Originally Posted by
Lazyass
Never carried a spare cable, I can ride my bike without one. If you have a chain tool, and I always do, you could have turned it into a single speed in an easy gear. Just bypass the rear derailleur and wrap it around the small ring and cog of your choice.
That's a great idea ... so, you just wrap it around the ring? No need to fasten or clip it (sorry, probably dumb question)?
I had a situation once where my cable snapped, the chain hopped off the gear and sliced into my seat stay, making a crease, but not breaking through the (aluminum) frame - just a couple miles from my car. Fortunately, the frame was still safe to ride, and I did for a couple more years before relegating it to my winter/bad weather bike.
Since then, I'm just more proactive about having the cables changed by my LBS ... definitely not more than a couple seasons on my main road bike - or maybe when I'm making the 2nd or 3rd chain change. (to OP, I don't carry a spare cable - the risk is too infrequent IMO to be bothered and I'm not skilled enough yet to change cables anyway).