Jackass Wheelwerks: Red nipples and nipple cream

Take a moment to snicker. The guys at the Bicycle Pro Shop never get tired of laughing every time I ask about anything nipple related. I wonder if the people who sell ball washers look forward to the day the way these guys do.

This wheelset had a number of firsts for me: first time using nipple cream, first time using hexagonal alloy nipples, and the first time using a hexagonal nipple wrench.

That's the Sapim 5,5 mm nipple wrench. Two problems with this piece of equipment: 1) it's not cheap; and 2) it may not work with your rims. After much grinding with the Dremel tool, the T wrench passed through the spoke holes in the rim bridge.

Notes about use: the best use for this tool is on spokes that are already under tension. Bring your wheel up to 90% tension using a regular spoke wrench. Beyond that, use this wrench for making any final adjustment to a drive side nipple, or for any alloy nipple that is under tension. I found that making minute adjustments to nipples was much easier with this tool and there was no concern I would strip a nipple. It was also much easier to see spoke wind up because working on the backside of the rim allows for an unobstructed view of the nipple/spoke.

The downside: it is slow and you can't use it near the feeler arms of the truing stand. Instead, use the feeler arms to find the untrue spot, then rotate the wheel 1/4 turn towards you, make the adjustment with the wrench, extract the wrench, re-check trueness. Sound slow? It is. Use this thing judiciously/sparingly.

Notes about hexagonal nipples: I like 'em. They're not much more expensive than regular nipples and they reduce to zero the chance of stripping a nipple. I will continue to stay away from alloy nipples--hexagonal or not--just on general principles.

Notes about nipple cream: I love the stuff. It makes for a cleaner build than soaking the nipples in Triflow. Triflow always manages to seep onto the brake track and rim bridge.