Held my breath when a spoke snapped 15 miles from home

I was riding along a gravel path near the river last Sunday when I heard that sickening PING. Rear wheel started wobbling bad. I pulled over and saw a broken spoke hanging off the rim. Since I was way out and didn't want to walk, I wrapped the broken spoke around the adjacent one with a zip tie from my saddle bag. True'd the wheel just enough with a spoke wrench to get the wobble out. Managed to limp home at a slow pace without any more damage. Has anyone else done a field fix like this that somehow held up better than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan3052d agoMost Upvoted

How many miles did you get out of that zip tie fix before it failed or you replaced the spoke?

finley_harris52d ago

oh man @jordan305 that zip tie fix got me about 200 miles before I finally replaced the spoke. but here's the thing I've noticed about fixes like that they're a lot like the bandaids we put on other parts of our lives right? like that squeaky cabinet door you just keep shoving a paper towel under so it stops wobbling. it works for a while and you kind of forget about it until one day it just gives out completely. that's basically what happened with the zip tie it held up fine for a few weeks then snapped on a bumpy downhill section. those temporary fixes are ALMOST always the start of a bigger problem down the line. its like your brain knows you'll get around to it eventually but eventually never comes until something breaks in a big way.