Originally Posted by
mr. dolphin
..I replaced both front and rear with matching ambrosio nojo rims .. With in 5 miles of riding I have a flat spot and the pinned seam has expanded considerably. I used the same spokes and nipples for the second time building these wheels. Would that have anything to do with my troubles?
No.
Premature spoke breakage and wind-up are the kind of issues that could come from reusing old spokes + nipples. Expanding seam might be influenced by lacing pattern. Flat spot is either manufacturing defect, pothole impact or excessive spoke tension.
Originally Posted by
mr. dolphin
..Since I've built the wheel I've heard you should replace your spokes and nipples every time you build a new wheel. Is this true?
Not really, or possibly for a given value of "true".
Nipples are usually replaced 'cause they are cheap and new ones spin on so much nicer.
New spokes also makes the build more pleasant and if you're trying to be rational the fastest way to get the old ones out is to cut them out of the wheel.
If speed of assembly isn't a big issue spokes are often replaced because for a rear wheel it's hard to know how much life they have left in them and considering the build time new ones (usually) doesn't seem that expensive.
Another HUGE reason for replacing spokes is that unless replacing a rim with a new one of the same make & model, few people take the time to track down a replacement rim with the same ERD.
Originally Posted by
mr. dolphin
..Any suggestions for a good rear wheel for a hard tail mountain bike with rim brakes?
My current favourites are Mavic Ceramic and Ritchey Girder.