A customer dropped off the front wheel from an R-SYS Premium (a high-end wheel set).
They wanted the spoke nipple to be replaced,
but the concrete nature of their request made it obvious that the front hub was making a strange noise.
Before that, I checked the wheel's temporary center. It was way off.
Tightening it back to center wasn't going to be enough
because the spoke tension was generally very loose throughout.
↑Just squeezing the spokes lightly produces a creaking noise.
In the image above, the gap between the spoke head and hub hole
has visibly changed—clearly showing deformation.
→ → →
← ← ←
The spoke nipple spins freely by hand.
If there wasn't that red stopper, it would spin right off.
The contact area where the spoke head meets it is not a "point".
And the spoke head is extremely worn.
It's rare to see this much flat surface wear.
After tensioning the spokes as much as possible, I managed to get
a new spoke nipple pressed in without it spinning after installation.
During the initial spoke tension check, aside from the hub noise,
I noticed one spoke making a creaking sound—
it had a crack near the nipple.
Of course, I replaced it.
It broke.
Unlike the original generation spokes, this one doesn't delaminate—
it fractures.
It's filled with Kevlar fiber inside.
They wanted the spoke nipple to be replaced,
but the concrete nature of their request made it obvious that the front hub was making a strange noise.
Before that, I checked the wheel's temporary center. It was way off.
Tightening it back to center wasn't going to be enough
because the spoke tension was generally very loose throughout.
↑Just squeezing the spokes lightly produces a creaking noise.
In the image above, the gap between the spoke head and hub hole
has visibly changed—clearly showing deformation.
→ → →
← ← ←
The spoke nipple spins freely by hand.
If there wasn't that red stopper, it would spin right off.
The contact area where the spoke head meets it is not a "point".
And the spoke head is extremely worn.
It's rare to see this much flat surface wear.
After tensioning the spokes as much as possible, I managed to get
a new spoke nipple pressed in without it spinning after installation.
During the initial spoke tension check, aside from the hub noise,
I noticed one spoke making a creaking sound—
it had a crack near the nipple.
Of course, I replaced it.
It broke.
Unlike the original generation spokes, this one doesn't delaminate—
it fractures.
It's filled with Kevlar fiber inside.