Originally Posted by
Homeyba
I broke a spoke on my eight year old front Zipp wheel last month and it wasn't ride over. We rode it 15 miles home with no problems other than a slight wobble. We did take it very easy and kept the speeds low but it got us back with no problems. I had a 36spoke wheel break two spokes at once 15 miles outside of Brest (France). I wasn't able to fix it and was barely able to get the bike back to town...
One more data point - broke a spoke on Sweet 16 rear wheel while descending Independence Pass (12,000+ ft) into Aspen on Ride the Rockies last summer ... hit something unexpected in bike/car traffic at 50mph. Since we had a rear disc brake, didn't even notice until i was checking equipment later that afternoon. We carried extra spokes and spoke wrench, so not a problem.
As others have reported, losing a single spoke on a low spoke count wheel isn't always game over - but you should come prepared with those special bits you may need to continue.