Spoke nipple

Spoke nipple

A spoke nipple holds a bicycle wheel's rim to each spoke.

The spoke nipple is a headed cylinder with threading on the inside through part of its length (there is an unthreaded lead-in nearest the "flats"). The nipples will fit in holes in the rim, so that the head of the nipple is on the outermost part of the rim, while the other end of the nipple points inwards towards the hub. The threading grasps the spoke, so turning it increases or decreases tension in the spoke and influences the position of the hub relative to the rim.

Since spoke threading and nipple threading must match, boxes of spokes usually include a like number of nipples. Weight savings or the need for great strength due to building a wheel with few spokes might call for obtaining different nipples than those shipped with the spokes. Standard materials for nipples are brass (usually nickel-plated) and aluminium. Brass is heavier but more durable and less prone to corrosion; aluminium is far lighter. If using aluminum nipples, the spokes should be long enough to engage the full length of spoke nipple threads and care and a good spoke wrench are needed to avoid rounding the flats while tightening.

If the underside of the nipple has the traditional conical shape, the nipple tends to adjust perpendicular to the nipple seat of the rim when the spoke is tensioned. This can cause a marked bend in the spoke where it exits the nipple, especially on small wheels with large diameter hubs, and subsequent early spoke failures. Nipples with a spherical contact surface to the rim that do not exhibit this tendency have been introduced (Sapim Polyax, DT ProHead).

External links

* [http://www.dtswiss.com/Products/Components/Nipples.aspx DT Swiss - Nipples]
* [http://www.sapim.be/index.php?st=products&sub=nipples Sapim - Nipples]
* [http://wheelsmithcycling.com/index_files/wsspokes.htm Wheelsmith - Nipples]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nipple (disambiguation) — Nipple may refer to: The nipple, in human or mammalian anatomy The flexible nozzle on a baby bottle simulating a human nipple A nipple (plumbing), which is a type of pipe fitting Nipple (album), an album by the Claw Boys Claw A spoke nipple,… …   Wikipedia

  • Spoke wrench — A spoke wrench or spoke key is a small wrench or tool used to increase or decrease the tension in the spokes of a bicycle wheel, sulky wheel, wheelchair wheel, or similar. A spoke wrench is sometimes called a nipple wrench, as it is the spoke… …   Wikipedia

  • Spoke — A spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a wheel (the hub where the axle connects), connecting the hub with the round traction surface. The term originally referred to portions of a log which had been split lengthwise… …   Wikipedia

  • Nipple wrench — can refer to: A Spoke wrench, a tool for tightening wheel spokes A Nipple wrench, a plumbing tool A Nipple wrench, a black powder firearm tool This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • nipple — [1] A fitting which is threaded to the end of a spoke. The nipple is seated in the holes of the rim and receive the threaded end of the spoke. The nipple has a slot at the top so that it can be quickly tightened a little, but the other end of the …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • nipple — noun /ˈnɪp(ə)l/ a) The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female mammals, milk is secreted. Turn the nipples on to the bicycle spokes only one turn, for each spoke on the new wheel all the way around until they are all snug, then check… …   Wiktionary

  • spoke wrench — A tool for securing or removing spokes by turning the nipple …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • Supernumerary nipple — Classification and external resources Supernumerary nipples. (Third and fourth nipple of Scandinavian male). A regular birthmark. B regular nipple. C Supernumerary nipple …   Wikipedia

  • Bicycle wheel — For the Marcel Duchamp installation, see Bicycle Wheel. The front wheel from a racing bicycle made using a Mavic rim …   Wikipedia

  • List of bicycle parts — This is a list of bicycle parts.*Axle *Ball bearing *Bar ends extensions at the end of straight handlebars to allow for multiple hand possitions. *Basket cargo carrier *Bottle cage a holder for a water bottle *Bottom bracket The bearing system… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”