17,490 miles . . . POP!

[zonatandem]

Out on our 20 mile regular tandem toot yesterday and about 8 miles from home: a very loud 'POP! Clang, clang!'
Stopped to check out front wheel, sounded like a broken spoke. Wrong! The nipple on a spoke broke.
It's been well over 100,000 miles since we last had a spoke issue and then it was on a rear wheel.
Rim is Velocity Aerohead, hub 32H King, spokes DT Revolution, nipple is alloy.
In our 33 years of tandeming this is the first ever nipple we've broken.
Checked our log and that wheel has 17,490 miles on it without any issues . . . 'til just now.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Ruya and Kay/zonatandem

[TandemGeek]

...nipple is alloy.

Damn those alloy nipples!

[dvs cycles]

Alloy nipples seem to have a lifespan and you just found out what yours is. When I had that happen on a wheel and fixed it another went in a few weeks, and that was on a single. Took that as a sign and respoked it.

[teamcompi]

Funny thing, the same happened to us. Rode our KHS about 10,000 km and our first wheel problem was on the front wheel, and it too was a nipple not a spoke.

I have also had problems with the bearings in the front wheel. The question, is it common to have more issues on front wheels than on back wheels specifically on tandems??? Since then we have gone to a DaVinci and have yet to have any problems.