chefisaac

Anyone ever use them? Any thoughts?

MMACH 5

In the days before having a Fiberfix, a couple of times I used zip-ties in a similar fashion. I only pulled them tight enough to get my brake to stop rubbing and get to my destination. Once there, I replaced the spoke and re-trued my wheel.
I carry a Fiberfix now. I haven't used it, but I would probably treat it the same way (use it just to reach a destination where I could do a proper repair).

seeker333

They work. Just follow the instructions.

imi

I carry one, just in case, but have never needed to use it. All reports I have heard have been good.
Takes next to no space and weighs next to nothing.

Only thing I thought about was that the printed instructions seemed easy enough, but maybe a few years down the line might well be forgotten, so I carry that bit of paper too...

fietsbob

I just built my wheels to have the extra spokes in the wheel , only broke one..

with, 47 left a minor bit of spot truing, and I was good to Go.

it was about a week before I borrowed the BF wrench to remove my freewheel,
then I replaced that spoke with pre-chosen same length. left from the Build .

lots of tourists pass through here .. only sold 1 fiberfix in several years , so LBS Mgr stopped stocking them.

NB: being Kevlar the sunlight degrades the polymer of the modified Nylon..

njkayaker

I've used one a few times on other people's bikes. It avoids the need of carrying different length spokes (for your bike or other people in the group).

It's harder to get a low spoke-count wheel into reasonable true (not generally a concern for touring).

njkayaker

NB: likely not a problem unless you plan to keep the kevlar as a permanent spoke.

juggleaddict

Just bought 2 for the transam this summer... don't plan on using one, but want to have them for the group. At least one person is bound to break a spoke or two, and it's better if the whole group isn't held up. : ) They're cheap too. The only thing I've read bad about them is that they will bend your rim if you tighten it too much.

staehpj1

I have nothing against them, but figure it isn't that hard to just use a real spoke. I carry a few spokes and a Unior Cassette cracker. It isn't that much effort to just do a permanent fix right off the bat. As far as multiple sizes... I find that one size can work in a pinch to replace any of the three sizes on my bike if the size carried is selected carefully.

If some road debris kicks up and takes out 4 spokes I am good to go with my setup. With a single fiber fix not so much.

The Unior weighs less than an ounce and a few spokes do not weigh much. The one advantage to the fiber fix is it will fit other peoples bikes too, but I figure that isn't up to me to worry about if they don't care enough to carry their own. I'll loan out what I have, but I am not carrying stuff just in case someone else needs it.

shelbyfv

I bought one and tried it on an old wheel. I didn't ride it but the wheel trued just fine. I keep the instructions with it, I doubt I could figure it out on the side of the road. I tend to carry stuff to fix my riding buddies bikes. They probably wouldn't ride with me otherwise.

chefisaac

you make some great points, all of which I need to practice. To be frank, I do not have that skill set yet but will work on it.

Doug64

I carry one, but never used it even when I broke spokes. Having said that, I have only broken 3 spokes in all my years of riding. I broke all 3 on the same trip, only at different times (one every 2-3 days), all on the front wheel. I just wrapped the broken spoke around an adjacent spoke and rode the bike to the next bike shop on the route. We were on the Pacific Coast, so there is a bike shop in almost every town. I actually had spare spokes with me, but there was no problem riding so I just waited to we got to a shop. If I could not have made the wheel fairly straight, I would have stopped and replaced them.

I attribute the breakage to the LBS who trued the wheel for me. I caught the front wheel in a crack in the pavement and tweaked it a little out of true as I went over. I thought this would be a good time to bring my wife's and my wheels in for truing and tensioning. All of the spokes broke at the nipple, which is really unusual. My guess is that when the wrench at the LBS trued the wheels he twisted the spokes weakening them at the threads. I may have also underestimated the lateral torque that the wheel sustained when I went over sideways with it wedged in the crack.

Its good to hear that the fiber-fix spokes work.

Make that 4--About 30 years ago on my way to work with my little day pack, containing my lunch and thermos, slung over 1 shoulder it slipped off my shoulder and wedged between the fork and the wheel, breaking one of the spokes. My wife had no sympathy. She said, "that's why they make those pack with 2 straps."

The "101 Bike Shop", Florence, OR--Good folks.

robow

I always carry one or two, even if I have spare spokes for myself. Yea, they have been a lifesaver at times. One thing of note is that if you can't get the tension you need with the fiberfix, simply tighten the adjacent spokes on each side. Btw, I do carry stuff for someone else in case they need it and for two very selfish reasons, if we're in a group, it gets me back on the road faster and I can use all the good karma I can get.

Machka 

I carried one for years, and never used it. I may have carried it with us on our RTW tour, but I don't think so. I'm not even sure if we carried extra spokes. The thing is, you can break 1 spoke and be just fine for several days. You can break 2 spokes and still make it to some sort of shop (hardware, bicycle, etc.) if you tour in relatively populated areas. If you break a 3rd spoke, you might be in a bit of trouble. But then I'd question how well built the wheel was in the first place.

Western Flyer 

The Kevlar on my fiber spoke is encased inside a polyester covering for UV protection. It is technically not made out of Kevlar but a generic aramid fiber. I broke a drive side spoke and axle on a twenty spoke rear wheel and rode home 100 k without incident. That is the only time I have used one. I have felt confident enough to only carry one fiber spoke on tour. That is until last month when I took my 20" folder to Alaska and TSA broke two rear spokes Now anytime I am taking my bike on public transportation I will carry extra ss spokes.

My advice is don't leave home without one - I don't.

Tourist in MSN

I carry normal spokes and the tools to replace them. On one bike there is a spoke holder, on my other bikes the spare spokes are in the seatpost, held in place with a wine cork. (The cork dried out, wrapped some electrical tape around it to make it fit tighter.)

Cyclebum

I carry one for peace of mind. Actually used it once until I could get to a bike shop in Amarillo. Called my lbs to get help truing the wheel. Loosen that one, tighten that one.

The spoke broke because it hae been scored when the chain jumped off the big cog.

Aushiker

Same here ...

Andrew

djb

oddly enough I havent been able to find them in stores here, Ive been meaning to buy one since I read about them on here, maybe last year, but so far havent found them here in Montreal. Guess Ill have to order it online (and hope there isnt too much of shipping and customs charges, especially as its a $10-15 purchase.)

I too have had very few spokes break in all the years riding, maybe 2.

ShortCircuit

DJB I just bought 2 from Amazon.com for $22 and there was no additional shipping charge.
Cheryl

fietsbob

Brought 6 proper spokes 2 ea. RR. LR + 2 Ft.

djb

shortcircuit, thanks for the info. For me I wonder about the cross border custom fees, a while ago my teenage son ordered a t-shirt for $20 U.S (or thereabouts) from the states which came via Fedex I think, and we later got a darn cross border duty fee letter for about $15....pretty bad for a 20 dollar order....dont know why it was so high but thats what it was.
I suspect if its regular mail it avoids this stuff, but I guess if I cant find any here in Canada, I'll order from the states and just see what happens.

ShortCircuit

djb
They were in just a small bubblepack that came via regular mail if that is any help. Good LuckĄ