Along with replacing the rim strips and tubes on my fatbike to save weight I decided to see if I could find a suitable hole filler for accessory mount (eg: water bottle, rack, etc – photo) holes on the bike frame. Some digging turned up Heyco Dome Plugs Part No. 2590 (PDF) and they are a perfect fit. Ordered from Mouser (Part # 836-2950 – photo) they cost $0.13/ea ($0.09/ea in 100 piece quantities) and snap snugly into mount holes. Removing them may be a bit of a pain, but a pick or serrated needle nose pliers will likely pull them right out.
By replacing 13 of the cap head stainless steel screws on my fatbike I cut 45g off of the bike’s mass. (The screws were 46g, and 15 of the dome plugs registered as 1g on my scale.)
While I’m not particularly concerned about such a small savings on the fatbike, I’m glad to find a cost effective item which can be used to fill accessory mount holes and prevent extra snow and water and such from getting in. I think they also look a bit nicer than simply leaving the holes empty, and don’t have the add-lots-of-shiny-stuff look (photo) that filling the holes with screws gives.
Hi,
I’m looking for plugs for a Moonlander fork… like what you did. Are they really watertight?
Also, can you tell me what you replaced the rim strips & tubes with?
multimediasmith: I can’t say they are watertight, but they do fit snugly. You could always dab them with a bit of silicone caulk before applying if you’re that concerned. If you click the link about replacing the rim strips (here) you can see what I used: Q-Tubes super-light downhill tubes and polyester ribbon.