Topic starter
Some white marks around the nipples on my Shimano rims. I'm looking to get a nicer summer set and keep these for winter, but in the short term what is the best thing to get the rimes looking tidy? just and old toothbrush and elbow grease or is anything else reccommended?
TIA
Posted : 27/06/2019 11:11 am
Do you mean on the alloy rim or where the nipples screw onto the spokes? It's aluminium oxide so I guess gentle brushing with a small wire brush would do, the sort people used to use for cleaning up spark plugs.
A very good metal polish is Solvol Autosol, it comes in a tube.
Posted : 27/06/2019 12:20 pm
Topic starter
An old toothbrush with coincidently a bit of chrome cleaner from my landlord's toolbox did the job. No cracking there yet but the wheels are probably 6 years old and used for commuting 12 months a year so something is bound to happen at some point.
I doubt there is anything that will stop the corrosion.
Posted : 27/06/2019 1:03 pm
Be grateful they aren't Mavic wheels; the nipples are screwed into the rims and after a few miles on wet salty British roads they rust solid, meaning you've no chance of trueing the wheel.
Posted : 27/06/2019 1:39 pm
If it's from the nipples then IME the white marks/ fine powder occur shortly before the nipples start cracking through. Brass FTW!
Posted : 27/06/2019 2:07 pm
Topic starter
Thanks for the warning. Hardly worth rebuilding the rims so buy my new wheels and then use the hubs to make my first ever wheels. Or failing that flog em on eBay as one carefull owner.
Posted : 27/06/2019 2:11 pm
Thanks for the warning. Hardly worth rebuilding the rims so buy my new wheels and then use the hubs to make my first ever wheels. Or failing that flog em on eBay as one carefull owner.
If you want to keep them for winter they would be worth rebuilding... the brass nipples are very cheap and you'd get them done in an evening. I did a set a while ago, one at a time so I didn't have to re-lace the spokes. If you have access from the rim channel (remove the rim tape) then that speeds things up.
Posted : 27/06/2019 2:17 pm
Topic starter
Thanks I’ll bear that in mind next time I change tubes/tyres and I’ll have a look under the tape.
Posted : 27/06/2019 2:21 pm
Yeah, swapping for brass nips is the top tip of the week.
Posted : 27/06/2019 2:24 pm
ACF50 will help in the removal of the corrosion and will help protect against further corrosion -
Spray some on some Scotchbrite and give you nipples a good going over....
When you've done that you can give some attention to your bike 
Posted : 27/06/2019 7:12 pm
