ArtShapiro

I am normally quite comfortable working with wheels - I've built several hundred, although few in recent years with the almost universal emergence of "boutique" wheels. And truing is second nature.

That being said, I'm having my first encounter with Mavic Ksyrium wheels. A friend updated this wheelset, and I noticed that the rear was slightly out of true - enough to deserve a touch-up on the jig. I was happy to true the wheel so the set could be sold.

I borrowed the requisite tool to deal with the unusual splined nipples, and similarly the blade-holding tool, although my own Campy Eurus holder would have worked just as well.

But I can't budge the spoke nipples! I've hit them with a dose of Kroil (a super penetrant) and still my attempts to turn the spoke nipple are starting to twist the holder right out of my fingers. I'm terrified I'm going to break a spoke.

Could these spokes have been LockTighted??? Am I overlooking something laughably obvious?

Advice welcome!

Art

Jed19

May be aluminum on aluminum galling. I have two sets of Ksyrium wheels, and as part of my regular maintenance, I put a drop of oil (mixture of LPS 1 and motor oil) on both the spoke/nipple and the nipple/rim interfaces. As a matter of fact, I do this on all my seven wheelsets.

In all likelihood, the owner had never oil the spoke nipples since he bought them. I'll wait a while for the Kroil to act up, then try to true the wheels again.

And I do not believe Mavic loctite its wheelsets.