6 bolt or centre lock wheel build?

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This topic has 16 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by philjunior.

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6 bolt or centre lock wheel build?
jacob46
Free Member

Having sum wheels built for my road bike. The options are 6 bolt or centre lock? I notice shimano top of the range rotors are centre lock.

Posted 8 years ago

PeterPoddy
Free Member

Given the choice I’d go for centre lock. Easier to fit, no bolts to seize or strip.

Posted 8 years ago

rocketman
Free Member

Having aquired some centrelocks on a new bike, given the choice I would never buy 6 bolt hubs again

Posted 8 years ago

Fresh Goods Friday 700 - The censored edition

mikewsmith
Free Member

Personally not a fan as I travel a lot, don’t need to be carrying extra tools. A decent t25 tool and some common sense works fine.

Posted 8 years ago

Frankenstein
Free Member

I started with centre-locks.

Recently used 6 bolt.

Would use centre-locks again in future as most of my bikes have these so I can switch around.

Fit and forget. Also noticed my 6 bolts alsways needed aligning, something I’ve never had to do with CL. Maybe the spider helps?

Posted 8 years ago

jonnytheleyther
Free Member

Centre Lock here too.

Posted 8 years ago

eshershore
Free Member

Shimano only make their smallest diameter top end rotors in centre lock, best choice for road cycling to manage heat loads

Posted 8 years ago

gonzy
Free Member

i have 2 pairs of wheels…using both styles of rotor fitments. i cnt say that i’ve noticed nay performance difference between them. the only real advantage the centrelock ones have is that they are really easy to remove/fit

Posted 8 years ago

jimw
Free Member

Centrelock gives the widest choice of rotor as most* six bolt rotors will fit with adaptors.

*not Hope Floating rotors or 6-bolt Shimano with spiders IIRC

Posted 8 years ago

peekay
Full Member

I have both. Centre lock is much easier if faffing at home, but I once had an off that put a big crease in my rear rotor that prevented the rear wheel from spinning . Luckily it was six bolt so could remove the rotor with my multi tool.
If I had have been on the other wheels then I would have either had to remove the caliper and try and bend the rotor enough so the wheel would spin, or carry the bike home.

(but given the choice I would have centrelock as the caliper bending incident is unlikely to happen regularly)

Posted 8 years ago

hatter
Full Member

I’d go Centrelock, you can always adapt a CL hub to take a 6-bolt rotor, you can’t do it the other way round.

the only exception is if you’re a mega-gnarr Enduro dude and want to run a 20 mm front axle, as they don’t play that nicely with Centrelock.

Posted 8 years ago

shermer75
Free Member

Much prefer centre lock because they are quicker to fit and remove

Posted 8 years ago

jacob46
Free Member

Thanks everyone for your help. Ct it is.

Posted 8 years ago

Northwind
Full Member

Prefer 6 bolt tbh- more choice, better interchangability, you’re guaranteed to find them in any bike shop and you can fit them with most multitools. Yes you can fit 6-bolt to a CL hub with an adaptor, if you have one, but that’s not always very helpful.

But my new fatbike hubs are centrelock and I’m not stressed about it. CL’s a really good system ime, it just lacks the ubiquity of 6 bolt.

Posted 8 years ago

gonzy
Free Member

the only exception is if you’re a mega-gnarr Enduro dude and want to run a 20 mm front axle, as they don’t play that nicely with Centrelock.

eh?? i have a front zee hub on a 20mm axle and an XT icetech C/L rotor….all works fine

Posted 8 years ago

xico
Free Member

Centrelock every time for me.

Posted 8 years ago

philjunior
Free Member

Is it too late to add a vote for Centrelock? I did think WTF at the time they came out, but when faffing with wheels it does save so much time to undo one lockring than 6 bolts (currently 1 centrelock wheel and several on 6 bolt), providing all else is equal.

(If I bent a rotor, which I have never done beyond anything that creates an annoying pinging, I would imagine I could force it back into shape enough to get me home)

Posted 8 years ago