PWB SUPER NIPPLE ALLOY 14MM 14 GAUGE

Why the Super Nipple is different

• Two millimeters longer. It is 14mm where most alloy nipples are 12mm, so it engages more of the spoke thread.
• Made to our specification. A nipple factory makes it to our spec. We chose it after building a lot of wheels on alloy nipples that rounded or seized.
• Hard anodized. The hard alloy and finish are there to resist rounding under a four-sided wrench.
• Fitted with spoke prep. We use spoke prep on every one, to stop it seizing against a stainless spoke.

Design and construction

The Super Nipple's extra length gives it two more turns of thread engagement than a 12mm nipple, which spreads the load along the spoke thread and makes it far less likely to strip on a high-tension wheel, and its head is shaped to seat cleanly in a countersunk rim hole or on a washer. The hard alloy and the anodizing resist rounding under a four-sided wrench, and we fit every Super Nipple with spoke prep to prevent galvanic seizing against the stainless spoke. The Super Nipple is about 30 grams a wheel lighter than brass.

Why 14mm rather than the 12mm most alloy nipples come in: two extra millimeters of thread engagement on the spoke, which matters most on a high-tension carbon or deep alloy rim, and a head that stands proud enough of the rim bed to take a wrench squarely. On a rim that needs a 16mm nipple the configurator fits one; on everything else the 14mm Super Nipple is the length we prefer.

How it rides

A wheel on Super Nipples is as light as an alloy-nipple wheel gets and stays serviceable longer than most, which is the reason we bothered. In colors it makes a wheel that matches a hub or a rim decal. Kept clean it lasts for years; for a commuter that lives outside we still suggest brass. We fit the Super Nipple by default on our own Ventus and Terra rims and offer it on every other build.

Sizes, fit and compatibility

The PWB Super Nipple Alloy 14MM 14 Gauge fits any 2.0mm-threaded 14-gauge spoke and any rim drilled for 14-gauge nipples; the configurator offers the Super Nipple on every build and recommends brass for carbon rims and heavy-duty wheels.

Building it at ProWheelBuilder

A nipple factory makes the Super to our specification; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. Spokes are cut from the ERD we measure on the actual rim, the wheel comes up in stages on a tensiometer, and it is stress-relieved and trued before it goes in the box; tape and a valve go on if you ask.

The configurator filters to what fits, crosses out what is not made, and prices the build as you go.

Building it well

Spoke count is worth a sentence. A modern rim on a modern hub does not need 36 spokes to be strong, but it does need enough spokes for the rider and the riding: 28 for most road and cross-country wheels, 32 for trail, gravel with a load, heavier riders and e-bikes, 36 for touring and tandems. The configurator recommends from your weight and bike type, and we will talk you out of a count that does not suit the rim.

One more thing

Rims are measured before they are built. We check the ERD of every rim with a gauge rather than trusting the catalog number, because two rims from the same box can differ by a millimeter and a spoke cut to the wrong length either bottoms out in the nipple or runs out of thread. It is the least glamorous part of building a wheel and the one that decides whether the wheel stays true.

And another

A word on tubeless. Every tubeless-ready rim we sell leaves the shop taped and with a valve fitted if you ask for it, and we tape to the rim maker's recommended width rather than whatever is on the bench, because a tape that is a few millimeters too narrow is the most common cause of a slow leak. Add sealant, seat the tire and ride.