Spentspokes

A broken spoke won’t stop you riding your bike but it’s worth fixing as it will affect the trueness of your wheel, and slap around, scratching your frame and even your legs.

If your multi-tool includes cutters, cut off the snapped spoke close to the rim. If not, twist it around a neighbouring spoke to hold it in place.

To check the trueness of your wheel, use a small stick as a guide. Hold it close to the rim of the affected wheel. If your bike has rim brakes, rest it against the callipers. Spin the wheel and watch to see how it deviates from true relative to the guide. If the wobble is only minor, and you don’t have far to go, ride home carefully and repair it there. If there is a pronounced deviation that could reduce the integrity of your wheel or impair the performance of your brakes, try truing the wheel.

Loosen the spokes either side of the broken one in small increments using the spoke key on your multitool. Turn each one fractionally, then check the wheel’s trueness by holding the guide against the rim and spinning it. Keep adjusting the two spokes and checking the rim until the wheel runs as true as possible. Replace or repair the wheel before your next ride.