Bicycle Mechanics - Nipple washers

Worth the effort to use them? The sample I have is .3" across.. looking for input from those who have used them.

Thanks.

It depends on what you doing. Back in the '80s they were used on light weight or aero rims that didn't have eyelets. I was taught they were to help keep the rim from cutting the nipple along with spreading the load a bit. If you don't have eyelets on your alloy rims use them. Carbon rims.... Ask Mark Cavendish for advice.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=293850&d=1358344247

293850

only if they come with the rim. otherwise the effort to use them is not worth it

Pic above per the collapsing front... saw an incident on one of the animal channels. Rider did a dog that crossed.. rider went down. WHOLE fricking gibberish was about the DOG's recovery... short <6 word burb at the end about how the RIDER fared.. him of course going down HEAD first. Bottom line was the carbon rim saved the UNLEASHED MUTT.. absorbing much of the impact.

Now I think of carbon rims as DOG RIMS.

Washers seem a marginal improvement.. at best... to me... too.

Washers serve the same purpose as riveted eyelets. They permanently attach eyelets because this is a fast machine operation at the rim factory which saves expensive hand labor at build time.

So if the rim has eyelets, washers are 100% redundant.

If the rim doesn't have eyelets, it's a judgement call whether there's a need to spread the load. Most rims made with eyelets have extra thickness along the nipple track and don't need washers, though they might help marginally on a broad bottomed rim. Washers are useless and usually counter productive on deeper and aero or semi-aero profiles where the spoke track is narrow and pretty thickwalled anyway.

My local builder used them, but not with the nipples. Instead, at other end of the spoke just past the elbow, where they insert through the hub. As a clydesdale, he used them to allow the spoke to "mold" to the hub and help spread the load so I wouldn't experience broken spokes. Not sure I understand all the technical stuff, but I never had a problem with that wheel over 1,000's of miles until I rode into another rider's foot (bending some spokes).

If time & money permit, I do recommend them and will look for future builds to use them.

My winter wheels were single wall , very wide [Snow Cat], so I got 72 aluminum washers
stocked in hardware store, for backing up poprivets .. been fine for 20+ years..
did have to add length to the spokes chosen, to compensate, when I built the wheels..

My local builder used them, but not with the nipples. Instead, at other end of the spoke just past the elbow, where they insert through the hub.
There was a time when DT made the bend at their spoke heads wider than normal and too wide to work well in most hub flanges. They then supplied thin washers to take up the extra length and provide a proper fit. I wonder if that's what he was doing.

BTW, the title of this thread congers up a rather interesting mental image having nothing to do with bicycles. :)

BTW, the title of this thread congers up a rather interesting mental image having nothing to do with bicycles. :)

I'm dumbfounded it took so long for that to come to light....:) Guess we could have a trail on those mental images....... :innocent:

My bias/flaw/default setting... doesn't include wind-up up spokes. I've done a few tune-ups on them... it's manageable. For my own use I have none for them.

SPOKE washers.. should be standard on almost all inbound rear spokes. I opt for the Sapin Strongs.. would be nothing wrong with adding washers to those. Understand.. my narrow prism per wheels is always from the hard use side.

NOT shilling.. much here. Dan's COMP is the source for Sapin Strong.. those aren't on the website.. sold via their retail side. Just ask the order taker... item # 435030. Near a dozen order to date.. flawless. Think worth the mention... you'll like the pricing too.

My local builder used them, but not with the nipples. Instead, at other end of the spoke just past the elbow, where they insert through the hub. As a clydesdale, he used them to allow the spoke to "mold" to the hub and help spread the load so I wouldn't experience broken spokes. Not sure I understand all the technical stuff, but I never had a problem with that wheel over 1,000's of miles until I rode into another rider's foot (bending some spokes).

If time & money permit, I do recommend them and will look for future builds to use them.

Done to resolve a flange thickness versus spoke elbow width mismatch. The washers act as a spacer forcing the head out and pulling the elbow and shank against the flange reducing head/elbow movement when spokes go slack under load.

=8-)

Pic above per the collapsing front... saw an incident on one of the animal channels. Rider did a dog that crossed.. rider went down. WHOLE fricking gibberish was about the DOG's recovery... short <6 word burb at the end about how the RIDER fared.. him of course going down HEAD first. Bottom line was the carbon rim saved the UNLEASHED MUTT.. absorbing much of the impact.

Now I think of carbon rims as DOG RIMS.

Washers seem a marginal improvement.. at best... to me... too.

I would not be suprised if the dog got a Vet before the rider got medical care.

I only came in here because of the thread title and the indicator that Bianchigirl just posted.

Needless to say I am disappointed.:( Can someone PM me if this drifts to nipple lube ?:o

the title of this thread congers up a rather interesting mental image having nothing to do with bicycles. :)

I thought it was a posting about a job opening. I thought I finally found something I really wanted to do.....