Newbie wheel builder question

[thwart]

So, a set of wheels I built has one (non-drive side, rear) spoke repetitively loosen, and throw the wheel out of true. I used grease, and not spoke prep or loctite when I built them up.

A drop of epoxy on the nipple/spoke junction?
Replace the spoke and/or nipple?

Great wheels otherwise... :rolleyes:

Thanks in advance for any help.

[John M]

I'd recheck spoke tension all around.

I am not a master or professional wheel builder, but have built several over the years and have not used any thread locking compound. The only time I had problems with spokes loosening was in my early wheel builds if tension was uneven. My more recent wheels are better built and don't loosen up or go out of true.

The true experts might chime in with something better.

[ergott]

If the build is solid (correct drive side tension/ even tension) then it could be a low spot in the rim from an impact.

[Peter P.]

Spoke Prep is hardly needed to build good wheels; grease is sufficient. I'd replace the spoke AND the nipple. You may have a 15ga. spoke and a 14ga. nipple. It will fit, but it won't hold high tension as it will slip in the threads. You could also have a spoke and nipple from different brands. Some spokes use CUT threads, which have a slightly smaller O.D. than a spoke with ROLLED threads. It should be obvious that without a matching nipple, you won't have strong thread engagement.

[kevintice]

Get a Park Tensiometer-true the wheel and make sure the tension is appropriate and even. With this, you will not need to glue the spokes or any thing else. The tensiometer takes away the guesswork and isn't really that expensive.