Tell me about centre lock disc brakes

Can any rotor be changed to centre lock

What are the advantages – for me its the ease of removing and replacing for plane travel

Are there any disadvantages?

Thanks

rotors have the centrelock part built in OR you can buy centrelock to 6 bolt converters, meaning you still only have one huge lock ring to remove. But obviously.. you need centrelock hubs to make use of them

6 bolt can be used with an adapter to work on centre lock hubs but not vice versa. No real disadvantages. I have both and they both work fine. If you want a centre lock specific rotor then there tends to be less choice and usually cost more.

What are the advantages – for me its the ease of removing and replacing for plane travel

That’s sometimes slightly more irritating with CL, because you need to have an extra tool.

Sometimes 2, as not all centre lockrings are the same.

It’s usually a cassette tool so you should already have one. Far less likely to get seized or rounded than one of the bolts in a six bolt. I have a mix of both, can’t say I prefer one over the other but 6 bolt are far more readily available

Or a BB tool.

Centrelock is faster to swap if you have the tool (and if you care)

It’s usually a cassette tool so you should already have one.

Over about a dozen wheels, I’ve had a fairly even spread of internal (cassette type) and external (bottom bracket type) lockrings.

The point wasn’t so much owning the tool already, so much as having to remember about it for flying.

Sorry if this is a stupid question:

why do you need to remove the rotor for plane travel?

I haven’t in the past and I have flown dozens of times with no issues but when I look on YouTube how to pack a bike they all recommend removing discs. I might leave them on and take a spare pair of rotors – lazy but easy!

why do you need to remove the rotor for plane travel?

Often they’re facing outwards (especially rear wheels), so if it’s in a soft case they can get bent pretty easily – doesn’t take too much to put a rotor out of true enough to be annoying.

Centrelock tools for through axles are usually the same as either a cassette tool or a bottom bracket tool, so no real hardship. I only use lockrings which use the BB tool.  I’ve got both CL and 6bolt,  CL are easier to fit and remove.  CL are more expensive. I really don’t care, but more of my wheels are CL, so would probably go that way.

From my experience, if you ding a rotor on holiday and need a spare then you have more chance of getting a 6-bolt than a centre lock.

Also, small issue but a bb tool is larger and heavier than a T25 if you are struggling with airline luggage weight limits.

Big advantage with CL is the discs and wheels on sale are mostly CL, so you can get them cheaper 🙂

My Cannondale ebike had 6 bolt front wheel CL rear! I had no idea til I upgraded the wheels.

I find CL a more elegant solution, even if the lock ring came undone, the rotor hasn’t enough room to slide off, so a very safe design.

Big advantage with CL is the discs and wheels on sale are mostly CL

Wheels yes, discs no, IME

It’s usually a cassette tool so you should already have one. Far less likely to get seized or rounded than one of the bolts in a six bolt. I have a mix of both, can’t say I prefer one over the other but 6 bolt are far more readily available

the default seems to be cassette tool. this doesnt work on 15mm axles. (at least mine didnt).

swapped both to BB tool for ease of travel.

Wheels yes, discs no, IME

I  know you just enjoy disagreeing with me and I can’t be arsed to check so, ok just the wheels, not the rotors which are always way more expensive than 6 bolt everywhere.

Any recommendations for CL discs?  I’ve some new wheels on order and haven’t had CL before.

Planning to go for these as a mid-range fit and forget option.  Anything else I should consider?

Shimano SLX SM-RT64 Centre Lock Disc Brake Rotor

I find CL a more elegant solution, even if the lock ring came undone, the rotor hasn’t enough room to slide off, so a very safe design.

I think CL is a neater solution too, but you’d have to be incredibly unlucky to have enough bolts fail on a 6 bolt rotor to be an issue.

@verses https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-xt-mt800-ice-tec-centrelock-rotor-180696.html  £20 for 140/180mm

Got a pair on my VEL 50 RL road wheels, even though they are officially mtb rotors.