Slight buckled wheel, safe?

[denzarki]

Hi, I'm not very good with knowing the workings of bikes etc and I definitely can't fix things myself.

I noticed this morning my tyre was "waving" side to side for want of a better phrase. And it's done that before on this wheel so I assumed it was the tyre and went to work (7.5mi)

The ride from the back wheel was slightly bumpy but didn't feel like it was serious.

After getting home (another 7.5 obviously) I checked my wheel by spinning it and putting my finger on the rim of the wheel itself and it is the wheel itself that is causing the wave/wobble. All the spokes feel fine but I assume this means the wheel is slightly buckled?

I can get to the bike shop tomorrow but I need to go to work before that, is this wheel safe to ride on or is it an accident waiting to happen and I should be getting the bus?

Thanks for any advice

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my LG-H815 using hovercraft full of eels.

[531colin]

If the wheel goes round past the brake pads and the spokes are tight it will get you to work.
Thread here about wheel truing http://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=111572

[gxaustin]

I've ridden with broken spokes several times - there wasn't much choice on most occasions - but once I rode about 65 miles with a spoke missing. The back wheel was a couple of mm out of true but it survived and trued up when I replaced it. The wheels had either 28 or 32 spokes.

[oneten]

I once broke a spoke in the rear wheel on a tour and had to carry on to make it to my destination that day then continue next day to meet a train deadline. Back in UK I then had to get from Harwich to E London in a day with no opportunity to get a replacement fitted. I had full panniers front and back as well as tent etc, so I was well loaded. I wasn't happy doing it and the wheel felt as if it was flexing a little but I just had to get on with it. After a further 65 miles home, LBS replaced the spoke and re-trued the wheel. No real harm done.

[foxyrider]

I ended up doing 1000km of a 1400km camping tour with a broken spoke in the rear wheel. After a couple of cautious days I forgot about it and abused the wheel as normal! Not recommended but a slight wibble isn't an issue for a short trip unless it relates to rim sidewall damage.

[axel_knutt]

The maximum number of broken spokes I've ridden with is seven, any more than that and the wheel won't run between the chainstays.

[peetee]

It really depends on the cause of the broken spoke. If it was deterioration and fatigue of the metal then you need to get ALL the spokes checked out. If it was a minor impact then it's possibly the only issue and it will probably be 'safe'. You state the ride was bumpy. if this is the case then you may have some vertical deflection or 'flat spot' which can be more serious than a side to side wobble. A wheel and tyre has a fair bit of vertical 'spring' and a flatspot indicates the limit of this was exceeded. This kind of damage is rarely 100% repairable whereas purely side to side wobble of 2-3mm usually can be fixed.