Tube vs tubeless tyre repair kit: what to carry for each
Updated 2026-08-09
A plug kit is useless on a tubed spoked wheel, and a spare tube plus levers is dead weight on a tubeless cast wheel. Getting this one choice right removes about a kilo of the wrong equipment from most tool rolls.
If you are not sure which you have: cast alloy wheels are almost always tubeless, and the sidewall of a tubeless tyre says so. Spoked wheels usually run tubes, though some adventure bikes use sealed spoked rims that are genuinely tubeless — check the rim, not the spokes.
Tubed wheels: levers, a tube and patches
The tubed repair is a full wheel-off job, so the kit has to include the tools to get the wheel out: the axle tool, something to prop the bike, and levers long enough to work the bead of a 21in front.
Carry a rear tube rather than a front one if you only carry one — a rear tube will fit a front rim well enough to get you home, but not the other way round. Patch the tube you removed and keep it as the next spare.
- — 2–3 tyre levers with rim protectors
- — Axle tool and a trail stand or prop
- — Rear spare tube, plus a patch kit with fresh glue
- — Spare valve cores and a valve core tool
- — Talc so the tube does not chafe inside the carcass
- — Pump or compressor plus a pressure gauge
Tubeless wheels: plug it and ride away
The tubeless repair is genuinely a ten-minute roadside job with the wheel on the bike: pull the object, ream the hole, insert a vulcanising strip or mushroom plug, inflate, check for bubbles.
Sticky string plugs are the cheapest option and the most likely to weep at highway speed. Vulcanising strips or mushroom-style plugs hold much better and cost almost nothing more.
- — Plug kit: rasp, insertion tool, vulcanising strips or mushroom plugs
- — Pliers to pull the nail out
- — Compressor, or 3–4 CO2 cartridges
- — Pressure gauge
- — Optional: tubeless patches for a proper inside repair later
Mixed setups and what they cost you
Plenty of adventure bikes run a tubed spoked front and a tubeless rear, or vice versa. That means carrying both kits — which is exactly why the builder asks: selecting 'mixed' adds the tube equipment and keeps the plug kit, and shows you the weight of that decision.
Tyre sealant is a reasonable pre-emptive measure for slow leaks in tubeless tyres, and a nuisance for anyone repairing the wheel afterwards. It is not a substitute for a plug kit.
The kit, item by item
Tire irons / levers (2, ideally 3)
Tubed wheels only — and longer is better.
Levers with an axle-nut wrench on the other end replace a separate tool. 7075 aluminium saves ~40% weight.
Where to buy:Amazon
Spare inner tube (rear)
One tube that covers both ends in an emergency.
Match the size to your tire (e.g. 140/80-18, 120/90-18) and check the valve type.
Where to buy:Amazon
Tube patch kit + vulcanising glue
Check the glue before every trip; it dries out.
Include a scuffer/rasp and check the glue hasn't dried out before every trip.
Where to buy:Amazon
Tubeless plug kit (sticky strings or mushroom plugs)
Tubeless: the whole repair, wheel on the bike.
Rasp + insertion tool + 5 plugs. Vulcanising strips are more durable than cheap rubber strings.
Where to buy:Amazon
Spare valve cores + slotted valve cap tool
Grams. Saves a wheel-off job for a leaking valve.
Where to buy:Amazon
Tire pressure gauge
Guessed pressures destroy tyres and handling.
Where to buy:Amazon
Questions riders ask
- How do I know if my motorcycle wheels are tubeless?
- Cast alloy wheels are tubeless in almost all cases, and the tyre sidewall is marked TUBELESS. Spoked wheels usually need tubes unless the rim is a sealed tubeless design.
- Can I put a tube in a tubeless tyre in an emergency?
- Often yes, and it is a recognised get-home repair, but it needs the wheel off and the bead broken — more tools and more time than plugging. Plan around the plug kit.
- How many CO2 cartridges for a motorcycle tyre?
- Budget 3–4 16 g cartridges for a rear tyre, fewer for a front. If you might need two repairs in a day, carry a compressor.