Originally Posted by
Al1943
Simply not true. All of my wheels are built with DT alloy nipples. I always round down at least 1 mm on the rear drive side. No problems with alloy nipples as long as the spoke wrench fits properly, you need to use the correct size wrench.
And being 1 mm shorter than the calculated length does not mean that the threads are not completely engaged, they probably will be.
Al
Simply uninformed!
I've been through the DT school and my certificate is hanging on the wall. They are pretty clear on this: if the spoke does not go to the end of the nipple, the nipple is prone to failure at the point at which it flares out. My personal experience of 25 years as a wheelbuilder and wheel repair person bears this out. When a nipple fails and it isn't due to impact, you can nearly always assume the spoke didn't go to the end of the nipple.
Brass nipples do not have this issue, and are very well suited to wheels not built for racing, or when the spoke length must be compromised due to availability.