I'm about to build a new front wheel with the Schmidt generator hub, new rim and new spokes that I recently acquired. I have a truing stand, dishing tool, and spoke wrench, but there remains the question of what to treat the spoke threads with. As I see it, my options are:
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1. Use the Phil Wood Tenacious Oil in my tool box (you know, the thick green glop in a green bottle)
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2. Run out and buy some linseed oil, boiled or otherwise
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3. Run out and buy some Wheelsmith Spoke Prep
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4. Another option(s) that I don't know about yet.
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Anyone care to comment on the relative merits of each option?
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I use chassis grease.
If your spokes don't become loose in use, they cannot unscrew. Build tight wheels. If your rims won't support spoke tension, get some good rims.
Just the same, a drop of oil on each spoke nipple-rims interface is essential to make spokes tight without rounding the wrench flats. That has nothing to do with keeping the wheel true other than enabling achieving proper spoke tension.
Thanks to all who responded, I got some interesting ideas. I ended up using bearing grease, some Finish Line teflon impregnated grease that I had in the tool box. The nipples turned much more easily than with the Wheelsmith Spoke Prep that I used last year, and the grease was a lot cheaper, too. Unlike linseed oil or Spoke Prep, I could leave the laced wheel sit overnight after running out of time, and resume truing and tensioning tonight and still have lubricated threads on the spokes. By the end of this week the bike should be fully assembled, and we'll see how good a job I did on the wheel.
