# Ok, feeling stupid---why do nipples come in 12mm, 14mm and 16mm sizes?



## BelgianHammer (Apr 10, 2012)

As I've recently been getting into building up wheels from the ground up (have done two sets now), I've been meaning to post a question about this ever since I noticed it when researching months back.

For example, Wheelsmith, Sapim and DT Swiss brass spoke nipples come in the following sizes:

12mm, 14mm and 16mm

Is the reason anyone uses a size other than 12mm because maybe they are using eyelets in their rim, or washers, and thus they need longer nipple length? I guess I am confused, because even with washers the 12mm is still plenty long enough, right, on nearly all rims? Or are there modern rims that I am not considering that have a very thick nipple bed (like carbon) and thus need that 14mm and/or 16mm length?? (_Apologies for asking this, but I am wondering if I just got stupid lucky (in ordering and using the 12mm nipples) when I built up the recent sets I did (H+ Sons & Pacentis_).


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## jfaas (Jan 31, 2014)

I think there are some rims, usually deep section, that have rather thick spoke beds. I have not encountered them.


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## BelgianHammer (Apr 10, 2012)

Yeah, that's what I was figuring but wasn't sure. I just went back and looked at Roger Musson's e-book and digging a little deeper in it, it gives an in-depth explanation of nipple lengths, along with pics. Later on in the discussion, there's explanations of rims and their possible rim depths. Understand now why there's different lengths, but like you, I just haven't encountered them yet. Maybe one day if I ever go back to using eyelet rims and/or modern day fancy-schmancy carbon deep-dish rims.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

I'd agree that I have not come across any modern alloy rims that needed longer nipples. I used to have a set of Mavic CXP 30 wheels that needed longer nipples for obvious reasons. Most long nipples leave the threaded portion in the same place as a short one. Confusingly DT Swiss seem to be the exception to this as their calculator adjusts spoke length for nipple length. For other brands nipple length has no effect on spoke length.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

see this thread also.


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