The Big Wheel

I bought a cargo bike online and had it shipped. I took the unopened box to a local bike shop to assemble. The bike shop calls me and tells me the that the front spoke is missing a nipple. I emailed the company that I bought the bike from to send me either a brand new wheel or nipple but haven't heard back from them. I can't ride the bike home from the bike shop because the wheel is not secure. I can't put the bike on a car cargo rack because it's 60 pounds and is like 7 feet long. The bike shop doesn't have nipples that large to put on the spoke.


I'm screwed.


How does a bike loose a nipple?
Should the company send me a brand new wheel or just the nipple?
I don't understand how a spoke could lose a nipple.
Should I place another order for same cargo bike, switch the wheels, and return the new bike?

It's been almost a month since I bought the bike and still haven't ridden it even once.

cyccommute 

The spoke nipple isn’t “missing”. It’s missing the flare that keeps it in the hole in the rim. Looking at the picture, it looks to me like it may not have been made right. In other words, the shoulder wasn’t ever put on the nipple and the nipple was used anyway. It’s likely just a quality control issue on the spoke nipples but it shouldn’t cause any other problem. Replace it and look to see if any other nipple are missing the shoulders. I doubt they will be but it would be best to check.

nomadmax 

If your bike shop can't find and install a new spoke nipple or a new spoke with a nipple they do have, you need a different bike shop. Personally, I'd favor a repair over shipping a bike back for an exchange; better the devil you know than the devil you don't. If I wanted a full refund and it was within the rights of my purchase agreement, then I'd send it back.

FolderBeholder

The nipple is broken. My guess it the flare is rolling around inside the rim.

My new TokyoBike Mini Velo arrived with the EXACT same problem....essentially a packaging shortcoming.

Since I didnt opt for an LBS to unbox and assemble it, I snagged a nipple off of a wheel I have laying around and not using and Im good to go.

But...1) How does a LBS NOT have a spoke nipple of the needed size available? And how does the online seller of the bike NOT reply in a timely fashion. (Hint, the threat of a credit card charge dispute for the bicycle purchase usually gets their attention)

RGMN

Take the wheel to a motorcycle shop and see if they have a nipple that will fit. I've seen other cargo bikes that use oversize spokes that turned out to be the same gauge as motorcycle spokes.

FolderBeholder

You could refer to the specifications on the bike as the website (hopefully) list the spoke gauge used in the specs.

Armed with THAT knowledge, call some other LBS’ and ask if they have have “X” size spoke nipples (they should have a wide range of them, any self-respecting shop should anyway...) and go get one. Take it to the shop you originally hired and get it finished up, and OTR.

Take it up with the seller when all is said and done.

cyccommute 

I disagree with the idea that bike shops are going to have a wide range of spoke nipple sizes. 99.9995% of bicycles are going to come with 2.0mm spokes (14 gauge). 99% of them are going to be straight gauge. Bike shops have nipples for 2.0mm spokes and will probably only have that size. You might be lucky enough to find a spoke nipple for a 1.8mm spoke but that is doubtful. A 2.3mm spoke (13gauge) just isn’t something that you run across all that often in a bike shop.

The Big Wheel: You can find 13 gauge spokes on line for $0.50 to $1 each. Buy several.

FolderBeholder

You stated the nipple was “made incorrectly” which I disagree with, based on my own recent, actual experience with an identically bent spoke, and broken nipple right out of the box. It was broken during shipping, not mis-manufactured.

That said, I’m no expert but given the very wide (and getting wider every day) array of bicycle types and niche categories these days it’s super unreasonable to expect that all use the same spoke gauge across a very broad spectrum of bicycles.

Any bicycle shop that claims otherwise, or doesn’t anticipate needing/stocking this most basic part variant for a NUMBER of different variations is one which will fail they way of many other B&M shops have, yielding to the internet.

My response that any self-respecting LBS should have a variety of these in stock in different sizes refers to a LBS who intends to remain in business DESPITE pressure from the internet, by providing a value added service on a local level.

OP’s situation is either an LBS which doesn’t “get this” or has an inherent issue with servicing internet products. Or both.

cyccommute 

I’ve seen a number of broken spoke nipples and a number of broken rims. A spoke wouldn’t pull out like that one without also damaging the hole in the rim. The brass is stronger than the aluminum. The Big Wheel’s picture doesn’t show any kind of damage to the rim which I would expect if the spoke pulled through the rim.

Spoke nipples of different sizes other than those used on 2mm spokes are so rare that even the wholesaler, Quality Bicycle Products, doesn’t carry them. Expecting a bike shop to carry a part that they may never see a need for is asking too much of small businesses. As others have said, a motorcycle shop may have 13 gauge nipples but I rather doubt it. From what I can see they use 8 gauge spokes.

There just not that many bikes with spokes of that size made. I see hundreds of bicycle wheels every year at my local co-op. I’ve worked there for 10 years and I’ve seen only a couple of wheels with 13 gauge spokes.

shelbyfv

If your bike shop can't get a spoke nipple, that may be the tip of the iceberg of problems with the bike. Send it back and ask the bike shop for advice on a similar bike that uses normal parts.

JonathanGennick 

What brand and model bike? Do we know for sure that the nipple is an odd size? Did the bike shop even try to source one?

indyfabz

Its been a month and you haven't heard back? I would try to contact the seller again. If you don't hear back I would say you are screwed in terms of getting satisfaction from the seller unless you dispute the charge with your credit card company.

dabac

All rims, spokes and nipples aren't created equal. Rim damage from shearing the flange off a nipple is by no means guaranteed. I've probably come across a dozen or so with that kind of nipple damage and no (obvious) rim damage over they years.

Then again, I've seen some department-store, single-wall rims with a strength of assembly comparable to sewing buttons to cheese.....

Wilfred Laurier

It is not feasible that the wheel was assembled with a nipple with no head on it. Wheels are assembled first by putting the nipple in the hole in the rim then doing the initial tightening onto the spoke using the screwdriver flat on the nipple head. If the nipple had no head, the nipple would not have been able to be screwed on to the spoke. Obviously this nipple was defective and broke (under much less force than normal) after assembly.

MikeyMK

There are a few sizes of spoke/nipple between bicycle and Moped, i think conventional bike is 14-guage (2mm) but i used like 12G at 2.6mm for my latest e-wheel. 13 is about 2.3mm afaik and yours is probably that.

A good LBS should have spares or at least be able to get them. One who just says they can't.. well that's not really an LBS imo. Where is this place, Walmart..?!

dagray

That is the brand new nippleless spoke design. Designed so that when it gets cold you have no hardening and protruding of the nipple.

cyccommute 

A nipple with a malformed head could be used to assemble a wheel. These are likely to be machine built and the machine wouldn't notice. What is shown in the picture is enough of a shoulder to catch the lip of the spoke hole. But once tensioning started, the spoke could be easily pulled through the spoke hole without damaging the rim.

Moe Zhoost

If you have a nearby shop that sells or services e-bikes they could probably fit you up. E-bike wheels seem to have either 12 or 13g spokes.

MikeyMK

How is a machine gonna spin a nipple onto the spoke if there's no cross-head..?

MikeyMK

Why they'd use a 13g spoke and single-wall rim though, is beyond me. Must be a strong alloy...

Drew Eckhardt 

It looks like it broke or was defective.

A nipple would be fine, although you'll need a motorcycle spoke wrench.

While I won't recommend doing so, when I rode a set of wheels made by someone else and broke 1 of 32 spokes I made the 700C wheel true and rode it for a few months.

MikeyMK

Yeah i discovered a snapped spoke on an old mountain bike once, whilst i was cleaning it. No idea how long it'd been snapped for. It was gone at the hub so the other spokes were holding it in place. Had probably been snapped for hundreds of miles...

smarkinson

Go to bike shop.

Collect wheel.

Take to another bike shop and ask them if they can fix it, if not ask them what gauge nipple you need. Order nipple either through bike shop or online. Return to original bike shop and give them nipple and wheel and tell them to fix it.

Sweet mother of Satan, how can the people who run this bike shop and the people who sold this bike be so utterly clueless about rudimentary maintenance and customer service?

FolderBeholder

Exactly!