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I understand that lubrication for nipples is a good idea when building a wheel.

  1. Grease ** advantages - sticks around for a longer, prevents corrosion, lowers spoke stiction while building wheel
  2. 'dry' bike-chain lube ** dries off to form a film. less corrosion than grease?
  3. loctite 243 - medium strength thread lock ** stops nipples turning so they can't undo. also corrosion resistant.

Which type of lubrication is best?

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  • 1
    Is this going on the nipple-to-rim interface, or on the spoke threads?
    – MaplePanda
    Aug 20, 2022 at 6:41
  • @maplePanda good question - i meant from the spoke to nipple. for nipple to rim i was using grease.
    – pgee70
    Aug 20, 2022 at 9:09
  • I'm from the Jobst Brandt school: whatever medium-weight machine oil you have on hand is fine. If you tension the wheel properly, there is no need for any of the voodoo spoke prep/other stuff out there. It's worked just fine for me for about 30 years or so across a lot of wheel builds. Aug 20, 2022 at 15:14
  • Loctite prevents corrosion, but also makes any future adjustments a pain. Remember it acts almost like a glue when dried up.
    – jayded-bee
    Aug 20, 2022 at 20:38

5 Answers 5

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I always use linseed oil for this purpose. I dip the spoke threads which lubricates them for the wheelbuild. A little lubrication for the rim/nipple interface is usually essential for non-eyeletted rims as well.

After the wheelbuild, where the lubrication is necessary, the linseed oil cures and acts as a light threadlock.

A benefit is that it’s a natural product with no ptfe or other rubbish in it. Some people don’t like the smell but if you have ever played cricket, it is immediately familiar.

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    Linseed oil is the traditional spoke prep fluid. Specifically the Boiled type and not the Raw.
    – Criggie
    Aug 20, 2022 at 11:15
  • 1
    I use raw, the difference in effect is quite minimal and the boiled version carries some other problems with handling and use.
    – Noise
    Aug 20, 2022 at 19:44
  • +1, having used just about everything (light lube, heavy lube, Wheelsmith spoke prep, Rock n Roll nipple cream, DT Prolocks, and DT spoke freeze, grease, and boiled linseed oil) I've always seen the best results from linseed. One thing about it that is often overlooked is that of the preps that add some threadlocking behavior, it's uniquely insensitive to any residual oil that was on the spoke threads or any spillover from whatever you use to lubricate the nipple/rim interface. Other types can be very sensitive to that and need degreasing while linseed just requires a quick dip and thats it. Aug 21, 2022 at 17:21
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I use grease for every new wheel, in the two interfaces where it matters: nipple-to-rim interface and nipple-to-spoke-thread interface. The advantage is that grease lubricates like oil, but doesn't gradually run away from the lubricated interface. So if I ever have to re-true the wheel (usually I don't), the lubrication is already present.

If you have an old wheel that you need to re-true, and you are not certain that there is still lubrication in the two interfaces where it matters, use a light oil that penetrates well to the interface. That's only temporary unlike grease that is permanent.

In well designed wheels (lots of spoke tension, 36 spokes per wheel, butted spokes) the spoke tension alone stops the nipples from turning. There's no need to glue the threads in place, making future truing harder.

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    I forgot about a little grease on the nipple to rim interface. Good point. I still prefer SpokePrep on the threads, but I know plenty that grease them and have had success with that.
    – Ted Hohl
    Aug 20, 2022 at 17:07
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I would avoid Loctite, that is overkill.

Some prefer a little grease, but my preference is a dedicated spoke prep. Wheelsmith makes a product by this name (spoke prep) that you apply to the spoke threads and allow to dry. It provides some lubrication while at the same time inhibits spoke nipples from loosening (most prevalent on the non-drive side of a rear wheel due to the lower spoke tension there).

Spoke prep, or a number of other similar products designed specifically for, well, prepping spoke threads is a solid choice.

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  1. "Spoke Prep" is a real product. The text says "Both a lubricant and a threadlocker" and

When spoke tension is low and there is a risk of loosening, Spoke Prep "locks" the nipple. Where spoke tension is high, Spoke Prep keeps nipple torque low with Teflon lubrication.

which is a particularly odd combination. A conventional threadlocker like locktite or your suggestion of chain lube would decrease friction when wet and increase friction once it has cured/set.

Grease will always decrease friction.

This product has the characteristic of being right but in the "opposite" way one might expect.

Though at $70 NZ for 2x 15mL tubs, its not cheap.

enter image description here

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    That is the stuff! Two colors of SpokePrep are offered so one can prep different length spokes to identify them (such as the different length spokes between the drive and non-drive side on a rear wheel). Other than the color, both jars are identical in properties. You can get by with just a single tub (color) if you can keep your spokes organized.
    – Ted Hohl
    Aug 20, 2022 at 7:33
  • the price seems a little steep to me - wonder how it compares to a weak loctite like 222, which is $15 for 10mL
    – pgee70
    Aug 20, 2022 at 10:56
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    @pgee70 threadlocker works opposite to this stuff. Spoke prep is supposed to "lock up" when the tension is low, and be more lubricant when the tension is high. Thread locker is supposed to always lock up once it has set.
    – Criggie
    Aug 20, 2022 at 11:12
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    15ml lasts a long time unless you build several wheels a week!
    – IconDaemon
    Aug 20, 2022 at 14:48
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For what it’s worth, in my extensive wheelbuilding career (three wheels), I’ve used anti-seize between the nipple and rim. My thinking is the metallic content may last longer and be more resistant to water washing it away. Of course, it also serves to prevent nipple-rim corrosion due to dissimilar metal contact.

For the spoke threads, I use plumbing putty (a mix of linseed oil and various mineral fillers), which is normally used to help seal certain pipe joints. Interesting choice, I know, but compared to spoke prep compounds its properties seem similarly useful:

  • Soft and lubricious when uncured, allowing you to easily adjust the nipples when first building the wheel.
  • Acts as a mild adhesive once cured to help keep those nipples in place.
  • Cures pretty slowly compared to normal threadlocker so you have a longer working time.
  • Good longevity due to the talc content which acts as a solid lubricant.

No issues yet!

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    I've had good success with Copper-based anti-seize. It also rejects water from the threads which is a nice bonus.
    – Criggie
    Aug 20, 2022 at 11:15
  • I've built three wheels, and then unbuilt one because i got it wrong; is that more or less experience? Anyway, i used copper grease for both interfaces (as i do for every static metal-metal interface on my bike!), like you, on the grounds that it will protect the metal from wear and seizing. There's enough tension on these threads that i don't believe a thread lock is at all necessary. Oct 11, 2023 at 12:50

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