A spoke snapped on my rear wheel during a group ride in Austin last Saturday.

I patched it up with a spoke wrench and trued the wheel on the spot, but should I just replace the whole wheel or is a single spoke swap fine for long-term riding, what's your take?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt_green3127d ago

Honestly I used to think replacing the whole wheel was overkill but that single spoke swap held up fine for me.

nina_jenkins27d ago

Totally get where you're coming from but I gotta disagree. Rode on a single spoke replacement for a few months and that thing kept loosening up every week. Ended up having to retrue the whole wheel anyway cause the tension was way off from the start. Just seems like one weak link in the chain waiting to snap at the worst moment. Might have worked for you but I wouldn't risk it again.

milestaylor25d ago

Funny, I had the opposite experience. I swapped a single spoke on my touring bike a couple years back and it held rock solid for over a thousand miles before I finally replaced the whole set. I think it really depends on how you tension it and what kind of riding you do. On a commuter or light trail bike, one odd spoke might not cause trouble, but I can see how it could mess things up on a mountain bike or something heavier. I always check the tension with a spoke wrench after the first few rides, and that seemed to keep everything in line. But I get why you wouldn't want to gamble with it.