Superglued nipples and spokes - removal?

Author	Message

Thick-as-a-Brick

O+

Posted: May 17, 2020 at 14:12

Quote

I'm trying to replace a rim on a Fulcrum wheel, but it's nearly impossible to get the nipples off. I succeeded in turning a few of the nipples and then I see there is some black hard stuff cracking around the spoke threads, almost like superglue or varnish. As soon as this varnish has cracked, the nipple is turning like normal.

How do I get this s##t off? Heating or some chemical? How do I heat it and how much?

anoplura

Posted: May 17, 2020 at 20:47

Quote

I couldn't find any info on what kind of glue Fulcrum uses/used, but it pretty unlikely that it was a thermo-plastic adhesive, so I don't expect that heating it up would help.*

More likely, the glue is a type of epoxy. If you're lucky and it's a weak epoxy, then a good soak in 90+% isopropyl alcohol will break the nipples free.

If that doesn't work, then you'll need to use chemicals that are likely to damage the nipples, and possibly even the spokes. In that case you are better off just cutting out the spokes and nipples and replacing them.

*For the armchair engineers out there: Yes, you could heat the nipples to the point where the difference in thermal expansion between the spoke and nipple are enough to break the bond, but that would definitely effect the temper of the spokes, making them significantly weaker. You'd also run a high risk of warping the nipples, making them unusable.

RunsWithScissors

Posted: May 18, 2020 at 7:48	Quote
You're probably better off just building a new wheel. Even if you get everything apart and back together it's still a wheel built on a used Fulcrum hub. Seems like a lot of work for what you wind up with under the best of circumstances. Lace a Hope hub to a Spank Oozy rim and you'll have something both durable and worth servicing when you kill the Spank rim.

cmcrawfo

Posted: May 18, 2020 at 8:50	Quote
Sounds like you should just look a for replacement wheel. Rim is broken. Spokes need to be cut to be removed . Only remaining viable part is a substandard hub.

lance-h

O+ FL

Posted: Jun 5, 2020 at 20:26	Quote
Cut the spokes and replace rims and spokes.

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