Brass is the way for carbon rims. Particularly if you're running black as another user pointed out. It's that whole galvanic corrosion thing that's worse with carbon on aluminum despite Sapim's fancy coating. [This article here](https://www.lightbicycle.com/newsletter/Brass-Nipples-vs-Alloy-Nipples.html) talks about that specific problem, but the important bit in it is:[](https://www.lightbicycle.com/newsletter/Brass-Nipples-vs-Alloy-Nipples.html "This article here")
"In most cases, brass nipples won’t corrode as much as aluminum nipples. There is more galvanic corrosion between carbon and aluminum so only high-quality aluminum nipples should be used. Sapim’s high-end aluminum nipples have a special corrosion treatment and their salt spray tests show better results than brass nickel plated nipples."
March 8, 2023, 8:41 a.m. - andrewcashew
Brass is the way for carbon rims. Particularly if you're running black as another user pointed out. It's that whole galvanic corrosion thing that's worse with carbon on aluminum despite Sapim's fancy coating. [This article here](https://www.lightbicycle.com/newsletter/Brass-Nipples-vs-Alloy-Nipples.html) talks about that specific problem, but the important bit in it is:[](https://www.lightbicycle.com/newsletter/Brass-Nipples-vs-Alloy-Nipples.html "This article here") "In most cases, brass nipples won’t corrode as much as aluminum nipples. There is more galvanic corrosion between carbon and aluminum so only high-quality aluminum nipples should be used. Sapim’s high-end aluminum nipples have a special corrosion treatment and their salt spray tests show better results than brass nickel plated nipples."