get one 16g CO2 cartridge and three repair strips. Extra strips are available in packs of 10 for about £6, and Topeak will sell you two 16g cartridges for £9 – much cheaper alternatives are available. If you're running large tyres you can carry and use a 25g cartridge.

Due to abject good luck whilst test riding I had to replicate a flat in the home lab, stabbing into the tread area of a gravel tyre using a 4mm-wide screwdriver.

By the time I'd removed the tool from the bike, opened the handle, removed and unpeeled a strip, opened the tool, threaded it onto the fork and readied to stab the tyre, all the air had fallen out. This made the subsequent effort of pushing the large tool fork tip and strip through the tyre a right faff.

Once inserted, the little plug retainer ring does a good job of holding the strip in place whilst removing the tool. The serrated knife takes some sawing to cut through both strips – they are pretty hefty.

With the repair enacted, time for some CO2. The cartridge threads in fully once you lift the safety lock clear, and there's no loss of CO2 in the process. The head is a nice bit of work, and pressing down onto the valve the flow was controllable. Both Presta and Schrader valves are supported.

> Buyer's guide to tubeless tyres – find out all about new technology rubber

I needed a whole 16g to fill a 38mm 700C tyre to its desired 40psi. You'd want to be confident of your tubeless setup if not carrying a further cartridge or pump as backup, in case that wasn't enough due to rim/bead leakage when deflated.

My fundamental issue with the Tubi Master+ is time. Basically you're resigned to trying to stab a deflated tyre, because you're very unlikely to get everything set up before all the air's leaked out. Contrast with a Dynaplug, which is the exact opposite – if it's frame-mounted, you can have a cut stabbed within literally a few seconds of stopping.

Value

Dynaplug does its Air Tubeless Kit for £59.99, and that includes the stabby tool, four plugs and an air hose if you want to top up later via your valve. You need to add your own CO2 cartridge, but as they can be had for a quid, you're ready to go with four super-fast repairs + air for £10 less than this Topeak option.

Or for even less, you can get the Dynaplugger plus a normal CO2 inflator for around £45.

If you're going for a standard fork-and-strip repair kit, like the £6 Genuine Innovations one (or any of loads of others), you'll have tubeless repair + CO2 for around £30 max.

Overall

It's not that Topeak has made a poor job of a solution here – it's just that separate, dedicated tools can do a better, quicker job for less money. However if you want a complete tubeless repair and inflation kit in one bundle, one that can be quickly added to or removed from a bike, the Topeak Tubi Master+ is worth a look.

Verdict

Good all-in-one tubeless repair and inflation kit, but expensive and slow to use