I'm building some wheels for a mate. They are rather nice wheels (Well, they will be when I've done them!) – Chris King disc hubs, Stans Arch rims, DT Supercomp spokes. And they are 29er wheels too. Nice.

So, he'd like alloy nipples. I have no problem with that but I've not built with alloy nipples before. I have a good 'fingertip tourque wrench' but, realistically, how tight can I go with them?

(Yes this is a hard question to answer!)

Also The CK website is rubbish. Every link I try on there gives me dimensions for 'Classic' hubs, (HERE) not the ISO disc dimesions. Am I being a bit thick, or does anybody have the hub measurements before I spend ages measuring them up tonight?

Cheers! 😀

Its more the case of how much tension the Stan's rim can take.

FWIW I would never touch alloy nipples – they are a future hassle for the tiny weight saving they offer.

I just used alloy nipples for the first time. Not ridden that wheel yet, but didn't have any problems in the build. Make sure you've got a decent spoke key (I use the red spokey) and grease them up nicely 🙂

alloy nipples are a pointless waste of time.. normal ones are best, easier to tension and also are less prone to corrode so you can true esier in the future

either way use a Spokey the pro version has a wider jaw that – but either is cool

Also The CK website is rubbish. Every link I try on there gives me dimensions for 'Classic' hubs, (HERE) not the ISO disc dimesions. Am I being a bit thick, or does anybody have the hub measurements before I spend ages measuring them up tonight?

http://chrisking.com/specs/hubs_all

did you try scrolling down the page? ISO listed further down…..

did you try scrolling down the page? ISO listed further down

Ahhh, cheers. I did scroll down once, but it must have not loaded properly here at work. Or I'm stupid. One or the other. Cheers! 🙂

And fek me, just looked at the price of the spokes + nipples. Yowzers!

What they said re alloy nips and stans rims.

EDIT – Aside from the fact that the alloy nips WILL seize, I wouldn't use alloy nips on non-ferruled rims either.

I had alu nips in my Olympics, of course they seized, but the non-eyeletted rim didn't pose any more of a problem than usual!

As long as he's aware that he will not be able to true his wheel properly after a few months then go ahead, but I would make sure that's abundantly clear!

As long as he's aware that he will not be able to true his wheel properly after a few months then go ahead, but I would make sure that's abundantly clear!

Ahh. OK. Good point. I was just concerned with actually building them. I think brass might be better then.

They do round a bit more easily, but frankly they're not really any harder to build on, as long as you've got a proper spoke key.

[pedant]I think you'll find brass is an alloy[/pedant] 🙂

Anyway – I too can't see the point in aluminium alloy nips either

Do people just use aluminium nips simply because they're available in fancy colours, or is there some other "benefit"? Weight perhaps?

it redues rotating mass – brass nipples are quite heavy.

I've never tried this, but I'm waiting for someone to give me the chance to experiment.. brass nips on the drive side rear, alloy everywhere else. Not sure how to deal with the corrosion problem though. Graphite maybe?

And yep.. 4 sided spokeys all the way.

64 brass nips: 64g
64 alu nips: 20g

44g isn't to be sniffed at when you get down to the lighter end of the spectrum.

I've built a couple of sets of wheels with ally nips. (Mavic and Bonty rims, not Stans though). On advice from Jon at JRA I soaked the nipples in a little pot of Finish Line wet lube sat on a warm radiator. Touch wood, they've been fine, and one set (the oldest) I've had to straighten a few times. (down to riding ability issues rather than build quality). Used all year, all weather.

Holding 32 ally nips in one hand and 32 brass in another, there is a noticeable difference. On the basis that mass at the outside of the wheel makes the biggest difference, then it is worth doing.

A GOOD spoke key is essential – there's a few designs that grip on all 4 sides of the nipple – I've got a pedros one.

I've only built one pair of wheels with alu nipples – the build itself was fine, no particular problems. but after about a years heavy use when they needed a minor tweak… no way! just twisted the spoke and the spoke sprung back, well and truly seized.

Yup. That's the problem. Alloy nips are fine if they never see a UK winter and road salt. They will still corrode even if lubricated, and lubricating nipples (fnar) is just a wrong thing to do.

They will still corrode even if lubricated, and lubricating nipples (fnar) is just a wrong thing to do.

I ALWAYS lubricate the nipples/threads. Just a light oil, as recommended in the Wheelpro (Roger Musson) book. It makes sense to me. 🙂

Had to completely rebuild a wheel that had been built with alloy nipples and bin all the spokes they'd corroded that badly.

I'd use brass every time. If the guy really wants alloy nipples as others have said warn him of the truing issues

64 brass nips: 64g
64 alu nips: 20g

44g isn't to be sniffed at when you get down to the lighter end of the spectrum.

44g…. not a lot is it and not worth worrying about

Hence my saying 'at the lighter end of the spectrum' I personally wouldn't even think about it on wheels >1500g.

Definitely need to be properly lubed and spoke frozen though, we use Pedros Syn Lube, works well.

Had to completely rebuild a wheel that had been built with alloy nipples and bin all the spokes they'd corroded that badly.

Really? Shirley the corroded alloy brushes off?

EDIT grease on drive side, oil on NDS for me.

Been using them for years with no problems,Copaslip on the spoke threads and spoke beds and never have trouble with them siezing.

i`m pretty sure that Aspire Velotech have the flange dimensions etc on their site, usually just below each hub when you click on it.

There's usually a leaflet that comes in the box with CK hubs that has all the dimensions on it.

just as an aside, what QR does one use for CK hubs. Whilst i don't own any and probably never will, i appreciate them as a decent bit of kit. However surely if you are going to spend that kind of money some matching CK QR's would be in order. Maybe i am being a tart but when i got my hope hubs, only a hope QR would suffice.