Broken spoke: how to fix in a brevet

[Cheng-Hong Li]

Hello fellow randonneurs and randonneuses:

I am writing to get some feedback and advice on how to deal with a broken spoke in a brevet. 

On a recent 1000k, a spoke of my rear wheel broke 600k. It almost doomed my ride. I did carry a FIberfix repair kit. But embarrassingly I didn't learn enough how to use it properly, so that didn't help me fix the wheel. 

After coming home I tried to use Fiberfix to practice the repair before I sent the wheel to my local bike shop. I found it a little tricky when using the Fiberfix. I think the *key* is, after unscrewing the spoke from the nipple, do not let the nipple fall into the rim. Otherwise one has to either magically fish out the nipple through the tiny opening of the rim, or remove the tire, remove the rim tape, rigorously shaking out the nipple, reinstall the nipple, retape the rim etc (or use a magnet). 

Or am I missing something in the whole process?

My wheel's mileage is not high, about 4500 miles when this happened. The spoke broke on a flat surface at a moderate speed. So it is a little disappointing that the spoke didn't hold up well (the wheel is a Zipp Firecrest 303) 

[Ramsey Hanna]

That’s your wheel it’s always going to be painful on those wheels. If you get a standard wheel with j bend spokes and a not taped tubeless ready rim, it will be much easier to use the fiber fix.

Ramsey

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[Andrew Adere]

From an Amazon listing:

[Bill Bryant]

I agree with Ramsey and his points.  FWIW, I’m a retired wheel builder and have used the Fiber-Fix a few times in the past. They work well and will hold up a long time if you can’t get to a bike shop for proper repair. With some practice, it is usually a quick roadside repair.

1. Probably best used with a traditional J-bend spoke. And yes, Fiber-Fix is fiddly and some practice before using it in the field is very important. If your wheel had a disc rotor on it, that could complicate things unduly as you thread the “string” through the spoke hole (or maybe not if you can use any spaces in the rotor to pass the “thread” through?) Still and all, these are things to investigate at home before actually needing it to keep going during a brevet.
2. 
   
3. It probably is best used on a traditional rim where you can peel the rim tape back if needed to put in a new nipple. Or, as you discovered afterward, if you can unwind the broken spoke and keep the nipple in place, that is essential. It that goes well, it is only a 5-minute repair, but if it doesn’t, well, it could be 30-45 minutes? And of course, doing it in the dark during a brevet will be no fun either...

But overall, I was curious about the spoke breakage in a relatively new wheel. 4500 miles shouldn’t be a problem. I would investigate if the spokes are a good match for the hub, particularly if the diameter of the spoke is not undersized for the hole in the flange? That is essential. Or is Zipp using sub-par spokes? Or… ? 

As you’ve discovered, reliable equipment is key for randonneuring success. Having to stop during an event for a long)ish) repair can really mess things up. 

Bonne route,

Bill Bryant, RUSA #7

Santa Cruz Randonneurs

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[Dave Thompson]

I used a fiber-fix once on a 1200k.  Part way through day 2,  a rear spoke went "ping".  After I stopped swearing, I opened up the rear brakes a little, adjusted the tension in opposing spokes to get the wheel a little more true, and put up with it getting to the overnight.  That was the best that I could do in the dark.    Once at the overnight hotel, I figured out how to use the fiber-fix and it got me through the following 2 days to finish the 1200.   It was the first time that I'd used one.       

Dave.

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[Jake Kassen]

FWIW, I've never broken a spoke on a brevet but have at other times and provided it's a decent 32+ spoke wheel, it's normally enough to just re-tension the adjacent spokes to get it trued enough to keep going.

This is mostly unrelated but I recently got a few DT Swiss 411 asymmetrical rims. The rims come with nipples that have an inverse torx head.

https://www.dtswiss.com/en/components/spokes-and-nipples/nipples/dt-squorx

I love these nipples! (If I said that out loud at work, someone would be obligated to file a Title-IX complaint...) I like the rim too and it's laced to the Velo Orange hubs which also have some nice features such as the ability to pop off the cassette driver without a tool -- great for travel bikes.

The nipples can use a normal spoke wrench but you can also make an adjustment tool by putting a torx headed screw in a wood dowel and use that to adjust the spoke from the rear. I'm going to buy and use these nipples for all future wheel builds as it's so much faster and enjoyable. Plus you can use a normal nipple as a replacement should you need to service on the road.

Jake

[ken jessett]

Slightly of subject, but I have just had my wheel replaced because 7 spokes were damaged including one out of the rim and the rim itself cracked. No reason could be found by the LBS , but then back on that bike with a replacement wheel Monday I was climbing a steep hill and in the process un-cleating near the top I twisted my shoe with the heel inward rather than outward and as I did so I banged the spokes with my heel, and it was then I realised I had got into the habit of doing that much of the time and had inadvertently ruined my wheel. 

[Bill Gobie]

Definitely make sure your wheels are compatible with a FiberFix. I spent 40 minutes once unsuccessfully helping another rider. His wheel had strange nipples that ultimately proved incompatible once we got them disassembled. He ended up removing the drive side brake pad.

A broken spoke at 4500 miles is just wrong. Have a good wheel builder go over the wheel.

Bill

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[Dan Driscoll]

Which brings us to….. anyone want to recommend a good wheel? I’m shopping for a new wheel...carbon rim, center lock disc brake, sram XDR free hub.

I’ve had bad luck with Zipp wheels in the past, and their lack of warranty, but that was before Sram bought them. 

The first set  of Enve wheels I purchased were awesome, since then a couple of newer versions were junk, with spokes so loose they did not last a 600km or so tight that they broke in the first 600km. In addition the nipples are inside the rim, so field repairs are nearly impossible. 

Is there any reason to purchase a hookless rim? I’m still using tubes, but want the capacity to go tubeless when I get around to it. 

Light weight is good, aero is good, and I’d like that, but not with too much sacrifice on durability. 

Thanks in advance, 

DanD 

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[Cheng-Hong Li]

I've lost confidence in Zipp: I started this thread because the spoke on my Zipp 303 broke after 4500 miles. 

It is a hookless rim. I think hookless is not suitable for randonneuring, to put it diplomatically: you have to use tires that are approved by the manufacturers. Imagine you have to replace a tire at a control service or a bike shop on a brevet and they don't have the right tire for your hookless rim. 

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[Kitty Goursolle]

We broke a spoke on the rear wheel of the tandem -- extreme stress climbing 17% Joy Hill-- fixed it w the fiber fix spoke.  Since then,  use velocity rims, 32 spokes with hooked rims built by Rich Lesnik at Rivendell. 100% confident in my wheels by Rich.    more here--  https://handsonwheels.com/

[Bill Gobie]

Velocity makes great rims. I like Ailerons for disk brake wheels & build my own wheels. 

Bill

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[ken jessett]

I buy whatever wheels they have in the shop. I can't imagine any kind of wheel will help me go faster. I suppose spinning the pedals faster might help though. :-)

[sha...@gmail.com]

If you find a great wheelbuilder, keep them!

 

Years ago, after breaking multiple spokes on a Rohloff wheel made by a famous Seattle bike shop (whose name I won't reveal here), I became convinced they were doing something wrong.

 

I started building my own wheels because of this experience.

 

And, as it turns out, they certainly *were* doing things wrong.

 

My weight hovers around 200 pounds, and all my bikes certainly have way too much stuff on them, but I haven't broken a single spoke in the last 100,000 miles -- all of which were ridden on wheels I built myself.

 

Nowadays, I only use Velocity rims.  They're made in the USA, and most of them are available in polished aluminum variants which are just prettier.

 

I just built a couple sets for some vintage Trek bikes with A23 rims, and I am excited to have tubeless tires on them now!

 

I did split one Velocity Aileron rim at the spoke drillings, and I know it was tensioned correctly, so I have been carefully inspecting them frequently.

 

• Shaun

 

 

From: randonn...@googlegroups.com <randonn...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of ken jessett
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2025 9:45 AM
To: Randonneurs USA <randonn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [RUSA] Broken spoke: how to fix in a brevet

 

I buy whatever wheels they have in the shop. I can't imagine any kind of wheel will help me go faster. I suppose spinning the pedals faster might help though. :-)

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