Bicycle Mechanics - Is it OK to ride with a broken spoke?

I just realized I have a broken spoke on my rear wheel. I have 32 hole DRX 2000 Double Wall Road Rims with Alloy Track hubs and generic spokes. I don't know when the spoke broke, I may have been riding my bike like this for a while, and obviously, I haven't noticed it. So, should I absolutely stop riding the wheel with the broken spoke until I get it fixed? How bad is it for the wheel in general to be riden with a broken spoke?

Thanks!

You should not ride that bike any more.

I just realized I have a broken spoke on my rear wheel. I have 32 hole DRX 2000 Double Wall Road Rims with Alloy Track hubs and generic spokes. I don't know when the spoke broke, I may have been riding my bike like this for a while, and obviously, I haven't noticed it. So, should I absolutely stop riding the wheel with the broken spoke until I get it fixed? How bad is it for the wheel in general to be riden with a broken spoke?

Thanks!

Do your brake pads rub against the rim (assuming you have rim brakes)?

In general, best get it fixed. A broken spoke whacks out the equilibrium of the spoke/wheel system. The wheel could be out of round or warped. I suppose a hard hit could "taco" or "potato chip" the wheel.

With a 32 spoke and a hefty rim, you are probably fine for a while. That being said, the strength of a wheel depends on all of its individual components, especially the spokes, to deal with stresses applied to the wheel. With one spoke missing, the spokes near it have to make up for the stresses, like your weight, especially when cornering. Eventually something will get worse like the heel becoming more untrue, or more spokes breaking. Worst case scenario is a wheel tacoing collapse. Unless you're dirt poor (I hope not), you should fix it. Spokes cost less than $2 including a nipple. Maybe you can buy a spoke and nipple and find a friend who knows wheels to replace it. Just make sure you get the correct spoke length. and a friend who knows how to work on wheels.

I don't know how long that wheel will hold up with a broken spoke, especially on a fixed gear. I do know that it will only get worse, never better if you continue to ride it the way that it is. There are a couple of ways to look at this.

Convenience wise, I wouldn't be comfortable riding this bike farther away from home than I was willing to walk back. That's a pretty significant limitation. Time and costwise, you are potentially talking about replacing the rim and all 32 spokes vs one spoke now.

I guess that it might come down to how lucky you feel that you usually are. Personally, I think that guy who originated that Murphy's Law thing was an optomist.

Thanks for all your comments.... I really appreciate it. I'm walking my bike to the shop right now.