Originally Posted by GravelMN

An isolated single broken spoke is not a big deal and can be replaced fairly easily. Without knowing the year of your bike I can't be sure, but a quick look at the specs for a few versions of the Sirrus over the past few years shows that 14 gauge stainless spokes were commonly used on the stock wheels. The good news is that any bike shop should have a replacement if that is the same as your spokes. Based on your question and referring to yourself as a novice, I assume you haven't much experience with wheel maintenance and repair. Changing a spoke is not difficult, but if you've never done it, the help of someone with some experience can be helpful as there are things that can go wrong. If the broken spoke is on the drive side rear I'd recommend having the LBS do the work unless you already have the tools or have access to a bike co-op where you can borrow tools and get good advice. Replacing a spoke and truing a wheel should cost $15-$25 at a bike shop assuming there are no other problems. If it is a front or NDS spoke, it is a reasonable DIY project with good information and maybe some help from an experienced friend. Straight gauge spokes run $1-$2 each with nipples and you can get a spoke wrench for about $6.

- Check the wheel for trueness while still on the bike. Lift the affected wheel and give it a spin. Does it wobble side to side at all? Touch a brake pad at one spot in the rotation?
- Examine the wheel for damage. Especially look for tiny cracks where the ends of the broken spoke insert into the rim and hub. Check the other spokes as well.
- Where did the spoke break? Most break at the elbow that inserts into the hub flange. This can be a sign of too little tension on the spoke or the wheel as a whole. Occasionally a spoke will break at the nipple end. I've never seen a spoke fail along its length even with extremely butted racing spokes under high tension.
- I've seen a few spoke replacements done with the tire on by unthreading the spoke from the nipple and reusing the same nipple once the new spoke is laced into place. I prefer to remove the tire and rim strip and use a new nipple with the new spoke. I might change my mind if this was beside a campfire mid-tour rather than in my garage.
- Remove the broken spoke and carefully lace the new spoke into position. You will have to flex the spoke but avoid getting sharp kinks into it. Minor curves in the spoke will straighten as the spoke is tensioned.
- You can use Spoke Prep, anti-seize, or even just a dab of grease on the threads before inserting the spoke end into the nipple.
- Turn the nipple a turn or two at a time until the spoke is at approximately the same tension as the other spokes. You can get a rough estimate by squeezing different spoke pairs together and/or plucking with your fingers or lightly tapping the spokes with a tool to see if you get about the same note.
- There are videos online about how to true a wheel using the brake pads or makeshift indicators (like zip ties on the stays) and a wheel wrench. If you can afford it, it isn't a bad idea to have your wheel trued and tensioned by the LBS at least the first time and then just do minor tune ups yourself until you get some experience.
- You might hear a ping or two the first time you ride on the repaired wheel. It's not unusual as even a properly rebuilt wheel settles in a bit. Just recheck the wheel a couple of times after the first few rides. If the repair and truing were good, all should be well.