Got roasted by a shop veteran for my spoke prep method last month

I’ve been building wheels for about 4 years now and always used a dab of threadlocker on every spoke nipple. Thought I was being thorough. Then this old mechanic with 30 years in the game watched me do one and said ‘you’re just making more work for yourself and the next guy.’ He showed me how a tiny drop of light oil on the threads and nipple flange does the same job without gumming things up. Tried it on my last three builds and honestly the tensioning went smoother and I didn’t have to fight any nipples seizing. Now I feel dumb for wasting all that time and money on threadlocker. Anyone else get called out for overcomplicating something simple?

3 comments

3 Comments

blake_cooper5d ago

does the old guy's way really matter" - yeah it does. Had a buddy @jamie794 who built up a touring wheelset with blue Loctite on every nipple. One year later a spoke broke on a sunday ride in the middle of nowhere. Couldn't replace it on the trail because the nipple was seized solid with that dried crust. He had to walk 6 miles to a gas station with a bent wheel. Then the shop charged him extra for the time it took to drill out six nipples that got glued up from heat and vibration over time. The oil method is cheap and makes life easier for everyone.

adams.henry5d ago

Man that sucks. Feel for your buddy. Six miles on a bent wheel is brutal, and paying extra to drill out seized nipples just adds insult to injury.

jamie7946d ago

Threadlocker on spokes is some next-level overkill, but does the old guy's way really matter that much in the long run for a hobbyist build?