Being a weight weenie-- aluminum nipples still considered bad? CX-Sprint vs. CX-Ray?

[ppg677]

You can´t build a weightweenie wheelset and use such parts:) I don´t know what is your weight and how many watts you can produce but you build your wheelset very conservatively. You take an aero rim and put there 28 spokes (I don´t know about any branded manufacturer using that nowadays). And you think about brass nipples (is it a cyclocross or winter wheelset?) and heavy spokes...

I weigh 95kg. The Shimano hubs cost me about 100 grams compared to something like DT 240.

Building 28/28 versus 24/20 costs me about another 60 grams.

Yes it all adds up. I did order 42 Cx-Ray spokes and 14 Cx-Sprint.

I also ordered brass nipples but am still wondering if I should just go alloy to save 40 grams!! Because that's almost equivalent to the extra weight from the additional spokes!

I don´t ride when it is sub zero on salty roads so I would choose aluminium. It is a good standard for high end wheelset.

I just did a winter ride yesterday, but I always wipe down my bike afterwards.

Good point that high-end wheelsets from manufacturers like Zipp are using aluminum

[satanas]

Where I live there's no snow or road salt, and I have wheels 30+ years old with the original alu nipples still intact. Unless conditions are horrible or the wheels perhaps see lots of indoor trainer time IME alu nipples are fine. However, having said that I'd be reluctant to use them on the RHS of any heavily dished rear wheel as if truing is needed they can round off much more easily than brass; so, alu front + left rear, but brass right rear. Alu on the RH rear can be okay too, depending on in what order the spokes are tensioned when building, and whether serious truing is needed. YMMV.