Lubricating my nipples

Oh those nipples 🙂

I go for good old fashioned White Lightning Race Day. Mostly because I like only having one all-purpose lube. Slather it on your nipples and let it dry before cranking them into the rim. It's slippery enough to prevent painful nipple stripping, but once you're in the spoke tension is enough to keep things from loosening up.

fretjock said:

I'm interested in getting a really good rim job and I'm not sure how to
lubricate my nipples. Is it best to use raw linseed oil, boiled linseed oil,
spoke prep, or Wrigley's chewing gum?
From what I understand the raw oil stays liquid but the boiled hardens
and acts like lock tight. Is it better to keep the nipples loose for future
truing or is it better to lock them down so they don't loosen?
I will be using brass nipples if it matters.

Brass nipples are good.
I use Teflon Bearing grease on the threads and on the nipple to rim hole (eyelet) interface. I use grease because it's lubricating and protecting qualities endure much more. You don't need or want any locking on the threads.

daveornee said:

Brass nipples are good.

If I recall correctly, alloy nipples save something like 20g per wheel. Just not worth the durability issues.

Should this topic not be in the Women's Cycling Forum??

Just use Ice. 😄

fretjock said:

I'm interested in getting a really good rim job and I'm not sure how to
lubricate my nipples. Is it best to use raw linseed oil, boiled linseed oil,
spoke prep, or Wrigley's chewing gum?
From what I understand the raw oil stays liquid but the boiled hardens
and acts like lock tight. Is it better to keep the nipples loose for future
truing or is it better to lock them down so they don't loosen?
I will be using brass nipples if it matters.

Vaseline for all your nipples.

fretjock said:

I'm interested in getting a really good rim job and I'm not sure how to
lubricate my nipples. Is it best to use raw linseed oil, boiled linseed oil,
spoke prep, or Wrigley's chewing gum?
From what I understand the raw oil stays liquid but the boiled hardens
and acts like lock tight. Is it better to keep the nipples loose for future
truing or is it better to lock them down so they don't loosen?
I will be using brass nipples if it matters.

The most reliable wheelsets I have are CXP30's shod in straight gage spokes with 'alloy' nipples. They were not lubed. In one training ride I rode straight into a shoe-sized rock, both front and rear tires&tubes (yes including the schwalbe tires) where pinched flat but the wheels were unscathed and remained true to this day.

For your nipples try beezwax lip gloss ;o)

heh heh. he said rim job.

/beavis