I bought a Stan’s rim and a set of flat blade spokes which came off a Rohloff hub after the owner sold the hub separately.
I had them built on to my Rohloff hub and didn’t notice anything unusual when I collected it.
I just noticed, after a few rides, that most of the spokes are twisted now though.

Can this happen in use or did I just miss it until now ?

Can happen. Found it happened on my Race X Lites when I used them off road.

Yes, but only if they’re left wound up by the builder. If they’ve been properly stress relieved, it shouldn’t happen.

Had a new wheels built with bladed spokes 7mths ago and mine are still all straight.

…only if they’re left wound up by the builder…

That’s what I couldn’t understand.
I don’t think he would hand it over with them twisted and I thought I would have noticed if they were, as it’s pretty obvious now.

I’m straightening them out now and as I turn the nipples, the spoke is untwisting with it, I’m not having to hold the spoke at the same time.
The wheel hasn’t gone out of true, so it looks like the nipples have turned in the rim and the spoke has turned with them, they haven’t unscrewed themselves.

I’ll set them all right now and see if it happens again.

as I turn the nipples, the spoke is untwisting with it

need (re)oiling I suppose

SPokes always turn with the nipple at tension.

As onza said, prob not finished correctly.

If they turn with the nipple, the nipple’s not tightening or loosening them is it ?

Often need to turn one quite a long way before it releases with a bit of a crack IME

Exactly. If there is a crack them get the lube out.

You need a mavic flat spoke holding tool or the eqivalent manufacturers tool. i had the same problem with my mavics and didn’t realise what the strange looking round tool with slots in it was for and binned it. Had to go to the LBS and beg one from them. Alloy nipples are the worst for it IME. Flat bladed spokes don’t have the “J” bend at the bottom, so will naturally turn under pressure.

These are not straight pull spokes, they have got the traditional J shape to fit a Rohloff hub, so it’s not the whole spoke turning, it’s just the nipple end.
I’ve got the twist out of most of them, there’s just one that seems to be permanently set like a corkscrew.
At least they’re all flat to flat where they cross over now, I was worried they might start cutting in to each other as they were with the sharp edges touching.

I was unbuilding a wheel of mine with CX-Rays and one just would not undo, alu nip was totally seized. So I tried twisting it, (j-bend spokes), I got about 20 turns, so it really looked like a corkscrew before I got bored and cut it. That is the good thing with blades spokes, rather impressive fatigue strength.

When I had my wheels built I was told to bring them back after 4-6 weeks later after putting them through their paces as they would probably need tweaking the tension. If you were not given this option I would question the quality of service.

So we’re the spokes 2nd hand.

Just to say I’ve seen this before with pin joined rims (rather than welded) on road rims, where the wheel tension is spot on, until you put a tyre on and pump it up to 120 psi – at which point the rim contracts slightly, and the spokes become loose enough to twist.

Ruscle, it’s not a tension problem.
All the spokes appear to be about the same correct tension and the wheel is still true, it’s just that the spokes were twisted.

Slinkybike, yes, he dismantled his wheel and sold his Rohloff hub separately. I bought the rim and spokes and had them built on to my Rohloff hub.

Scaredypants and Cynic al, I don’t want the nipple to turn on the spoke, I’m not trying to adjust them, I’m just trying to get the twist out.

I think Al and I were wondering how twist had got there

If they’re elbowed at 1 end and you haven’t turned the nipples I can’t see why they’d spontaneously twist (esp if wheel was built with the flats crossing each other as you suggested but even if the crosses were at rounded parts)

What force would be making them twist ?

(I think you “do” want the nipple to turn on the spoke – if it doesn’t, it’s seized)

Well, yes, I do want the nipples to turn on the spokes when I come to retension the spokes, but for now, I just want everything to stay where it is.

Anyway, 30km later and several spokes are twisted again, so I know it’s definitely happening in use now.
They’ve all turned anticlockwise at the rim end, as viewed from the hub end. The worst ones have turned about 90 degrees.

I don’t know if the spokes have turned in the nipples or if the spoke and nipple has turned as one unit in the rim, although I suspect the spokes are unscrewing themselves from the nipples.
I’ll line everything up again and put a mark on each nipple so I can see if it turns next time.

Ruscle, if your wheelbuilder offers a 6 week retweak I would question his ability. A properly built wheel that has been correctly stress relieved should not need re adjusting. I’m a self taught amateur (courtesy of Sheldon Brown website and jobst Brandts book for geek interest) and mine dont.