Hi all,

Over the last 6 months I have been getting a lot of broken spokes. The problem is at the nipple – chortle – and it seems to be one at a time, about one spoke a fortnight. Whether it’s the same one every time, no idea. It has been recommended that I have the wheel rebuilt with brass nipples. They are EN321’s with standard stainless DT spokes, alloy nipples.

Will having the wheel rebuilt with brass nipples cure the problem, or could this be a wheel builder issue?

Cheers

It’s not the nipples.

Your wheel has been ridden with loose spokes at some point, which has fatigued the spokes (due to too much flex) and they’re now all gradually breaking.

The solution is to get all the spokes replaced and it’ll be fine. Whether you reuse you alloy nips or replace with brass ones is largely irrelevant.

I was about to post exactly the same question! Its different spokes for me as the new nipples are all siver

As mine is a deore hub I’m not sure that this will economic. How much should a wheel rebuild cost?

Thanks.

I was lead to beleive from guy who has been replacing the spokes that just replacing the nipples would work. Now I’m not sure.

I’m off to Scotland for 3 days and don’t want another snapped spoke when I’m there. One is loose and just needs tightened but don’t want to touch it….

Alloy nipples are not a godd idea, from what I hear. They sieze easily and are really only siutable for very light race wheels, which 321s certainly ARE NOT! 🙂

Personally, I’d get the nipples replaced and the wheel rebuilt by a decent wheelbuilder. Replace the spokes if you must, but I can’t see them being a problem TBH. The builder might prefer to, however….

When you snap a spoke its a sign of the time to have the wheel rebuilt with new spokes.

St Colin is it the nipple breaking or the spoke near the nipple

It’s the nipple that is snapping. Was quoted £25 to rebuild the wheel with new brass nipples.

Oh so the nipple is snapping, too much tension?

Get it rebuilt with new nipples then.

I thought it was the spoke snapping.

Are so thats different to me. Its the spoke snapping just above the nipple. Is that still fatigue. Yesterday was the 3rd spoke since Easter. Only the second ride since the last one was done. It snapped cycling up a steepish hill

Right, ok, so it’s not the spoke snapping by the sounds of it?

Strange though – I’ve built hundreds of wheels and trued/repaired more and never come across symptomatic nipple breakages – dodgy nipple batch maybe 😯 . Anyway, it sounds pretty clear – get new nipples.

Alloy are fine actually IME though I use brass because I don’t think the cost of alloy is worth it. If built well and they’re not corroded, I’ve had no problem rebuilding or truing with alloy nips.

Just one further thing – where is the nipple snapping? Is it leaving its head in the rim?

Its the spoke snapping just above the nipple. Is that still fatigue.

Yes, the threads are the weakest part of the spoke therefore this is the point on which most snap I think.

Above is a spoke, is this bit breaking (if so, where?) or is it the nipple (below?)

The nipple is breaking, as in the whole spoke comes away from the rim with the nipple attached to it.

The one that is very loose at the moment, a lot of the threads are visible. I don’t think it’s just a case of tightening it up with a spoke key…?

If lots of the threads are showing then I can’t see that it would break the nipple… Sounds like maybe a few things wrong with your wheel TBH – I’d suggest getting it properly rebuilt.