Unhappy with the old ‘run the tube past your lips method’, Innovate Product Design has “collaborated with an inventor” (an inventor no less!), to develop a “modern, convenient way” of finding punctures.
The device takes the form of a Crystal Maze like dome with a mesh bottom that is filled with “specially engineered light weight beads from the aero industry”.
When these beads — which are said to be “very receptive and sensitive to air movement” — are disturbed by a leak in an innertube, they buzz around like a box of anxious bees, identifying the location of the puncture.
Who knew that this needed to be invented?
If that description wasn’t clear, the above high production value demo-video should make things more obvious.
While the Puncture Finder definitely looks like an empty sandwich carton filled with polystyrene beads, it is claimed that the “dome shape… has been arrived at through rigorous testing” and is “protected (by patent).”
How the shape of the dome affects the behaviour of the beads is not yet apparent, but we have no doubt that a DIY solution made from an empty box will perform poorly in comparison to this remarkable product.
There is, however, no mention on the Puncture Finder website to suggest that it is tubeless compatible, though we can only imagine a gloop of sealant would wreak havoc on the lightweight polystyrene beads.
The Puncture Finder is available to order now directly for £9.99 (approx $12.50 / AU$16.25) and even comes with a free puncture repair kit, an offer almost too good to pass up.
Will you be packing a Puncture Finder into your saddle bag on your next ride? Or will you continue to insist on carrying a 25 litre jug of water and dish soap everywhere you go? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments. Be nice.
