Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 173
Likes: 66
From: Eastern Townships, Quebec, Canada
Bikes: Bassi Hog's Back gravel/bikepacking, Bombtrack Hook 2 gravel, Marinoni Genius/Campy Record, Marinoni Special EL-OS/Campy Record (retired to permanent indoor trainer), Rocky Mountain hybrid, Rocky Mountain mtb Cervelo R3 Team/Campy Chorus FOR SALE
You guys probably know this, but with respect to being stranded due to a breakdown, the AAA in the US and the CAA in Canada will rescue you and your bike if it's a mechanical breakdown. Might be worth the cost of membership. The car that I bought last year comes with free roadside assistance but I kept my CAA membership active for when I'm on the bike.
Worst case of broken spokes I had was touring on a cheap CCM "10-speed" in my late teens, with a friend, between Fort Erie and Niagara Falls. Bike was laden with packs. One rear spoke broke, I went a few km. Another broke, went a few more km. When the 6th broke, the wheel completely warped and jammed in the stays. A good samaritan took me the rest of the way to Niagara Falls where we camped and I where I found a bike shop to repair the wheel.
I'm now a wee bit on the heavy side (195 lbs) and a broken spoke significantly increases the load on the others.