Brittle nipples

Rob Kercher said:

I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing the spokes and squeezing them
together. It looks as if they have been damaged by time and moisture. I am shocked how easily they
snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel garbage. is it likely they would have failed
catastrophically. This was not an inexpensive wheel.

Possibly due to the spokes being too short for the ERD of the rim, so that the thread on the spoke
isn't full depth in the nipple.

Nick

Quoted message said:

I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing the spokes and squeezing them
together. It looks as if they have been damaged by time and moisture.

quite possible. are they brass or aluminum?

Quoted message said:

I am shocked how easily they snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel garbage.

if there are no other corrosion or cracking problems with other components, you should be able to
replace the nipps without significant problem. just make sure they are lubed and left to stand
overnight before disassembly.

my biggest concern is regarding overall condition of the other components. if corrosion is evident
in the nipps, it's significantly likely you also need to check the condition of the rim and
spokes. replacing all the nipps on a corroded rim [look /under/ the rim tape inside!!!] is at best
a delaying tactic. similarly, if you have corroded spokes, they're also going to let you down
before long.

suggest looking at the overall condition of all these components before deciding to proceed
with repairs.

jb

"Nick Payne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rob Kercher said:

I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

spokes and squeezing them together. It looks as if they have been damaged

by

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

time and moisture. I am shocked how easily they snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel
garbage. is it likely they would have failed catastrophically. This was not an inexpensive
wheel.

Possibly due to the spokes being too short for the ERD of the rim, so

that

Quoted message said:

the thread on the spoke isn't full depth in the nipple.

Sounds more like a nipple that is too big for the spoke.

Phil Holman

Rob Kercher' may have said:

I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing the spokes and squeezing them
together. It looks as if they have been damaged by time and moisture. I am shocked how easily they
snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel garbage. is it likely they would have failed
catastrophically. This was not an inexpensive wheel.

Are the nipples aluminum? I've heard that this problem is more common with those, and perhaps just
swapping to brass might fix it. Also, are the spokes long enough that the ends come all the way up
into the shoulder of the nipples? And do the wheels use a bushing for the nipple, or do they just
have plain holes? You can probably solve the problem with a bit of work, but the solution to apply
will depend on the design of the rim and (potentially) your willingness to do some repetitive and
tedious replacement of fiddly bits, and then to true the wheel up afterwards...or to pay someone
else to do so.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

"Rob Kercher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing the spokes and squeezing them
together. It looks as if they have been damaged by time and moisture. I am shocked how easily they
snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel garbage. is it likely they would have failed
catastrophically. This was not an inexpensive wheel.

Dear Rob,

I'm shocked, too, but not following you yet.

Exactly what breaks?

Do the nipples fracture in two below the threaded end of the inserted spoke?

Or do the nipples fracture in two, cracking through the spoke as well?

Or do the nipples split open lengthwise along the shaft of the spoke, releasing its threaded end?

(It doesn't sound as if the spokes just strip out of the nipples or break off above the nipples.)

Carl Fogel

rkercher-<< I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing the spokes and
squeezing them together. It looks as if they have been damaged by time and moisture. I am shocked
how easily they snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel garbage. is it likely they would
have failed catastrophically. This was not an inexpensive wheel. >><BR><BR>

Too bad so often an 'expensive' wheel includes aluminum nipps, whch I suspect yours has..If the
wheel is in good shape, have a wheelbuilder loosen all the tension and replace all the nipps with
brass ones...re-do the wheel. it probably has LOTS of life left..

In case ya didn't notice, i think aluminum nipps are in the '8 stoopid ideas for bikes' catagory.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I am able to break spoke nipples on a rear wheel by just grabbing the spokes and squeezing them
together. It looks as if they have been damaged by time and moisture. I am shocked how easily they
snap. Can they just be replaced or is the wheel garbage. is it likely they would have failed
catastrophically. This was not an inexpensive wheel.

I'll hazard a guess that the nipples are aluminum and the rim is the type without ferules. Not much
you can do now except replace the nipples with brass ones.
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Alex