I had a spoke break the other day (rear wheel, non - derailleur side). I haven't done anything with the rims for a long time (if it ain't broke, fix it until it is ). When I took the nipple out I noticed that all the nipples I uncovered were rusted on the 'inserts' that apparently reinforce the nipple holes. Is this a problem? The rim itself looks ok and the spokes have probably seen better days. I really don't want to respoke an entire rim. In my younger day I used to do this kind of stuff, but I've probably lost some skill and I know I don't really have the interest. I only do recreational riding now, nothing serious.
Thanks.

How old are these wheels? If they are 20+ years old it's not a problem and is normal for older rims to have some rust. But it depends on how rusted it is. Too much and it would be best to rebuild the wheel. Perhaps a photo?

A bike mechanic buddy looked at it. He said ‘could be worse’ & that if another 2 or 3 spokes broke that it might be time to think about respoking the wheel or getting a whole new shebang. The wheel if pretty old.

I have a lot of rust developing on one of my bikes spokes due to coastal salty air. Thank goodness aluminum doesn't rust. They're brown and that's okay with me. But if a spoke were to break, I would be thinking of at least replacing the broken one and while the tire is off, inspecting all the others. A single spoke is nothing like restringing a complete wheel. But do whatever you're comfortable with.

It's normal for eyelets to rust if they're made out of plain steel rather than stainless. It's not a problem, although the rust can cause noises when riding.