stevage

Friend of mine broke 9 out of 32 spokes this weekend, and managed to ride to the next bike shop (although totally unloaded by that point). Wondering what the record is for a bike that could still be ridden?

Steve

robow

One record that I hope to never experience first hand.

gpsblake

How did this happen? I've had a happen a few years ago when a twig got caught on my tire along the C&O canal.

Creakyknees

Many years ago, I was drafting a tandem @ probably 25mph or so and drifted into the rear left QR with my front spokes. Took out the entire right side of my front wheel in one sudden and very loud instant. The steering became somewhat wobbly and imprecise but I managed to coast to a stop ok.

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thePig

I have had quite a few spokes break on a loaded touring bike but nothing close to 9. Quite amazed that the bike was still rideable.

When I am touring I always stuff lots of spare spokes down my seat tube (keeps them out of the way yet easy to get to). You never know when one of them is going to go....and it's always the rear drivetrain side which is a pain to fix.

ricohman

2 spokes, freewheel side, on a 1200km trip.
And that was a plain 36 hole Araya rim, nothing fancy.
I havent broken a spoke touring since, and that was twenty years ago. But I have broken spokes just riding to work and such. So maybe I'm just lucky when breaking spokes.

stevage

We were riding along a fairly rough dirt road with some pretty severe corrugations. His bike was a pretty standard sort of MTB, I think with front suspension, loaded up pretty normally - rear panniers and rack bag. I think he first noticed the front wheel had gone wobbly, so we stopped and counted 7 broken spokes. We then took all the weight off it, and he continued slowly, and broke another 2. It still rode fine apparently, if a bit wobbly. The funny thing was when the bike was lying on its side, there were places you could actually step through the wheel

Anyway, the next day he had the spokes fixed, and then managed to break another 2 on the return trip. The weird thing now that I think about this is that it was the front wheel - you normally think of the rear wheel when spokes break on tours. But I guess once you break one or two, the rest go pretty quickly.

Steve

creepingdeath

I got 3 broken spokes just south of Carmel? (whatever crappy little rich town is next to Pebble Beach) and didn't get it fixed till I got to San Luis Obispo. I had to disconnect the rear brakes so the wheel wouldn't rub. Not fun.