Evening all, I'm rebuilding my old wheels and have decided on a pair of Arch EX rims. These will be laced to my Pro11 hubs using Sapim D-light spokes, however, I'm undecided as to what to do about nipples.
Do I stick with brass or go with alloy nips, there are a lot of scare stories surrounding alloy nipples but shirley they can't be that bad as they're used in a lot of high end wheel builds (pretty sure DT use them), whats the concensus are they really that bad?
Ta.
In my experience deffo NO!
Got my LBS, who had previously built a set of perfectly good wheels for me, to build up a new back wheel (Hope XC, DT spokes, Mavic x819 or something - is was a while ago). I specified alloy nips. Total waste of time, at least one nipple snapped on every ride.
Got them to build wheel up again with good old brass and no bother at all. Still running true in my old hack bike.
They can also round off when you use a spoke key on them. Rubbish things!
I did manage to snap a brass nipple the other day tho!
Expensive wheels use them because they're lighter, and lightness sells- not their problem if they all seize on and in 3 years time if you want to true them you end up cutting spokes.
I've never snapped a nipple- used DT alu ones in a couple of wheels- but I ended up replacing them all in a couple of wheels purely for longevity. I think the fact they sometimes get ridden on the road with salt etc can't help.
For lightweight race wheels only really. Specialized love fitting them on their bikes and a year or so later they're all seized and/or snapping.
If you can afford to keep having them replaced, yeah, fill yer boots. It's you want your wheels to last and be easily maintainable, no forget it.
All my DT builds are using their alloy pro lock nipples.
DH or XC.. absolutely no issues what so ever..
If the worst happens and you taco a wheel and want to re-rim, dont expect to reuse the nipples..
I know this from pulling apart a perfectly good pair of EX1750's to build a 20" wheelset for my kid.. ended up cutting the rim off as those prolock nipples are tenacious!.
Although realistically I'd consider spokes and nipples to be a disposable item on a rebuild so non issue.
The weight difference is reasonable with alloy nipples over brass.
Never stuck with the alloy ones long enough to discover they are reluctant to turn when truing.
The more I think about it, they were pants.
Never broken one and not any harder to build a new wheel with in my experience, but they fur up like an old kettle (presumably oxidisation) and get stuck or at least sticky, so harder to work with if you ever need to retention or straighten the wheel later on., this is where you risk rounding of breaking one. You lose a bit of rotating weight and get to have funky colours though. Nevertheless if it was me I would use brass.
Alloy can be a proper pain after a little time has passed.
But for me the shiny colours do it every time
I just can't help it
But I don't often bend my wheels , and can build my own rather than pay
Never had alloy nips on my own wheels snap while riding
But seen plenty on Spesh bike do that
Always coat the spoke threads with coppergrease, and never have a problem with my builds, but i'm very realistic about the use they're likely to get, and base my choice on those criteria,ie I won't build using them if it's for downhill, or for somebody with less "ahem" finesse.
Cheers fellas, I think taking into account my lack of wheel building experience brass is going to be the sensible option.
From what I gather I'd be saving in the region of 20 grams a wheel over brass, even taking into account rotational mass I'm pretty sure I'm not going to notice 20 grams when I've just saved the best part of 200 grams on each rim.
I'm not a particularly hard rider but I do weigh close to 100kg all up. I think taking my weight into account reliability and longevity are going to win out over weight (although an important consideration), its not like I race or anything.
Once again thanks for your input.
Nothing wrong with alloy nipples if you use a builder that knows their issues and you are willing to look after them, the main issue with alloy nipples is corrosion and I grease all the nipples before I build a wheel, threads and shoulder which meets the rim so they turn smooth something that will never happen to a fatory wheel because it takes time and the lazy builders won't do it because they can't be arsed.
Then you explain to the customer they should lubricate them with gt85 after every wash buy spinning the wheel and holding the straw close to the nipples and spraying for one revolution wipe away accsess job done the nipples will last 5,6,7 years no issues.
Sit back and wait for all the lazy arse wheel builders to justify their laziness 😈
OOP'S bit of a rant just stop blaming the nipples.
I buy a fair few second hand wheels and bike and have encountered problems with every single wheel that has alloy nipples on it. They seize, split and snap and so I'd never touch them myself.
Baznav - very bad advice spraying them with GT85 if you want to keep the lubricant/oil/grease in, GT85 will just wash away any of that as it's a very effective degreaser.
FWIW 2 of my sets were built with DT Prolock which you're specifically not supposed to lube.
I've built umpteen wheels over 40 years of cycling & cycle maintenance. THEY ARE SHITE.
That is all.
Don't do it - I've often thought however it would be a cool little innovation if someone could make a nipple with a brass thread/inner with an alu/anodised outer - fashion with function if you will ...
I've had nothing but problems with alloy nipples. Avoid at all costs.
I've just had all the alloy nipples on my new 29er Stumpy replaced with brass ones under warranty.
After 3 rides one had broken on the back wheel so I put a brass one on to get another ride after which 2 more broke & as fast as I replaced them others broke as I tried to retension the wheel.
Inconvenient but no real problem. Imagine if I'd been away on a several day trip or worse catastrophic failure of the front wheel bombing along down some rocky descent.
I've broken a few, but they are far better on handbuilt wheels than factory built for some of the above reasons.
I use them on lightweight builds, but not otherwise.