The WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit is a small capsule-shaped tubeless plug installation kit with an 'extra-hand' air plug and spare parts container all-in-one. It features an adjustable depth Rocket launcher with small and large Rocket Anchors, and 15 plugs. It has all the ingredients to be one of the best tubeless tyre repair kits available.
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WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit - Technical details
The smart black WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit is a black 84mm-long capsule with removable caps at either end, one large and one small. The large cap fits over the blank insertion prong that WTB calls its 'Rocket Launcher' and has no Rocket Anchor attached out of the box. The 'Rocket Launcher' prong is height adjustable by simply screwing it in or out with your fingers so that you lessen the risk of puncturing your rim tape as you push the tool in.
Fixed inside the smaller cap sits the ‘extra-hand’ tool that you can push into any hole after removing the offending object from your tyre to prevent your air from escaping.
Removing the small cap allows access to all the operating parts of the kit. The Rocket Anchor tips (so-called due to their rocket tip shape) are offered in two sizes and are housed inside two tubes milled into the aluminium capsule body of the tool with little window slots making it easy to see from the outside how many you have left – a very a neat idea. Opposite them is a larger kidney-shaped slot where three sheets of 5 x 1.5mm plugs are housed ready to be inserted in the Anchor of your choice.
The larger cap should be fitted to the small cap end of the tool to increase the size of the handle to help you push the plug and anchor through the tyre and prevent the small parts from escaping.
Spares are available and you can even cut the used anchors out of old tyres and reuse them once you have finished with them, which is useful and will save money, eventually. The kit measures 84mm x 25mm, weighs 55g and costs £50
WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit - Performance
To test this product I have deliberately punctured a test tyre/wheel set-up that I have put aside for this purpose, rather than wait for a puncture on the trail. I used a long bradawl and ensured the sealant and air were leaking from the tyre to simulate a puncture.
The WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit is easy to carry with you or on the bike. Its smooth construction is slippery and easy to slide into pockets, drop into packs and loose in the bottom of your frame bag which is not helped by the single black colour option. Opening the tool requires a firm grasp of either cap and a pull-while-twisting technique to break the O-ring-sealed fit.
The large cap opens easily enough to reveal the Rocket Launcher prong but removing the small cap from the other end requires care. As you pull the cap off the little Rocket Anchors live up to their name and fly out of their launch tubes spraying across the floor or trail. This happened to me both in the garden and the garage forcing me to hunt for the little shiny Anchors in the grass and on the workshop floor.
I found them all each time (luckily) but they are a little too keen to eject themselves when you remove the cap. Hopefully, the o-ring seal will give a bit, or perhaps a dab of olive oil might help loosen it, but you don’t want it coming off in your pack or pocket and losing the contents inside.
I’m not sure why WTB chose not to put any form of grip on the outside of the tool to help in wet conditions and generally give a slightly better grip when pulling or pushing the caps on or off. That seems like an oversight to me living in rainy England and potentially using this tool in wet muddy conditions.
Straight out of the box, there are no Rocket Anchors set up on top of the launcher tip, so unless you have watched the very informative video on the WTB site, and set it all up before you ride, you'll be starting with it in this standard set up. The pro setup is to choose the most likely sized anchor with plugs installed (from local experience of your trails) and fit it on the Rocket Launcher under the large cap ready for a faster repair.
Whichever way you start you will have had to follow these instructions.
If you have a slow-leaking puncture with a thorn or nail still in your tyre, you can choose an Anchor that is the closest match in size to the thorn or nail. Next, select a 15mm diameter plug to fill the whole. (If you have set up the kit preride this might be a bit of a gamble but if your Anchor and Rocket are the wrong size, you can always put that one to one side and fit a new Anchor and plug, it's easy).
For those doing this on the trail, you'll need to thread your chosen rocket Anchor with 1, 2 or X amount of plugs depending on the hole size and place it on the Rocket launcher ready to be pushed through the hole.
This is where the Extra Hand comes into play as you can whip out the thorn or nail etc and push the Extra Hand into the hole to save as much air as possible before it escapes. Caution is needed not to go too deep and puncture the rim tape although that should be hard to do with mountain bike or larger gravel tyres with plenty of air left. Those riding under 40mm tyres will need to be careful as will tyres that have already lost a lot of air.
With the Extra Hand in place, you can take your time to adjust the length of the Rocket Launcher to protect your rim strip and fit your chosen Rocket Anchor with plugs installed. Once you are happy with the set-up, pull the Extra Hand out and push the Rocket Launcher and Anchor through the hole. This should be a good tight fit.
Pull the tool away from the tyre and the plug is left sticking out of the hole, which prevents the air and sealant from leaking. If there is still some air escaping add another anchor and plug.
The anchor stays inside your tyre neatly holding the looped end of a plug against the inside of the tyre and preventing it from being pulled out as you ride along. If it goes through easily, you either have the wrong anchor size or too few plugs. Redo with another anchor and more plugs to fill the whole.
If you decide that the tyre is dead at the end of the ride or season then you can cut the anchors out from the inside and put them back into use for another puncture
You can buy refill packs of plugs and anchors which I would suggest you do before you run out so that you’re always set up and ready to go. I leave a small anchor with one plug installed with plug tails slotted into the tube ends of the tool under the cap. That way I can quickly fix a small hole or put the preset anchor to one side and set a fresh larger set-up. It's all simple and intuitive if you’ve used this type of tool before. If not the WTB's video online is excellent.
WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit - Verdict
Sure, £50 sounds like quite a chunk of cash for a tubeless puncture repair kit but you do get a sensible amount of plugs for that money all housed in a smart smooth container. They are all small in diameter so you will need multiple plugs for larger holes. You only get two small and two large Rocket Anchors which should be enough on a ride unless you're very unlucky and you don’t lose any in the undergrowth trying to prise off the overtight small cap.
Other options come from include Peaty's Holeshot Tubeless Puncture Plugger Kit for £25. You don’t get the Extra Hand tool or as many plugs but the one-sided prong goes through the tyre more easily and doesn't pull the plug out when you extract. The hole rasp can also help tidy puncture holes and the kit is available in 12 anodised colours.
Muc-Off’s Stealth Tubeless Puncture Plug has risen in price dramatically to £45 now, fits at the end of your handlebars so more of a mountain bike than a gravel bike option (although there’s nothing to stop you from putting it in your pack or frame bag) and includes an installation prong and a sharp blade to cut off the flapping plug ends and comes with 15 plugs of 3 different sizes and is also available in 12 colours.
WTB’s TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit is comfortable to handle and use, weighs very little and can be restocked with readily available refills. It works very well at plugging holes in your tyres and when your tyre’s life is over the anchors can be cut out and reused.
