# Spoke Nipples loosening



## huskertko (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey all, I have a 09 Z35 and over the last few months have had a recurring problem. The spoke nipples keep backing themselves off the spoke, end result is it sounds and acts like a broken spoke. This has happened 4-5 times, sometimes on the front wheel, sometimes on the back. I have the bike regularly tuned and check the spokes before each ride, but it still seems to happen.

Should I contact Felt about this or any ideas as to why it's happening?


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## Amfoto1 (Feb 16, 2010)

A good wheel tuner should be able to help you.

There are a couple possible reasons why spokes loosen. 

Probably the most common one is spoke "windup". That's where the spoke gets rotated slightly while tightening and later rotates the opposite direction when riding, loosening the nipples in the process. 

It helps to prevent the spoke from rotating while tightening the nipple. Some spokes have flats to allow for this. Other round ones don't. 

Another technique is to relieve the spokes while tuning up the wheel. It's a bit of an art... whacking things with a plastic mallet or pushing on the wheel or gripping pairs of spokes by hand and putting some pressure on them. This is done repeatedly as the tension on the spokes is graudally increased. 

Some grease or oil or anti-sieze in the right places can also help relieve and even out the tension on the wheel's spokes. 

Each hub/spoke/rim combination in better wheels has it's own specifications about spoke tension. 

There are some tutorials about wheel building online (and books) that probably do a much better job than me, describing this. Just be aware it's a bit of an acquired skill, so not recommended for you to try yourself if inexperienced.

Don't use Locktite on the nipples, as tempting as it might be. That would make it impossible to re-tune the wheel in the future. (Note: some wheels with straight-pull spokes that are threaded at both ends do use certain types of Locktite on one end, by design.)

An evenly/properly tuned and relieved wheel will stay in tune a whole lot longer than one that's just been haphazardly put together or seen a spoke tightened here and there over time. So I recommend you start looking for a good, local wheel builder and have them tune up the wheels for you.


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