Originally Posted by
mihlbach
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.
My wheels with aluminum nipples were destroyed in about a year. Half the nipples were seized and lots ended up breaking when touring with lots of weight. They round off a lot easier when you true the wheels at high tension too.