Originally Posted by
hockeyteeth
Aluminum nipples suck. Expect to rebuild your wheel every year or so if you ride in wet weather much. I build all my wheels with brass nipples.
Don't exaggerate.
If you plan on building an all purpose commuter/winter/rain/beater, then of course you should avoid alu nipples....you should avoid weight weenie stuff completely. That does not mean however that a lightweight wheelset will immediately melt if you get caught in the rain. I have several wheelsets with alu nips i(front and rear NDS) (without rim eyelets), and they are perfectly fine. I don't intentionally use these wheels in bad weather, but I do get caught in occasional rain and snow with them, and after several years they are perfectly fine. No retruing needed.