Ha ha ha 😆

Seriously, thread locked or not….
Looking at a new build, is it woth getting the nips thread locked. Some say this prevents spokes becoming loose, others say nips should be able to be tightened as new builds setting in etc.

How do you eat have yours ? :oD

I used to thread lock them but now don't after finding that it wasn't really necessary. Properly built, they don't loosen.

Thread lock on nipples = Utter waste of time! 🙂

Wheels go out of true for a variety of reasons, but the harder it is to turn the nipples, the harder it is to true them up again! Indeed, Roger Musson (Wheelpro) teaches that you should lubricate the threads with oil on assembly to make the nipples easier to turn when building and to stop the spokes twisting.
On even a half-decent build (Like one of mine,say! 😉 ) that works very well indeed. 🙂

Agree with Peter and Clubber – greasy, oily nipples for me

Well actually, I don't use grease/oil either as I have found that sometimes does lead to spokes loosening. Leaving them dry might not be theoretical best practice but I can't think of an occassion when a wheel I've built (having done it professionally and build lots for friends/myself) has had a spoke seize. The one exception to that is that if I was going to built a wheel with alloy nipples that was going to see hard (eg lots of wet/salty road riding then I might grease them to avoid corrosion since the nipples are that much weaker.

Unecessary unless wheel is very heavily dished.

Light oil if reusing spokes/nipples and I like brass nipples 🙂

I've reused nipples and spokes multiple times though and don't find the need for oil.

You're right that it depends on the spoke/nipple rim being used. Light spokes, alloy nipples and non-eyeleted rims and you definitely want to grease the threads (as well as the nipple seat). Beefier spokes, brass nipples and eyeleted rims and it's less critical.

brass nipples, no lube/glue. Never had an issue with spokes loosening in over 10 years of building my own wheels. If you build them right, there's no need for 'compensators'. I've always used new nips and spokes – have never re-used.

Grease on DS threads, oil on nipples and NDS threads, grease where there's a lot of salt.

I've seen too many seized nipples but there's a lot of salt on the roads here in winter.

IIRC DT do nipples with a nylock insert which seems a nice solution.

And Mavic cynic-al – they have the nylon inner on their nipples (Aksyium anyway)

mmmmmmm had a customer once who wanted me to put linseed oil on his nipples 😯

Last time I posted anything about nipples (the one's attached to a person), I got banned! 😈

I see that this time, bike related content is creeping into the off topic forum. tsk tsk.

If you are going to start a thread about nipples, make sure it's about the soft squidgy ones. 😛

<so disappointed>

I tend not to grease or oil brass nipples, but when using alloy nipples I'll put a dab of copper grease on the spoke threads.

hmmm, random thought with the lubing nipples. Has any one tried carbon assy paste? Guess the theory that applies to assembling components will hold – under compression (i.e. when the nipple pulls tight on the spoke threads) it will increase friction in the thread and poss hold the nipple… whilst the paste will protect water/salt ingress for corroding parts and locking them solid.

Not a bad idea but IMO just not really necessary unless you're always riding in very corrosive conditions.

indeed – I agree it's not necessary on normal build, but I think my tricross wheels may benefit from corrosion resistance on it's next set of wheels based on the amount of use it gets on salty winter roads…!

Seen too many seized nipples to go back I am afraid, but you southern softies may be OK without grease.

The folks who taught me wheel building were dead against any oil or thread lock. Now I'm several years into building my own wheels that makes perfect sense to me and I agree with them.

A mate does drizzle GT85 on the nipples once a year and I guess it does help offset the salt and road crap problem although I've never bothered.

AND brass nipples are a way better long term prospect than alloy, never minding the pretty colours you can bling your bike with.

AND plain gauge spokes seem to hold truer than double butted if you are willing to pay the weight penalty.