Broken Spoke - ride home or take the train?

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top-tube

Über Member
Location
Leith, Edinburgh
I've never broken a spoke before in my life (47y.o.), but one snapped this am in the latter stages of my weekly commute into work (47 mile round trip). Back wheel now has a slight buckle, and touches the brake block at the top of each revolution. 23 miles to go home. Question is should I risk it, or is there a chance more will start popping if I attempt it.

Unfortunately the commuting repair kit does not include spokes or a spoke key.

Any advice gratefully received.
 
Location
Edinburgh
It is a dilema, I grant you.

I have ridden home with a broken spoke more than once., but I only have 7 miles to go.

For the distance you have got I would probably try it, going with care to avoid the potholes and after checking the phone was charged.
 

Sittingduck

Legendary Member
Location
Somewhere flat
I have considerable experience in this subject :smile:

Take the train, if it's viable. A 36 spoke wheel can get you home, if the adjacent spokes (from the same side of the hub) are re-tensioned, to compensate. Unless you have a spoke key and the skills to true the wheel, you will be risking it big time, IMHO. It will only get worse as you ride and 23 miles is not to he sniffed at.

Best of luck!
SD
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
I have done both in the past. The fisrt time I made it home without any issues however the other time as I was heading down a hill I heard a "twang twang twang" and came to a very abrubt :hyper: unplanned stop and altracation with a hedge.

If you do try and risk it, ride slowly.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
I've ridden home with a broken spoke and it feels very disconcerting.

Be careful downhill and around pothole/uneven surfaces.

Just ride to get home. Once home, use another bike or other form of transport until spoke replaced and wheel re-tensioned.
 
I've bust a rear spoke before, somewhere in East Lothian and cycled back to Granton and then 6 or 7 miles to a lbs and no further damage was done, that be 23miles +. I also snapped a front spoke coming down Glen Quaich to Kenmore iirc I did 40 miles or more before I got home; the wheel went out of true almost immediately but never got any worse and only took a little trueing when I got a new spoke. I guess it depends on your weight though and what the road surface is like on your route, whether you want to chance it or not. If you do want to chance it disconnect your rear brake, otherwise it'll severely sap your energy, your front braking ability and route are major considerations then. Good Luck!
 

Andy500

Well-Known Member
Location
Nottinghamshire
Definitely take the train, not worth risking your safety
ohmy.gif
, especially as the train is an option rather than stuck in the middle of the countryside with no other way of getting back.
 

pshore

Well-Known Member
I've ridden a number of different bikes with broken spokes. Had two broken (didn't realise) on my MTB with 32H rims. To stop the rubbing, you could loosen your rear brake a little; or perhaps loosen the q/r, hold the wheel over to one side and then really tighten the q/r to keep it in place.

Take a mobile phone just in case !
 

apollo179

Well-Known Member
Ive ridden on broken spokes without mishap but id lean towards the train option just to be on the safe side. Last thing you want is to risk further exacerbating the damage.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
I've done over 30 miles on a wheel with two broken spokes. Luckily those wheels where 36 hole, and I was using disc brakes.
 

Matthew_T

"Young and Ex-whippet"
I have had a broken spoke on my mountain bike. I did it by throwing my bike into a wall (not the best idea). It was fine (with the acception that it was a crap bike) and kept riding it around (until after trying to change the forks, I lost the nut for the handlebars). I have another mountain bike now (back tyre is flat though), but that is falling to peices as well.

My question is: How did you do it? While fitting spoke reflectors to my bike today, I found out that spokes are extremely flexible (for a certain range), and can withstand quite a large impact (falling off bike).
 

Sittingduck

Legendary Member
Location
Somewhere flat
Why take the risk, if the train is direct and accessible?


edit: that was @ the OP, BTW... who is presumably either on the train home or limping along, 15 miles from home with a banana-fied rear wheel, by now :tongue:
 
OP
OP
top-tube

top-tube

Über Member
Location
Leith, Edinburgh
Thanks for the advice guys. Decided to play safe, and took the train home.

Not sure what caused the spoke to break: descending a steep hill at the time, and heard a snap, which I thought was a stone hitting the rim. I can only put it down to my attempts to slightly true the wheel about 500 miles ago, and was pleased with myself for making the wheel true. However, my wheel truing involves always tightening spokes, and I think I need to learn to true it by loosening a few, so I'm guessing I must have overtensioned it, and it finally gave way under my 15 stone frame (and it was the back wheel so bearing most of the weight).

I will now enter the dark world of researching spoke sizes, and replacing spokes. It can't be that hard, I hope.
ohmy.gif
 
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