Noticed my wheel was out of true this afternoon, so I broke out my new truing stand (from Xmas - first use) to try and fix it. I must have been using the wrong size spoke wrench, because I stripped the flats on the spoke nipple (and actually broke off the flats on 2 sides!).
Any suggestions?
You’ve got a couple of options. The cheap way to get it is with a pair of vice grips. You can also take the tyre off and get at it from the other side with a thin-bladed slot screwdriver. If you plan on building wheels, you may want to get a spoke nipple driver - essentially a screwdriver that’s been tweaked for the purpose.
Stripping and breaking nipples is easy if they are aluminum. You should be able to remove the tire, tube, and rim strip and use a straight screwdriver on the end embedded in the rim, assuming a conventional wheel. What kind of wheel is this, anyways?
If you don’t want to pull the tire, you can also try the Park version of vice grips:
http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=16&item=SW-10
If you’re careful you may be able to put off replacing the nipple until there’s a convenient time.
Naaa…a stripped nipple needs to go, take them out and replace them.
Khai,
I prefer the one that looks like a torpedo and fits in the cordless drill. You set the depth for the spoke end to push the driver blade off the nipple. Boy is this the easy way! No tired wrist with the bent offset screwdriver thingy.