# Rim Replacement Sanity Check - spoke and nipple reuse?



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I have an old set of Mavic CXP 21s on Shimano 105 hubs. The rims are worn out, so I'm planning to replace them. Initially, I was planning to throw out my current spokes and reuse only the hubs. However, I ran into a discussion of reusing spokes and have done some clicking around on my own, as well as a glance at J.B.'s book, and now I think it would be wasteful to throw out my spokes.

I'm planning to replace the CXP 21s with Open Pros. I found the ERD for the CXP 21 given as 601.5 mm, and for the Open Pro as 602 mm. If these numbers are correct, the same spokes should work on both. I'm looking for a sanity check on this - is there something weird, or different about the ERD measurement for one of these rims, or am I right in thinking it really is only half a millimeter different?

I'm on the fence about reusing the nipples. They're cheap, and sometimes get chewed up. So for you more experienced wheel-rebuilders: what do you do? I can really see either option making sense here. They're OEM wheels, and I have no idea whether they're brass or aluminum nipples. They're dirty, but the wheels have never needed a lot of attention from me, and I'm fairly confident that the nipples are undamaged.

EDIT: first paragraph: throw out the rims and reuse only the rims?? But it seems like everyone knew what I was trying to say.


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

I think this is one of those tradition based things. A lot of guys just wont reuse spokes no matter what, same with nipples. 

I reuse both, but keep a bunch of spare nipples around just in case some are too crusty looking. Im far from an expert, or even too experienced, but its worked for the handful of wheels I have done.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

TomH said:


> I reuse both, but keep a bunch of spare nipples around just in case some are too crusty looking. Im far from an expert, or even too experienced, but its worked for the handful of wheels I have done.


This is really what I was looking for.

Thanks.  Now I just need not to be broke when my team does its parts order...


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I'm with Tom. No reason not to re-use the spokes, unless a particular spoke has mangled threads or other damage. Same with nipples, though they're much more likely to be chewed up, and should be inspected.

I think it's a good idea to put each spoke in the same orientation as before, so it's being stressed in the same directions and same places. Bending it the other way may shorten the fatigue life. Since you're replacing the rims on existing wheels, you can use the old trick of taping the new rim to the old one and transfering the spokes a few at a time, so each goes into the same configuration on the new rim.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Recycle*



AndrwSwitch said:


> II ran into a discussion of reusing spokes and have done some clicking around on my own, as well as a glance at J.B.'s book, and now I think it would be wasteful to throw out my spokes.


You don't say how many miles are on your current wheels, but just for reference my current rear wheel has 65,000 miles on it and is on it's 3rd rim. Same spokes, same nipples. Especially with brass nipples, if you have a decent spoke wrench there really shouldn't be any serious problems reusing spokes and nipples. Others will tell you that everything will fail if you reuse spokes and nipples: "Why take a chance with your wheel exploding on a fast downhill?" I obviously don't share that view


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I don't track mileage, let alone cross-referenced by bike. Right now I'm thinking I'll pick up half a dozen new nipples when I get the new rims, so if I run into some that I think are trashed I can throw them out. I have a wheel that I rebuilt onto a new hub with the same spokes and nipples that's doing fine, although it wasn't as old as these wheels, and it's on a bike that I'm not as concerned with putting quality work into.

Thanks, everyone, for chiming in. The bike these wheels will go on is on wheels borrowed from my 'cross bike for now, and that bike isn't going to be ridable until I can do this project, which is going to be a lot easier and cheaper as just a rim replacement.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

I would at least replace the nipples, that's the cheapest component in the wheelbuild. When you start taking the wheel apart, you will likely find some corrosion on the nipples where they seat to the rim, some may be misshaped from prior truing, etc. Nipples are about $.10 - .20 a piece, so, for less than $10, why not start with them fresh. Given the hubs, rims you describe, probably had brass nipples in the original build and that's what I would use in rebuilding the wheels.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

I reuse spokes, but take care to sort them by head in or out, and then reinstall them the same way. If a spoke is going to fail, it will be at the elbow.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

I just finished reading Jobst Brandt's book "The Bicycle Wheel" for the 2nd time (the first time was about 15 years ago) and he says -
_
"The spokes of wheels destroyed in crashes are seldom broken unless they struck
an obstacle. Because spokes are usually only bent, but not otherwise damaged,
in a crash, they can be reused. The wheel responds to loads by relaxing tension,
so spokes are rarely overstressed in a crash even though the rim is destroyed.
However, the spokes should not be removed from the hub. They should be
reused as described in Replacing a Rim. Because they have been stress relieved
and have acquired a form unique to their location in the hub, they should not
be used in new positions in a different wheel. By coincidence some may do well
if reused, but the probability of a number of mismatches precludes reuse after
unlacing.
If a rim is to be replaced by a bicycle store, the shop will usually insist that all
spokes be replaced as well. The shop will not want the quality of its work
measured by possible failures of used and unknown spokes."_

I, like many people here, have re-used spokes and have never suffered from doing that.


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