Stripping Nipples
 

I dont know why this happens to me. But I strip nipples all the time. Strip them so that my spoke wrenches have nothing to grab onto.

The problem is the nipple that gets stripped is always the one i need to adjust and i end up having to cut the spoke out and relace a new one.

With every nipple i adjust i put the spoke wrench on and see if there is any wobble. If its really tight i use it, if there is wobble or i cant get it on then i try the appropriate spoke wrench. So i dont feel like i am using the wrong wrench. I also always push them all the way on.

Why does this keep happening to me? It is a HUGE hassle!

If you're using aluminum nipples, toss them and get brass nipples. Otherwise, you may be trying to get the tension too high.

Do you use anything in the threads of the spokes . . Spoke Freeze . . . Linseed oil . .etc. These help to prevent the nipples from getting stuck and make it easy to get them tighter without stripping the heads.

Brass or Al nipples....?

What spokes wrenches are you using? If you are using some cheap multisided wrench, throw it out and buy some good wrenches designed to only fit one size nipple. That way you'll never accidentally use the wrong size. Park Tool makes a spoke wrench that grabs on all four sides of the nipple which should make it very difficult for you to strip a nipple. I've damaged a few myself by carelessly letting the wrench slide down near the bottom (towards the hub) of the nipple where it is not supported by internal threads (nipples are slightly counterbored). Push and hold the wrench as close to the rim as possible and you should run a very low risk of stripping a nipple using a quality wrench.

no idea if they are brass or aluminum nipples, the spokes are at pretty high tension. If happens most often when i am trying to dish a wheel.
And i have the park tools individual wrenches.

Do you think the 4-sided wrenches are sort of overkill?

4-sided wrenches are not overkill if they can prevent rounding off the nipples! What is easier - using a 4-sided wrench or "having to cut the spoke out and relace a new one"? You be the judge since you have experience with both.

The wrench is the problem. I've never stripped or rounded a nipple after buying Spokey wrenches.
I suspect that the newer Park wrenches that supposedly grip all four sides, or all four corners also work well if you have the correct size. With spoke wrenches the size really matters. I use aluminum alloy nipples exclusively with absolutely no problems.

Al

I'm going to vote too high tension. Get yourself a tensiometer.

I'm sympathtic, having had this happen from time to time myself. It's especially easy when working on modern right-side-rear-wheel spokes because with their high dish these tend to have ultra high tension. Here's a few hints.

1- as others have said, good spoke wrench fit is critical, or use a well made four corner spoke wench which works like a box wrench. And make sure to fully engage the flats on the nipple.

2- when building new wheels, build them over dished too far to the right, and do all the work there until the very end, where you'll use the looser left spokes to correct the dish to the left and add bring the wheel to full tension. Done right you won't need to turn those over tight right nipples.

3- a handy DIY tool for working on very tight wheels is a cut down broom handle. If you need to turn a very tight nipple, inset the handle btween the rim and hub and use it to gently lever the rim over so as to tke some tension off that spoke. (Don't get carried away, it's a good way to potato chip a wheel) With some tension relieved you're less likely to round off the nipple flats.

4- live a good life, and don't give the gods any reason to punish you.

The last time I had that happen on a wheel, I checked the spoke-tension (the wheel wasn't built by me). It was up and over 200kgf. I don't know why anyone would do that. The nipples were brass. The wheel had been handbuilt by the LBS that ripped me off and hadn't done the work I paid 'em for. So I wrote it off to "Typical."

So I suggest you find the spoke-tension on this wheel. You don't want to ride on a wheel with double the standard tension.

I expected very different thread content...

:(

OK as I dont have tensiometer, should the spokes be making high-pitched twanging noises when i tighten the nipple? They also make shorter high-pitch EEEEEEE noises... like a VERY short twang. Is that normal?

gosh, I had no idea how to replicate spoke twang in print, thanks! I'll wager money that the tool is the issue. if you have one bike, all the nipples should be the same size. get a wrench specifically sized for that, and make sure it's good quality. to check if your nips are brass or AL, take one of your garbage ones and go over it with a file a few times: AL will get shiny, brass will have the nickle wear off and look like, well, brass (think copper/penny/key coloured). brass is tougher than AL, but heavier. I doubt that the weight would be measurable.

I agree 100%. I've built plenty of wheels with aluminum nipples with zero issues, even after 10+ years of use.

Do you use the 4-sided wrench? If you dont then i dont see whats wrong with mine! 3-sided park tools, Black, Green, Red.

On tight wheels, spokes often twist, pinging and creaking, as you turn the nipples, especially when truing older wheels. The problem is thread friction, both because of the tension and because of possible corrosion or simple dryness in the threads.

Put a drop of penetrating oil at the end of each nipple and spin the wheel to drive it down into the threads to reduce thread friction and the torque needed to overcome it.

There's also the possibility that the nipples are sticking to the rim, especially if you have non-eyelet rims. Rims are drilled after anodizing so the sides of the holes are prone to corroding, which binds the nipples. Again this is more of a problem with age or all weather riding. Same trick with spinning in oil, except now apply it at the base where the nipple exits the rim.

Using better fitting spoke wrenches is one part of the solution, the other is reducing the required torque. Doing both should solve your nipple rounding problems.

+1

Nah!, you'd only get that when they ask about red, blue or purple nipples.

Yes, I'm using the spokey four sided wrenches.

They were Sheldon Brown's favorite inexpensive spoke wrench -- http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#tools