[Note: this is #3 in a series of tips to be published during 2009.]

Spoke wind up, twisting from end to end as the nipple is turned, is a serious menace to wheel building; blurring truing corrections and damaging a spoke at its weak points. Everyone deserves to understand the reasons why and how to stop it.

Why do spokes twist?
The main reason is friction between nipple and spoke. You turn the nipple but does it advance on the threads or twist the spoke? With aluminum nipples, the friction coefficient is high (compared to brass, the traditional nipple material). Even with lubrication, the spoke still wants to twist. Read more →