Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Brass and aluminum are both incompatible with stainless steel. Brass is a little less corrosive but the difference is small. Both will corrode and seize, especially if used dry. I’ve tried to work on many wheels with corroded brass nipples. On the other hand, I have lots of wheels with aluminum spoke nipples that have never corroded even when used through many winters.
I've seen brass nipples get stuck and not be able to be adjusted but I've never seen them crack and turn to dust. Like the aluminum nipples on the 6 year old bike I just bought (and on plenty of other wheels). It needs a new rear hub and I tried loosening them. Most of them just disintegrated. The rest of the bike has no rust or corrosion anywhere.
It's foolish and pointless to use them on anything but a dry-weather racing bike.
32 brass nipples weigh ~30g, and aluminum weighs ~30% as much as brass. So you're saving what, 21g per wheel? To me that's well worth it when building a wheel, to know that it won't fall apart.