ENVE Composites Internal 14 Gauge Brass Nipple
The ENVE internal brass nipple is the nipple ENVE specifies for its rims with internal nipples: a 14-gauge brass nipple with a locking thread, fitted from inside the rim cavity before the tape goes on and turned with an internal nipple driver, sized and shaped for ENVE's molded spoke holes and external locking system. It is the correct nipple for ENVE SES road rims and M-Series and G-Series rims that use ENVE's internal or locking nipple design, and we fit it automatically on those rims. This page covers the ENVE Composites Internal 14 Gauge Brass Nipple.
We sell ENVE nipples only as part of a wheel we build. Choose your rim, hub and spokes in the configurator and the wheel ships from Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
ENVE molds its spoke holes rather than drilling them and designs the nipple to match: a brass nipple whose head seats in the molded hole with a locking thread compound so it cannot back off where nobody can reach it. Brass is the right material because the nipple cannot be replaced without removing the tire and tape, so it has to last the life of the rim and not corrode. ENVE supplies it in 14 gauge for 2.0mm spoke threads.
How it rides
A wheel built with ENVE's internal nipples on an ENVE rim looks clean, is a little faster on an aero rim, and stays true because the threads are locked. Truing needs the tire and tape off and a driver through the bed, which is why we build these wheels to a tight tolerance and stress-relieve them twice before they ship.
Building an ENVE rim with internal nipples is a different job from building a conventional wheel. The nipples go in through the rim bed before the tape, each one is driven with a Squorx-style or slotted internal driver, the wheel is tensioned and trued with the bed open, stress-relieved, trued again, and only then taped and fitted with a valve. It takes longer, which is why we build these wheels to a tighter tolerance than usual: a wheel that does not need truing later is the point of the exercise.
Specifications
| Material | Brass |
|---|---|
| Type | Internal |
| Finishes | gold |
About this listing
This listing is the brass 14-gauge standard-length, internal version. Brass is the one to choose for durability, salt and carbon rims; it does not corrode, does not round off and turns in a spoke wrench a decade later. It is the heavier option by roughly 30 grams a wheel, and that is the whole of its downside. Brass also deforms very slightly as it seats, which lets it bed into the rim bed and sit square, and it is far more forgiving of a spoke key that is a size out or an owner who tensions a wheel without much feel. Unless a build is chasing grams or a specific color, this is what we fit, and it is what we fit on every wheel that will see winter.
This one is the internal, inverted head: it is driven from inside the rim bed with a square driver rather than from outside with a spoke key. Rims with no external nipple access need it. Budget extra build time - every adjustment means getting to the nipple through the rim, which is why we charge differently for building on internal nipples.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The ENVE Composites Internal 14 Gauge Brass Nipple fits any 2.0mm-threaded 14-gauge spoke and ENVE rims designed for internal or locking nipples; the configurator fits it automatically when you choose one of those rims.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
ENVE makes the internal brass; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. We measure the rim before we cut a spoke, bring the wheel up in three or four rounds with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last, then tape it and fit a valve if you want it tubeless.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is live.
Warranty
ENVE Composites's warranty. ENVE gives the original owner a five-year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, alongside its Lifetime Incident Protection program, which covers rims, forks, bars, stems, seatposts and hubs damaged in riding incidents.
ProWheelBuilder. Wheels we build around this part are covered by our own one-year warranty alongside the maker's. Within the year: broken spokes replaced regardless of cause, and the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning or a complete rebuild - included. A manufacturer-covered rim or hub failure is a claim we make and manage for you; one they will not cover is answered with an eligible replacement at 25% off retail. Shipping each way is yours. Parts you supply yourself fall outside it.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
ENVE Internal 14 Gauge Brass Nipple questions
Do I need internal nipples?
Only if the rim gives you no way to reach a nipple from outside the rim bed. Plenty of deep carbon rims are drilled that way. They are driven from inside with a square driver, every later adjustment means getting at the nipple through the rim, and a build on them takes longer - so choose them because the rim requires it, not for the look.
Which ENVE rims use this nipple?
ENVE rims with internal or locking nipples, including SES road rims and the M-Series and G-Series that use ENVE's locking system; the configurator knows which.
Can I use a Sapim or DT nipple on an ENVE rim instead?
ENVE specifies its own nipple for its molded holes and warranty; we build ENVE rims with ENVE nipples.
How is an internal-nipple ENVE wheel trued?
With the tire and tape off and an internal nipple driver through the rim bed; the locked threads mean it rarely needs it.
Why brass?
The nipple cannot be replaced without stripping the tire and tape, so it has to last the life of the rim without corroding.
Do the nipples match the rim?
Yes. The configurator only offers nipple types the chosen rim accepts (external or internal), in the finish you pick.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
