Bicycle Mechanics - Spoke Nipples Help Please

Hi, I just bought new colored spoke nipples and I want to try and install them myself. I have a round spoke wrench that has like 7 different sizes on it. How do I get the old nipples off? I think I rounded one of them already. Can someone please help me. How do I get the old ones off and the new ones on? I could take it to the bike shop but it will probably cost a lot.

Thanks, TVbuster. P.S- I have a bmx racing bike with 20" wheels etc.

Take it to the shop. You are going to have to remove all the nipples then re-lace the wheel to do it properly. You can do it one at a time but you are still going to have to have the wheel trued so going to the shop would be the best thing.

:beer:

you could try using a screwdriver at the top of the nipple, i.e. inside the wheel rim and unscrewing the nipple that way (use a penetrating oil to loosen the nipple). It is likely however that the spoke is protruding too far throught the nipple and you will not be able to get the screwdriver to grip. If the nipple is really rounded then the easiest thing to do is just to cut the spoke and buy a new one.

WARNING

You will however have to true the wheel when you put the new spoke nipples on. This is a bit tricky and involves making sure that the spokes have the correct tension and that the wheel is properly round and flat. If you are not really interested in spending lots of time on this then it may be easier (not to mention safer) to get it done at the bike shop. They do not usually charge huge amounts to rebuild a wheel.

Thanks you guys. Yeah, I will take it to the bike shop just so I don't mess anything up. Thanks for the answers.

-TVbuster.

Sounds like you used a nipple wrench that was a bit oversized and hence the round
over. You really need to be careful with spoke nuts as they are very soft (either
plated brass or aluminum) and round over easily. The colored nuts will be aluminum.
BMX wheels are fairly stout and hence the worry over truing is less severe than light
weight 700c wheels. The rim is much less likely to deform under reasonable spoking
torque. Truing one up will not be a piece of cake but should be doable. See what
the shop would charge and balance that against the 2-4hrs it would take to do it
yourself. (First wheel always longer, 2d wheel probably an hour or so). Note fr and rear wheels are different because of the offset by the cassette, cassette side spokes are angled less than opposite side spokes, fr wheel spoke angles are same on both sides. Steve