Originally Posted by
tellyho
While everyone lambasts me when I say it, I've never had a spoke break or a tube blow out. I don't think you need a spoke wrench. That said, there's one on the multi-tool that lives in my wedge pack.
+1
I won't lambast you at all. Unless you're doing a self-supported tour or similar adventure, I'm of the mindset that you keep your bike maintained at all times so you don't have to carry a bunch of stuff with you when you ride. Typically, spokes on the drive side of the rear wheel are most vulnerable. I've broken a couple of spokes in my riding experiences. It wasn't a big deal. I wrapped the broken spoke around an adjoining one, opened the brake caliper for more clearance and rode home on a wobbly wheel. Same thing happened with a buddy of mine. He broke a spoke out in the middle of nowhere and rode 40 miles to where the car was parked. In both situations, a spoke wrench would have helped not at all, except to remove the broken spoke.
(I realize that, of course, I am now karmically screwed and my wheels are likely to disintegrate on this Sunday's ride.
)
If you're going to carry anything, carry a cell phone and some cash.
