We're on hols at the moment and, as we were about to set off for a ride this morning, I found i had a broken spoke on the front wheel (it's sheared off at the nipple). Dunno how it happened, although the bikes did fall over the other night so maybe it happened then.
Anyway, rather than change plans I just taped it to an adjacent one and we went out for a 30 mile gentle country lane and very mild forest track pootle. I nursed it a bit and did my best to avoid heavy braking and any rougher bits. We've just got back now and there's a very minor wobble on the wheel, but otherwise it seems fine.
We're in France and there is a bike shop nearby (although it's actually in Belgium), so I could take it there tomorrow, but to be honest I'm thinking of just leaving it until we get home. We're here for another week and it'll be used for two or three rides, but they'll be similar to today's pootle and I'm happy to take it gently.
Sound reasonable?
I guess the worst that could happen is the extra strain causes another spoke to go, but I rode a snapped spoke for about 200km of Cairngorms gravel with no ill effects. Replaced it when I got home and carried on until I eventually needed to replace the rim due to wear.
If it's just gentle pootling I'd true it up as is and replace when home.
Just make sure that the tyre doesn't rub on either the frame or fork so that it doesn't become expensive
Right-o, cheers all, I'll leave it as it is then.
Be warned though - if I do die I'll need blaming you, and I'll be giving you a good old haunting!
In that case:
You should take it to some amazing mechanic right now as it's clearly going to explode like a nuclear bomb and kill all the baby Robyn's in Europe!
Get it fixed if you are worried 😃
Only one gone?
Pfftt. Amateurs 🙄
Like Paul Heaton said, carry on regardless 👍
32 hole alu rim? Chap broke a rear spoke on a holiday in the pyrenees. We wrapped it around the adjacent spoke and told him to ignore it after checking none of the others were wildly loose. He didn't die. You'll be reet, even for more than pootling.
Be reet. I snapped a couple at megavalanche in practice, couldn’t get any so cracked on the rest of the week and didn’t die.
I was replacing and binning a fairly narrow aluminum rim once. Once I'd chopped all the spokes, thought I'd just squash/collapse the rim to put it in the bin. Nope. Not happening. All my weight on it wouldn't fold it up. Had to hacksaw it into pieces in the end, they are immensely strong.
You've already had your answer, but yeah absolutely not a problem.
I’d probably get it done if your only using the bike a few times in the week,I just find that once one fractures like that a few more let go and then it’s unrideable.
I suppose it depends on how much of a pain it’s going to be if you can’t ride back.
Its a YMMV thang but if a shops local and it’s fixed then you don’t have to fix it when you get back 🙂
I’d probably get it done if your only using the bike a few times in the week,I just find that once one fractures like that a few more let go and then it’s unrideable.
On the flipside, the front wheel on my trail bike has had about six spokes go over the last few years quite randomly - not under impact - both before and after a big rim-dinging incident. Each time I replace a single spoke when I get to it and the wheel is fine.
