Quote Originally Posted by mickchick
My question to the TE experts is how best to avoid broken spokes. The bike path on which I usually ride has a couple of rough sections with some pretty bad "tree root bumps." Will it help to lift my butt off the saddle when I go over rough terrain? I usually try to on the worst spots, as my road bike doesn't have much in the way of suspension If this will help, I'll get into the habit of doing it anytime I encounter a nasty bump that I can't avoid.
Not a stupid question! Yes, lift up off the saddle. Probably don't want to do the bumps at high speed either. If you're coasting, try platforming your pedals so you can balance straight and gently across -- same thing you do on railroad tracks. This will also be kinder to your butt.

Adding - oh, yeah, bre sure not to lock your elbows during these manuevers. If your bike doesn't have susupension, your body has to provide all of it.