kdw 712
Mar 22 2004, 10:49 AM
hummmm,
gonna do a rebuild on my original 84 blue max wheel set and was thinking of using blue alloy nipples,
to make it look a tad more special.
Today i spoke to a bikeshop guy and he said they were prone to folding at the head and bursting out the rim and also this lead him to say about not being able to tension the spoke as well as brass nipples. He reccomended chrome plated brass instead and at 1/4 of the price as well.
This bike wont ever see a 1/4 pipe and my son is
going be the main rider i reckon and he is only 11
so wont weigh a huge amount.
Is this a real issue ?
i havent heard of it b4.
i was wondering if any of you guys had any thoughts on or experience of this ?
waxintaxin
Mar 22 2004, 11:07 AM
The alloy will never be as strong as the brass / chrome as the spokes are steel and we all know what steel threads do do alloy , but its a done thing by somepeople on this site so it must work otherwise thier bikes would fold up
Rich
jeff35x
Mar 22 2004, 11:08 AM
ask yourself this... would you like to replace a nipple or the rim?... brass nipples have a tendency
to tear the rim if you get a peddle in the spokes...where the alloy nipples will... as he said break at the head...
Scott Loveless
Mar 22 2004, 11:35 AM
I used aluminum nipples on all my race wheels and never had a problem at all. I would, however use brass for thrash wheels because you can get more overall tension with brass giving you a slightly stiffer wheel. Good Luck!
~Scott
EMPI
Mar 22 2004, 11:51 AM
oh, i thought you guys were talking about Janet Jackson, sorry...
Randy
Mar 22 2004, 12:10 PM
I just laced 4 wheels with aluminum nipples and had no problems getting the tension I wanted. Be sure to use the correct sized spoke wrench or you'll strip'em.
Astrodamus
Mar 22 2004, 03:31 PM
quote:
oh, i thought you guys were talking about Janet Jackson, sorry...
he he....
You so funny!
kdw 712
Mar 22 2004, 06:02 PM
its as i thought
we are talking a very fine tech point here:
its just after talking about it i got wondering.....
i have seen many a bike running alloy nipples
and they look very nice and have nooo problems.
also i wont need a wheel thats built to take 14st dead weight from 10 foot drop off or anything like it !
Cheers for your input now its just a question of looks verses cost! (£3:50 or £20 / 100) any one know of a better price than £20 / 100 in blue?
ps i believe janet went for the alloy option - i shall just play the clip again to be sure !
EMPI
Mar 22 2004, 07:06 PM
2old4bmx
Mar 24 2004, 12:51 AM
Nothing wrong with alloy nipples when installed properly...this means that you have to use a spoke thread compound like Wheelsmith Spoke Prep or blue Loctite (I don't like this one personally) or even anti-seize if you're on a budget. True, they are a little less forgiving in the wrench flat area but then that should'nt be an issue if the nipples are well lubricated with one of the aforementioned treatments.
Us road bike freaks use them to reduce rolling resistance in our too-few spoked wheels but this won't be of much use on a BMX wheel. I assume you like them 'cause they look cool? Have you thought of painting the brass nipples with a semi-transparent paint or some clear paint with a few drops of Blue in it? This will yield a candy look with the chrome of the nipples showing through. Just remember to wash the new nipples in thinner to remove oil prior to painting and lube them up with one of the treatments I mentioned for alloy nipples.
...Why can't life be as easy as Alloy? vs. Brass?...? In my case it's usually much tougher issues like Rolling Rock? Newcastle NutBROWN?
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