achoo

Two lessons:

1. Spoke wrench in tool kit. You can use it to remove the broken spoke, then true the wheel up enough to get home. Don't bother taking the tire, tube, and rim strip off to deal with the nipple. At this point, who cares if it rattles around inside the rim some.

2. When you have to walk, take off your socks, take the insoles out of your shoes, put then insoles back inside your socks, then put the socks with insoles inside back on your feet.

bianchi10

DOH!!! Genius

Savagewolf

I've done the walk of shame before. I was in Arizona on some military duty and brought my bike with me. I ended up popping 1 spoke, tried to limp it to a decent stopping place and popped another, putting the wheel too far out of true even with the brakes wide open.

I have some pretty stiff shoes, so that meant walking to a meeting point in just my socks on some rough road. The worse part was that even being in an obvious state of needing help, I saw 20+ cars/trucks from other cyclists pass me by without even a tiny offer of help.

The feet were tender, but I learned my lesson and recovered quickly.

pdedes

that's what happens when you use low spoke count wheels for training. those fiber spokes would do, or you could tape a spoke or two to your chain stay. I use a spoke wrench as a key fob, so I'm never without.

R1lee

Bianchi,
glad you made it home ok, looks like hobbit feet there lol.
shouldve paid more attention to McGyver when you were younger. Couldve made something work with a twig, gum and maybe a safey pin?

MikeWMass

I once crashed on a fast descent, ended up off the road behind a stone wall. Broke my helmet. The person I was with called 911. Had I been alone and unconscious, I might still be there; nobody could have seen me from the road. Now, I ride with my cell phone turned on when I am alone so I could be found if something like that happened.

mlamb01

I broke a spoke on my Vitesse's back in October. Had less than 4000 miles on them at the time, I had only gotten them the previous March. Broke a spoke on my front wheel, just like you did, close to the hub. I had the 24/28 count set, and my weight was in the low 170's at the time. I was not expecting this to happen to these wheels so soon. Love the better handling they provide, but I am loosing my confidence in them.

wrote4luck

I learned that fun lesson as a teen. I carry a fully charged iPhone, 2x tubes, tire levers, frame pump, extensively equipped multi-tool, ID, and $20 cash everytime I ride.

bianchi10

I'm curious how a 24/28 would feel now compared to the 20/24

bubbagrannygear

cleat covers?

bianchi10

nope. why would I bring them with me on a 12 mile loop?

BoomMcNasty

In case a spoke broke and you had to walk home? LOL

Walter

That is a heck of an idea.

The OP does make me wonder how we did it back in the BC (before cellphone) era? Not retro-grouching here. Mine is with me 24/7 but I rode many thousands of miles before they existed.

Nachoman

I started carrying a cell phone with me after one of the guys in my paceline went down and fractured his collar bone. Thankfully, someone had a cell phone and called they guy's wife to pick him up.

bianchi10

damn.....well played sir

bubbagrannygear

I ride speedplays. After trying to get the worn screws out of an even more worn cleat to change it, I've taken to wearing them anytime I'm not on the bike. Also if you need to change a flat and step off the road to do so, they can keep mud/stones out of the cleats. I take em on every ride.

catonec 

you should get the "leave-on" covers

https://www.ebay.com/itm/KEEP-ON-CLEA...item484fd83ca9

B. Carfree

My wife and I were just laughing at all the crap I carry now that neither of us would have thought of bringing thirty years ago. We used to bring one tube between us, two tire levers and a pump. Now I have a multi-tool (with chain tool), two tubes, patch kit, three tire levers, cell phone, front and rear blinking lights, gps locator with "help me" buttons to call for help when out of cell phone range (Spot), reflective hi-viz vest and rear-facing go-pro to get a picture of the person who runs me over. Okay, most of that stuff didn't exist thirty years ago, but I wouldn't have brought it if it did.

Times have changed. It's a good thing I'm not a weight wienie.

fstshrk

I broke a spoke on my 32 spoke **rear** wheel and did not notice it for weeks.
This is on my touring bike. Maybe you can get 28 spokes front and rear.

coasting 

Reminds me of my "lesson learned" ride back when I was relatively new to riding. I had a puncture and I carried nothing with me back then. I walked about 2 miles in socks over rough surface at some points including gravel to the nearest village. After that ride, I bought a pump, inner tube and carried a phone.

I was a newb; that was my excuse.

jsigone

I'd walk in my shoes, toss those $20 cleats away before the next ride. We live in the land of technology where even grade school kids have a cel phone. So you should on some back road somewhere.

krobinson103

I never leave without a masterlink, tube, flat kit, multitool, electrical tape, a pump, small length of thin cord, and my phone. With tjose thete aren't many problems that I can't deal with on the road

evan938

literally LOL'd

bianchi10

Me too!

evan938

my buddy rode all last summer with nothing. i don't think he even carried a cell phone, let alone even a spare tube, levers, etc

finally about a month or so ago, he got all the stuff he should carry. flat repair kit, etc. few weeks later, flatted. went to swap it out, spare tube had a hole. LOL. called his wife to come pick him up, pretty sure she had to load all 5 kids in the van to do so (newborn - 9 yrs)

6 of us ran across a guy riding solo end of last year, october maybe, about 10 miles into our ride. carrying his rear wheel, and holding the bike walking it. wasnt sure why he just didnt walk it with the rear wheel on, as it'd roll with a flat, but he wasnt riding it.

we stopped to help him, he had tube, co2, but no levers. lol. we helped him get it changed and he asked us if we were gonna get lunch after. we kinda just said no, he went along changing it, got done, and again asked us about lunch, and told us he owned City BBQ here in columbus. we asked which one, and he said "all of them". said we could go in and get whatever we wanted on him for helping, and just to let him know which one we wanted to go to. we determined the closest one to our start point, 5 of us went in afterwards, he wasn't lying. we ate like kings. it was great.

there's also a new joke when we're riding and someone is off the road, obviously we ask "you ok?" and when they say yes and we pass them, we say "eh, he/she didnt look like a restaurant owner anyways, no need to stop"...hahahah