I upgraded my OEM wheels (upgrade wheels are nearly always Centerlock) and I bought DT Swiss Centerlock adapters as a way to reuse my OEM 6-bolt rotors AND to provide future access to the large variety of inexpensive 6-bolt rotors available. I’m having some doubt though about these adapters being the right way to go. I’m still well within the free return period so I’d like to hear thoughts and experiences from others.
Those are super nice, but all 6-bolt adapters are basically the same and all work fine and have done so since like 2003. What's wrong with them in your eyes? The only thing I don't like about them are the CL lockrings.... the internally notched ones (like Shimanos) look nice. You might not have the tool for the external ones.
One caution - for some reason the lockring isn't part of the hub or the disc. I think only Shimano, Hope, and a few other large companies set Lockrings. Otherwise you need to buy a 6-bolt adapter anyway to get a lock ring. When you get a lockring, make sure it has the silver washer/spacer in it. On those DT swiss hubs, the rotor will move around a bit without it.
Shimano makes Centerlock adapters too but, oddly, they require 6-bolts AND a Centerlock cap which seems ill-conceived.
What's wrong with them in your eyes? The only thing I don't like about them are the CL lockrings.... the internally notched ones (like Shimanos) look nice. You might not have the tool for the external ones.
I have the tools to torque Centerlock rings with either internal or external flutes so that’s not an issue. In the interest of costs, I was willing to forego my preference for a rotor with a large alloy spider. However, on my hubs at least, the DT Swiss adapter lock rings required higher torque than specified before they would firmly grip the rotors. THAT was alarming - perhaps just an issue with my hubs, don’t know.
My Shimano R4770 calipers take any narrow-track rotor and the RT-MT800 rotors look ideal for my purposes with a large 4 arm alloy spider. The price of $56 each is much too high though (and on YouTube I’ve seen issues with delaminated Ice-Tech rotors). I guess I’ll stick with 6-bolt rotors then and sort out the torquing issue.
1) if you’re getting torque on the bolt, the head is fully seat and isn’t going to seat any more. You were probably putting more preload on the hub end cap/ bearings.
2) that lateral play might be in there by design to prevent the rotor from warping (actual warping) as the rotor heats up. Radial play is a problem though. All the rotors are basically the same thickness, so you’ve got nothing unique going on
3) if something is off, you can shim the rotor or the CL interface.
I've never had any issues using the adapters. One thing I will mention that I didn't see listed above - I wouldn't use the Shimano lockrings unless the DT ones weren't available (or if I had Shimano hubs, but come on). The reason is the threading pitch is ever so slightly different between the two. The DT threading is more standard and will fit perfectly on DT and other hubs.
As a caution I just went through getting CL adapters for my rotors, The only ones available in town were Alligator: https://www.alligatorcables.com/center-lock-adapter.html (HK-CLA02-AS-DIY), They worked great in terms of mounting up and fitting onto the hubs (on Mavic AllRoad S), However went mounted up I noticed the front tire wasn't spinning well which I assumed to be rotor/caliper alignment, after fussing with that a bit I discovered the actual issue was the lock ring was rubbing against the fork, I ended up just buying a new set of rotors as I couldn't find the other style of lock ring.
Just something to watch for with the adapters/lockrings, I suspect this issue would have existed with any of the lockings that use the external style interface.
franklyadam wrote:........I discovered the actual issue was the lock ring was rubbing against the fork, I ended up just buying a new set of rotors as I couldn't find the other style of lock ring.
Just something to watch for with the adapters/lockrings, I suspect this issue would have existed with any of the lockings that use the external style interface.
Not neccessarily, often one flange is thinner for use on the front hub to reduce this issue, my Scribe lockrings were like this and I believe my DT Swiss set is the same (or both flanges are thin, I don't have easy access to my bike to confirm right now).
