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Dirt Rag Fresh Dirt
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1.25.2007
Tech: Nipple Holder
By: Brad Quartuccio
I really like building wheels. It's been an ongoing thing since former Art Director Mitchell gave me a few pointers way back when. But I'm not here to teach you how to lace up your first. Sheldon Brown does a far better job on his legendary website. I'm here to share a simple, Dirt Rag style tech tip. The Nipple Holder.
Over the years I've built a wide variety of wheels, and have made plenty of mistakes along the way. An ongoing headache has always been losing the nipple inside of box- or deep v-section rims during the build process. For the pro there are special tools to ease threading the nipple onto the spoke without dropping it from the likes of DT Swiss, but it's hardly something a home mechanic can justify.
Here's a homemade version that takes a second to throw together, and if you're building wheels you already have the two crucial parts: a spare spoke and nipple.
Thread a nipple onto a spare spoke as far as it will go, until a few threads are sticking out the other side. You may have to force it on—that's fine, you don't want it easily coming loose. This is now your Nipple Holder—simple, eh? If you'd like to get fancy you can trim it for length, or bend the top into a T-shaped grip. Maybe add some tape so you can hold onto it better. Try all three! The possibilities are endless!
Now, how to use this highly advanced instrument. Assuming you followed Sheldon's advice and have the lacing correct and the bare spoke in the appropriate rim hole you are ready to proceed. Lightly thread another nipple onto the few threads showing on the Nipple Holder, opposite the first. Now you can pass the nipple through the rim without dropping it, place it on the spoke and thread it on a turn or two. Once it's on the spoke, a slight backwards turn of the Nipple Holder releases it, ready to assist the next nipple.
In terms of workflow, I "load" the Nipple Holder with a nipple before lacing the spoke into the appropriate rim hole. Take note that the Nipple Holder is not appropriate for actually tensioning the spoke at all, just for getting the nipple on the spoke and moving on to the next one. You'll need a Nipple Driver for really threading them on.
Simple and effective. I haven't had to shake a nipple out from inside a rim in a long time.
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