Broken Spoke

Depends on the wheel. If it's, say, a standard rim, standard hub, 32 or 36 spoke wheel, a broken spoke will just make the wheel go a bit out of true, so tweak the brake (assuming it's a rim brake) to prevent rubbing, then just ride home as normal. If the broken spoke is coming loose and threatening to cause problems, either remove it (if possible) or try to tie it to the other spokes somehow to keep it in place.

If, on the other hand, you break a spoke in one of those funky non-conventional minimally spoked/paired-spoke wheels, like Bonty Race X-Lite or the 16-spoke Shimano wheels, it's probably best to just walk. You might have no choice though - those kinds of wheels might become unrideable after a broken spoke.

Heh...yesterday, I was 40 miles from my car and broke a spoke. Had to call my fiance and have her come pick me up.

Now, I carry an extra couple spokes with me on every long ride....heh

Heh, OK, 40 miles is a long way to walk. Good job the fiancée is so helpful 🙂

I thought having to carry a pump and patches was bad enough, but spokes too....arrgh!

Thanks for the info. I actually have a set of Velomax Orions. They broke flush at the rear hub. Was coming down a step descent and then all of a sudden, I heard the spoke pop. The one spoke was enough to throw the wheel so out of round that it rubbed up against the rear stay and the rubber melted.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mjw_byrne
Heh, OK, 40 miles is a long way to walk. Good job the fiancée is so helpful 🙂

I thought having to carry a pump and patches was bad enough, but spokes too....arrgh!

Yeah she's a good catch....lol

Why carry a pump and patches? I keep a spare tube and a CO2 with me...patches can leak and that can really dampen a ride. With my extra spokes, I just taped two extras onto my downtube.....don't even realize that they're there.

Changing out a spoke really isn't that hard at all. Really easy to get it true, too, since it's only one spoke you need to fiddle with.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by stone61cm
Why carry a pump and patches? I keep a spare tube and a CO2 with me...patches can leak and that can really dampen a ride.

Actually I carry a spare tube (sometimes 2), a pump and patches. I'm kinda paranoid about having to walk 30 miles home wearing road shoes and cleats! I guess I should look into the CO2 thing, it sounds really convenient.

i dunno i think you gotta draw the line somewhere or before you know it youll have a second bike stuffed into your jersey pocket

that being said i do tend to be a lil more conservative on solo rides

Yeah, true...I've been lucky enough never to have had a flat out on a long ride, actually, but I know that as soon as I go out with no pump/no spare tube/patches, that little [censored] bit of glass will find my tyres...and imagine walking 30 miles on a pair of £40 Speedplay cleats. No no no no no.

All you really need is a multi-tool, at least 1 spare tube, and at least 1 co2 cartridge. If you're a fanatic like me, you take two tubes and a few spare spokes.....heh

I hate having to call someone to come pick me up....just makes me feel so lame

I think there used to be a spare spoke made out of kevlar or something (like a string). It would give you enough tension to get home... better than a 40 mile walk (days for me).

I've also heard of people putting a spare spoke in their pump (if it is long enough).

• Tube
  
• Patch Kit
  
• Tire Irons
  
• few allen Keys
  
• dollar bill to patch major tire slashes and tears
  
• Cell Phone!
  

I add a chain tool when I am on the trails.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by sandiegosteve
I add a chain tool when I am on the trails.

Yeah, I had a bad chain-suck and I was wishing I had my chain tool (of course if I had then lost a chain pin, I would have been REALLY ticked!). Instead I had to squeeze the chain past the chain stay and scrape even more paint off (ouch!!)

As for spare tubes, I compromise - one tube but also a glueless patch kit in case of a second flat.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Randybaker99
As for spare tubes, I compromise - one tube but also a glueless patch kit in case of a second flat.

Patches do work great. I seem to always double flat, so that leaves me with patches. I keep riding on them even after the fact. Over 500 miles on some (I do replace after the second, or a season change).

Bummer on the chain suck. I had one on the rear cassette that pulled the derailler hard enough to bend the hanger. Nothing I could do about that one but walk.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by sandiegosteve
Patches do work great. I seem to always double flat, so that leaves me with patches. I keep riding on them even after the fact. Over 500 miles on some (I do replace after the second, or a season change).

I never replace tubes if I can patch them. I have some tubes with over 6 patches on them - they still work fine. This is OK, isn't it? Or am I in for a nasty surprise sometime?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mjw_byrne
I never replace tubes if I can patch them. I have some tubes with over 6 patches on them - they still work fine. This is OK, isn't it? Or am I in for a nasty surprise sometime?

Good grief byrne, over 6 patches? LOL! I’ll generally replace after the 3rd or 4th flat, but more often it’s sooner because I don’t feel like hassling it. At the end of the season, toss it (or sooner).

byrne, is that mug yours or in the public domain? Can I use it for my Avatar too?!!!

🙂

Heh, well, patches are dirt cheap, unlike tubes - I mean, it all adds up: 300 tubes = 1 Campag Record gruppo! 😉

And yep, the mug is mine - but feel free to use it in your avatar, if you really want people thinking that's what you look like!