Haven't used a spoke protector since 1972, when I needed to rebuild the wheels on my Raleigh Super Course.

Caught the derailleur in the spokes once, near the end of a circuit race. Hit the pavement on my left side when the riders on my right started going down, just as I was taking a hit from my water bottle. The finish line followed a hairpin turn and one of the steepest climbs in the race. For all but my last lap I succeeded in reminding myself to avoid using my two lowest cogs. On the final lap I was to far off the back to remember or care. Coasted around the last corner, slammed into a lower gear, and slammed onto the pavement. This time the derailleur jammed itself into the wheel and all I could do was pick up the bike and carry it over the line.