Advantages of 6 bolt disc hubs over CenterLock?
#1
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Advantages of 6 bolt disc hubs over CenterLock?
I was wondering what folks preferences are for mounting brake rotors - 6 bolt or Centerlock?
I’m simultaneously building up 2 disc brake road bikes and I only have one wheelset right now - a Mavic Cosmic centerlock disc with 12mm through axles front and rear. I like the clean look of the centerlock and the simplicity of the design.
For the second bike’s wheelset I was considering other options and skipping the centerlock hubs and building up a wheelset with 12mm through axles front and rear but bolt on rotors instead.
Advantages I’m seeing are : 1) potentially lower cost - I have been seeing some deals out there for Industry 9 and Stan’s hubs at affordable clearance pricing. 2) Ability to use 3rd party rotors that are often much more affordable than Shimano. Sometimes these rotors are offered in the 25-30$ range. I will be running 160mm front, 140mm rear on one bike and 160mm front & rear on the other bike.
Disadvantages of 6 bolt (that I see): 1) an older design that is perhaps being phased out, 2) more fussy installation of having to fool around with the hardware.
I’m using Columbus Futura disc forks on both bikes. I test fitted a White Industries CLD (centerlock disc) hub to the fork and have a clearance issue with the external centerlock lockring hitting the fork. The road lockring that uses a spline tool was also a no-go since the White Industries axle is too fat.
I wasn’t sure if 6 bolt brake rotors have any clearance issues like that.
Am am awaiting your comments. BTW: I’ll most likely still move ahead with a custom wheel build using White Industries CLD 12mm through axle front and rear hubs in a 24 front/28 rear configuration. My LBS wheelbuilder is going to build these up onto Velocity Aileron polished disc tubeless ready rims 24 front, 28 rear in a 2 cross spoke configuration with DT Swiss stainless steel (silver) butted spokes and blue anodized aluminum spoke nipples to match the blue anodized hubset.
I’m simultaneously building up 2 disc brake road bikes and I only have one wheelset right now - a Mavic Cosmic centerlock disc with 12mm through axles front and rear. I like the clean look of the centerlock and the simplicity of the design.
For the second bike’s wheelset I was considering other options and skipping the centerlock hubs and building up a wheelset with 12mm through axles front and rear but bolt on rotors instead.
Advantages I’m seeing are : 1) potentially lower cost - I have been seeing some deals out there for Industry 9 and Stan’s hubs at affordable clearance pricing. 2) Ability to use 3rd party rotors that are often much more affordable than Shimano. Sometimes these rotors are offered in the 25-30$ range. I will be running 160mm front, 140mm rear on one bike and 160mm front & rear on the other bike.
Disadvantages of 6 bolt (that I see): 1) an older design that is perhaps being phased out, 2) more fussy installation of having to fool around with the hardware.
I’m using Columbus Futura disc forks on both bikes. I test fitted a White Industries CLD (centerlock disc) hub to the fork and have a clearance issue with the external centerlock lockring hitting the fork. The road lockring that uses a spline tool was also a no-go since the White Industries axle is too fat.
I wasn’t sure if 6 bolt brake rotors have any clearance issues like that.
Am am awaiting your comments. BTW: I’ll most likely still move ahead with a custom wheel build using White Industries CLD 12mm through axle front and rear hubs in a 24 front/28 rear configuration. My LBS wheelbuilder is going to build these up onto Velocity Aileron polished disc tubeless ready rims 24 front, 28 rear in a 2 cross spoke configuration with DT Swiss stainless steel (silver) butted spokes and blue anodized aluminum spoke nipples to match the blue anodized hubset.
Last edited by masi61; 09-29-19 at 12:19 PM.
#2
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Bolt on disks haven't phased out in motorcycles since the 60s/70s ... if center lock worked better you'd think they would use it. Bringing a 300kg machine/rider down from 300kph speed you would think they would know better than use a "phased out design".
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Centerlock has 5 few fasteners to worry about torquing properly, and you get Shimano's swanky Ice-Tech rotors....given that Campag has licensed Centerlock I suspect ISO isn't long for this world.
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I now have both and there really isn't a difference once the rotor is mounted.
What I do see as tangible differences...
Centerlock is way easier to mount/remove.
Soft steel bolts on 6bolt are frustrating(vs quality steel).
What I do see as tangible differences...
Centerlock is way easier to mount/remove.
Soft steel bolts on 6bolt are frustrating(vs quality steel).
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If a centerlock rotor works itself loose mid-ride, not many will carry the tool needed to tighten it.
A 6-bolt can be snugged up with a Torx found on most multi-tools.
OTOH, with the right tool, swapping out a centerlock rotor is faster than swapping out a 6-bolt.
You can fit a 6-bolt rotor onto a centerlock hub using an adapter.
No adapter available to fit a centerlock rotor onto a 6-bolt hub.
I guess for 98% of the time, I’ll be equally happy with either system.
A 6-bolt can be snugged up with a Torx found on most multi-tools.
OTOH, with the right tool, swapping out a centerlock rotor is faster than swapping out a 6-bolt.
You can fit a 6-bolt rotor onto a centerlock hub using an adapter.
No adapter available to fit a centerlock rotor onto a 6-bolt hub.
I guess for 98% of the time, I’ll be equally happy with either system.
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Along those lines, I also dont care what type of gearing a recumbent rider uses.
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#10
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WTH is this rotor "stiffness" thing that you are trying to describe anyway?
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There really is no difference. CL is just easier because you don't have to worry about torquing bolts which is important. My gravel wheels are CL but I use 6 bolt rotors with the adapters. Haven't noticed any difference.
#12
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I have used both, but mostly 6 bolt. I have never had a 6 bolt installation come loose, the ones I've seen all have locking tabs on the bolts.
I have had a CL disc on a front Mavic hub come loose on a ride (with lots of steep down hill remaining) and managed to get it tight enough to get home with the needle nose ends of the pliers on a multi tool. It may have not been torqued tight enough the first time, but I re-torqued it and it did come loose again, but just one more time. It never happened on the rear hub or other bikes I have had with CL brakes.
I have had a CL disc on a front Mavic hub come loose on a ride (with lots of steep down hill remaining) and managed to get it tight enough to get home with the needle nose ends of the pliers on a multi tool. It may have not been torqued tight enough the first time, but I re-torqued it and it did come loose again, but just one more time. It never happened on the rear hub or other bikes I have had with CL brakes.
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I have used both, but mostly 6 bolt. I have never had a 6 bolt installation come loose, the ones I've seen all have locking tabs on the bolts.
I have had a CL disc on a front Mavic hub come loose on a ride (with lots of steep down hill remaining) and managed to get it tight enough to get home with the needle nose ends of the pliers on a multi tool. It may have not been torqued tight enough the first time, but I re-torqued it and it did come loose again, but just one more time. It never happened on the rear hub or other bikes I have had with CL brakes.
I have had a CL disc on a front Mavic hub come loose on a ride (with lots of steep down hill remaining) and managed to get it tight enough to get home with the needle nose ends of the pliers on a multi tool. It may have not been torqued tight enough the first time, but I re-torqued it and it did come loose again, but just one more time. It never happened on the rear hub or other bikes I have had with CL brakes.
Hint...that lockring and your cassette lockring have the same torque spec, and neither should ever come loose. AKA 40Nm. It doesn't just come loose on its own--unless woefully under-torqued.
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I have used both, but mostly 6 bolt. I have never had a 6 bolt installation come loose, the ones I've seen all have locking tabs on the bolts.
I have had a CL disc on a front Mavic hub come loose on a ride (with lots of steep down hill remaining) and managed to get it tight enough to get home with the needle nose ends of the pliers on a multi tool. It may have not been torqued tight enough the first time, but I re-torqued it and it did come loose again, but just one more time. It never happened on the rear hub or other bikes I have had with CL brakes.
I have had a CL disc on a front Mavic hub come loose on a ride (with lots of steep down hill remaining) and managed to get it tight enough to get home with the needle nose ends of the pliers on a multi tool. It may have not been torqued tight enough the first time, but I re-torqued it and it did come loose again, but just one more time. It never happened on the rear hub or other bikes I have had with CL brakes.
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#16
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That could be the case the first time, but not the second. It never happened on the rear, or a third time on the front and that was some time ago.
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I really like the disc choices of 6 bolt. I can go 140, change my mind to 160, decide I want 180 floating, all for very small $.
For traveling, it is unbelievable how much easier the centerlock is to deal with. ( I remove the discs for packing)
For traveling, it is unbelievable how much easier the centerlock is to deal with. ( I remove the discs for packing)
#18
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If you have CL hubs, you can run CL or get an adapter and run 6b as well.
If you have 6b you can only run 6b.
If you have 6b you can only run 6b.
#19
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Just wondering if you can add spacers/shims to CL so that you can swap wheel sets without adjusting your brake calipers? I have and use 6 bolt shims to match wheel set spacing of rotors.
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I don’t see 6-bolt being phased out. Centerlock has been around for quite a while. If it were going to push out 6-bolt, I think it would have already done so.
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Last edited by trailangel; 10-10-19 at 05:28 AM.