I have a Schwinn Cutter. Fun bike, even if the high-ten frame is a little heavy. I've had it almost two years and put a lot of my miles on it, especially lately. About a month ago, I broke a spoke. Bought a new one, put it in, no big deal. Then last night, spoke #2 broke. I've seen this before- the zipper effect: one spoke breaks and the load from that one goes to the spokes around it, and the wheel "unzips" one spoke at a time.

So now I guess it's time to look at options. My priority overall is to get the best value; I'm more into function than bling. In other words, I'm cheap. Given that, I need to assess my options. One key is that in 2009, the Cutter was a SS only, and I've been thinking about trying FG. Kibitzing is welcome.

1. Cheapest option: Buy an entire set of replacement spokes and rebuild the wheel, keeping the same rim and hub which, to my eyes, are still fully functional. I've never done a complete build from scratch, but I've done a similar rebuild once before (replaced a damaged rim, keeping same spokes and hub). Lowest cost, gives me a straight replacement, buys me probably another couple years at least, maybe more if I do a good job on the rebuild.

2. Same as 1., except get a new hub, a flip-flop, so I can explore the joys of FG. If I do this, what would be a good hub and fixed cog to buy, considering my preference of function over style, and desire to keep the cost down?

3. Bail out of the DIY stuff and just buy a reasonably robust rear wheel with a flip-flop hub. Recommendations for a reasonably priced replacement rear wheel are welcome.

I'll probably price out all three options, so I guess I'm asking for advice on what to price out for options 2. and 3.