The spokes for my Nuvinci hub are too short. Realistically, looking at how they the spoke holder is designed, it would probably take a relatively narrow range of spoke. That said, I still like the idea of the spoke holder. Sure, you could throw them in a pannier, but they're an awkward shape and easily bent. I taped mine to a leg of my rack. I suppose I could also drop them down the seat post if I was so inclined. I've been known to stash zip ties in my handlebars as well. Having these odds and ends stashed on my bike can be very handy, and knowing that they're there means never having to worry about packing them. It also means that should you ever actually need them, on tour or not, they'll be easily found and never left behind. By no means is the spoke holder an essential part of the bike, but it's a nice touch with no real drawbacks (other than some kickstand issues, and we know how Surly feels about kickstands), so I certainly wouldn't say that they should be removed.