MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit

Paul Horta-Hopkins

A review of the MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit.

Tubeless tyres are great, with no inner-tube to worry about and stuffed full of sealant, you’ll never have to stop for a puncture again… Probably. Unless you get a cut rather than a puncture, then you’re stuffed. Which is where the MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit comes in.

The MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit comes in various options

What is a MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit I hear you ask? The main component is a bit of sticky ‘string’, or worm, that can be forced into a hole that is too big for sealant to seal. The string seals the hole and any small gaps are filled by sealant. Very simple and it works. The kit contains five worms and an eye tool. The kit comes in a small tube that fits easily into your pocket or toolkit.

If you’re running a tubeless set-up, you’ve probably got used to not having many punctures. I’ve ridden for miles on and off-road without that sinking feeling that used to ruin many a ride. Especially off-road, where low pressure, sharp edges and inner-tubes meant snake bite. I recently changed a tubeless tyre and found two large thorns poking through the tyre. Thanks to the sealant though I hadn’t even noticed them.

This is what I generally carry. Fits easily in the pocket

That doesn’t mean I haven’t had any punctures. These are the cut rather than pierced type and would normally require an inner-tube and possibly a tyre boot, a major faff. The reason for this is that anything bigger than a few millimetres and the particles in the sealant can’t fill the gap. If the gap is too big to seal, then you are left with a tyre spraying sealant everywhere.

However, thanks to the nice people at The Cycle Clinic, I’ve had a little back-up in my pocket I’ve been using a MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit this summer and have come away impressed. Small enough to live in my rear pocket, it’s not a problem to carry on a ride. I’ve actually had to use it three times this year, all on the ‘cross bike, doing a bit of gravel.

Insertion tool and worms

The first time was an annoying puncture that would seal, but if I hit a lump, it would open up again. After three failed attempts to seal I thought it was time for a little MaXalami action! Using the MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit is a simple affair.

To fix the puncture you first have to locate the hole, easy enough in the dry. Once you’ve found the offending hole, you take one of the worms and thread it through the eye tool. This doubles the worm, which you then force through the hole, leaving half in and half outside the tyre. The first time I tried it the hole was only just visible, I wasn’t convinced that the tool would fit. But a bit of brute force and the worm was through, success!

Worm inserted. You can cut it off for neatness

A word of warning here, when inserting the tool, angle it. You don’t want to ram it through and damage your rim tape, which will mean you’ll have to use an inner-tube; you still carry a spare don’t you? So with half the worm now inside the tyre you pull the eye-tool out, leaving the worm behind. The sticky surface of the worm fills the hole and any small gaps the sealant can finish off. If it’s a really big hole you can add more worms, I only ever needed one.

What really impressed me was how quick and easy it was to use the MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit. It was a lot quicker than replacing an inner tube and a lot less hassle. Inserting an inner-tube into a tubeless tyre on the road is a right pain. Excess sealant goes everywhere and some tubeless tyres can be a real pain to get on and off a rim. The MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit makes the whole process pain-free. I reckon the whole repair took me a couple of minutes without rushing, I could probably get it done in under a minute! That’s perfect if you’re racing, doing a timed event, or standing in the pouring rain!

MaXalami also do a very sexy multitool!

There are various kits available, I was using the handy repair tube which fits easily into a pocket or saddle bag. Extra worms can be bought separately, much better than having to buy a repair kit every time. MaXalami also produce a multi-tool that has an eye-tool and it is a thing of beauty! All shiny chrome, it comes with its own neoprene jacket to protect it, I’m loathe to use it as it looks so pretty! Also on test is MaXalami’s MaXSeal tubeless tyre sealant So there you go, the MaXalami Plus Tubeless Repair Kit, a must-have bit of kit if you’re running tubeless tyres.

MaXalami

The Cycle Clinic