LBS want to charge a small fortune for replacing all the aluminium nipples with brass version..
It's enough money to make me think about finally learning some basic wheel fettling skills, something I have always avoided for some reason :0(
Is it a simple job?
Cheap places for black brass nipples?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Essentially they will be building a wheel from scratch (minus the lacing) won't they? Possibly factoring in that the alu nips may have seized in some way?
If you have a mechanical aptitude I reckon it would be a good way to start working on your wheels. It's not hard, but there is a skill to learn. Plenty of good books on the subject - I have Rogger Mussons WheelPro book which is downloadable and full of good info.
It's quite a bit quicker to replace nipples than build from scratch, but yes the seizing is likely to be an issue.
Give it a go - it's an easy intro as you don't have to lace - just go round one spoke at a time and change them. Gradually de-tension the wheel, then gradually tension it afterwards.
OP - purely out of interest how much are the LBS asking?
No seized nips, quite a few cracked.
To be fair I'm sure the LBS price is reasonable (anybody have rough estimates at a fair price 😀 ) I can appreciate the time consuming nature.
It's more about cost versus me learning the basics of something I should have had a go at a long time ago.
Thanks for the other tips. Will look up the W/building book.
No seized nips, quite a few cracked.
almost as bad, i spent the night before last replacing all the nipples on a from wheel, some of the nipples had cracked as soon as a spoke key went near they fractured so you loose any purchase. the screwdriver slot on the back, well that had corroded. Carefully with molegrips and they came out!
Having just built a set of (road) wheels with alu nips for the first time I don't want to hear any of this, la la la la la la not listening! 🙂
£35
The screwdriver slots were fine and all cracked nips move freely. So no seizing or problems expected with removal.
£35 would have been acceptable, my quote was not far off double that 😥
Can I fit the nipples dry or do I need to add a drop of something?
If I remove one at a time and replace one at a time does this negate any risk of de-tensioning too quickly?
I better get that book!
Definitely lube the threads and nips, I'm using a gun oil which supposedly won't perish rubber unlike motor oil but people seem to use that, presume they're more careful than I am! Other people use grease. Apply whatever you do use to the eyelets too to counter friction of the nips on the rims... I've only just started building wheels myself, have done three pairs, it's becoming a bit of an addiction so beware 😮
Its easy if time consuming. You want to loosen all the nipples, replace one by one, grease on DS/front disc side threads, oil on other, screw in to cover spoke threads only, retension once all replaced.
It's more about patience than great skill. The skill will develop from the patience and you'll get the satisfaction and also the sense of being self-sufficient.
I learned from Sheldons site (dunno if the info's still there).
As above, depends entirely on how seized they are. But I'm going to go offpiste with the advice. Don't unbuild the wheel, don't do it all at once if the wheel's currently reasonably straight. One spoke, one nipple at a time. Remove nipple, replace nipple, tension back up by ear, final tweak if need be. Repeat.
Plan B for me if that's not going to work is always to assemble the wheel but not tension it, then give it to a proper wheelbuilder. I could build a wheel adequately, but I can't do it as well as Steve at Icycles and he only charges a tenner so that's less than an hour of my time, makes it an easy decision.
Remove nipple, replace nipple, tension back up by ear
Leave tensioning to the end I'd say.
don't try to replace each nipple and re tension that spoke before doing the next nipple as a previous poster suggested.
Just places unnecessary stress on the wheel, and it will typically go out of true using this method anyhow.
Back off the tension in all the spokes using a spoke key, so the spokes are slack, and remove / replace each nipple in turn.
Once all nipples are replaced, then start to tension and true the wheel
I'm a professional bike mechanic and have done 100's of wheel builds and repairs in case you are wondering about my credentials 😉
£40 charge from a bike shop would be an acceptable rate
See, advice from professional mechanics who've built hundreds of wheels is not always that useful for people who've built zero wheels- of course it makes sense for you to do a full rebuild, [i]if [/i]you know how, and you've got the kit.
I've done it my way- spoke at a time- with half a dozen wheels (because I hate alu nipples), never any issues. The best comparison is replacing a broken spoke- far less stress than that obviously since you never ride on the wheel, and you wouldn't expect to rebuild a wheel when replacing one. It's laborious, but simple, and it does work. The absolute worst case scenario is it turns out to need rebuilt so you're no worse off.
Obviously won't work if the wheel is already knackered though.
good point, and was not meaning to have a dig at you 🙂
just a reference that a fully tensioned and trued wheel actually contains a lot of torque, and working on one spoke at a time can cause all kinds of issues for the overall wheel structure
its probably something we are seeing more with "factory wheels" where mechanics will attempt to replace a single damaged spoke and completely throw out the wheel, causing further breakages in the future
many factory wheel manufacturer now recommend returning the wheel for repair (as their mechs have specialist training) or completely de-tensioning the wheel before making the repair.
De-tensioning a whole wheel to replace one spoke is something any wheelbuilder worth their salt should know.