recently got a used road bike and its got a bit of a wobble in the rear. i wanted to true it up but the nipples are seized up. is there a simple way to free them or is it as i suspect just something to put up with til i need a new rim

Seized when using a spoke key or have you also tried with a nipple driver?

Past truly seized spoke I had, I cut it out with pliers and replaced.

spoke key i dont have a driver. they are all stuck

Screwdriver instead of driver? Can’t see how a driver would help since in theory (?) during the build the spoke would have come through the nip too far for the driver to engage. Or have I missed something?

You’re buggered, basically.

New spokes and nipples throughout if you want to save hub and rim.

thought so i’ll leave it as is for now cheers all

Problem Solvers holy driver, middle tool in this pic. it’s got a slotted end that goes around the spoke and just interts into the edge of slot on the nipple
https://melodywheels.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_20141006_153008.jpg

Probably not cheap but maybe you can knock up something similar with a hacksaw and an old screwdriver or driver bit!

Have you tried WD40/PlusGas/Light Oil? Even if it doesn’t penetrate all of the thread it will lube the nipple-eyelet interface and reduce the force to get it to turn.

No guarantees, but i’ve had success in the past with holding a big(150w+) soldering iron on them prior to turning them. Will probably be more effective on aluminium than brass.

Try mole grips on the nipples, it might be enough to get the wheel straight, if not just cit the spokes of and rebuild.

Have you tried this?

How far will a spoke twist if the nipples are seized? Just wondering as I have a loose spoke and have turned the nipple 180 degrees and it never budged, is twisting a spoke that much ok?

A twisted, wound up spoke is not a tight spoke, it will just unwind pretty quickly and lose its tension.

I wish I could say the same for some twisted wound up people I know 😉

Had this a lot when I was a bike mechanic. Take the rip tape off. Put a drop of plus gas in the top of each nibble. Hold it upright for a few seconds to let it sink in. Repeat for each spoke. Leave over night. Use a good spoke key (Spokey with double insert ideally) and try again.

If that fails you’ll need new nipples and possible spokes.