Here’s a how-to from a guy at Surly.
Don’t grease spokes
Greasing spokes and nipples is good advice to prevent the joints from seizing up. The problem with grease is it does allow the joint to loosen when put in service.
A shop wrench at a LBS introduced me to Spoke Prep from Wheelsmith (there’s a similar product from a competing company but I don’t remember the brand). Spoke Prep will prevent the spoke/nipple from seizing up but also prevents the nipple from loosening.
It’s expensive stuff for a tiny container but you don’t need much. If you’re going to go through the trouble of truing a wheel, pre-loading it throughout the build process, getting the perfect dish, making it round and dialing in the lateral clearances, you don’t want it going out of true after putting it into service.
I wouldn’t build a wheel without it.
Hey Ben, I’d keep the mountain wheel for the rare times I’d want to use it for muni. I now ride the 29er 2 miles a day to the Y for workouts at lunch, but all on sidewalks, that’s why I want the urban rim. The current whell is way overkill.
Wheelsmith spoke prep does what it says, and does it well. I never use it.
I use grease on the rim where the nipples seat, and dip the spoke threads in boiled linseed oil. The linseed oil lubes the threads, and becomes a releasable thread lock as it cures. The main advantage over the Wheelsmith prep is the cost. A quart of Boiled Linseed Oil is a few dollars at the hardware store.
I built wheels at a bike shop for 10 years, and never had a wheel come back with loose spokes. Not once. In my experience the linseed oil works as well as the WS Spokeprep. Spokeprep is a little tidier to use, but if you clean your work after the build it’s no real difference anyway.
I thought you didn’t need to use a thread locker on your spokes, as if the wheel is properly tensioned and stress relieved, it won’t loosen, and now when the wheel eventually needs touch up truing, you’re fighting the thread locker? Is this a myth? I considered boiled linseed oil but ended up going with Tri-flow.
Triflow works really well, and I’ve built many, many wheels with it. I started using linseed oil a few years ago because I think it does a better job lubing in the long term. The thread locker effect isn’t really like loctite. It’s more like it gets stickier. I’ve never felt like I had to overcome the linseed oil when I was truing a wheel. I certainly wouldn’t use any commercial thread locker on spokes. The threads are so fine that it would be like glue.
No, they don’t loosen over time, I have built many wheels with grease or chain lube on spoke heads for years, it keeps the threads from seizing and makes it easier to true. The only way a spoke would come loose is if it was way undertensioned.
I have some parafin based “dry lube” that I use, I lay the spokes out and drag the lube bead across the threads then wipe off the excess. It doesn’t take much, just a little on the threas to keep the water out and to prevent corrosion.
If you were riding in a competitive “high stress” environment when your wheels are highly stress, i.e. DH racing, then something that locks the nips would be a good idea, but none of us are in that environment.
Linseed oil is a good idea.
How is it holding up so far? I’m thinking about getting one to replace the Innova that came on my Trainer. The tread looks really thin, but I suppose that isn’t an issue if the rubber wears well. My Innova was wearing smooth in the center at 6 months.