1) The first thing I noticed was a bad pulse from the rotor on the front hub. I measured it, and the thickness varied by about 0.003″. That doesn’t sound like much, but the results were enough to scare the hell out of me. Fortunately, I work at a machine shop, and I was able to use a surface grinder to make the disc completely flat.

That problem could have happened to ANY rotor, regardless of hub design, but it doesn’t speak well of the quality control.

2) The major issue I have with the center lock design is the fit between the rotor and the hub. By design, there is clearance between the splines. There has to be, otherwise the rotor wouldn’t slide on and off. This allows for a little play, which I noticed even with brand new parts. As soon as a drop of rain hit the ground, the result was the most horrible brake noise and vibration I’ve ever experienced.

The fix for this was to use epoxy and basically glue the rotors to the hubs. It solved the problem, but it makes it rather hard to remove the rotor.

I ended up throwing the hubs in the trash, and rebuilding the wheels with a set of 6 bolt hubs.

Cheers

many people say the disk comes loose all the time, never happened to me, just made sure the the nut was properly tightened.

and yes, as a auto mechanic, and as emerald explained, the design of the hub make the centerlock design a very, but i mean VERY reliable and solid brake.
Every single car and truck wheel axle has this sort of arrangement inside the differential. even huge 18 wheelers.

the only weak spot would be the nut coming loose if not properly tightened. and if you dont have the tools you cant really check to see if your bike mechanic did his job correctly.

however, if you keep experiencing this problem, such as cris, may i suggest using some thread adhesive? suck as locktite 243? i use it on some bearing cones thread, never had a problem. locktite has many products, some adhere better than others, i use 243 because with a little effort you are able to loosen the bolt for replacement, but you can use a stronger one if you want to be extra sure it wont come loose during a long trip.

just my 2 cents

also if you have a 15qr, the required tool isn’t the a casette tool but a large bottom bracket wrench.

Actually, if you have a cassette lockring removal tool, then you have a centerlock lockring removal tool. I think for the centerlock 20mm thru axle hubs, you need a BB removal tool to take those off, but I could be wrong.

I’ve used centrelock, along with Shimano brakes, for as long as I’ve been MTB’ing (therefore, not as long as many – only 4ish years). But so far – no probs. About to build up a new bike with Easton Havoc wheels, therefore no centrelock rotors. But I’m still going to use Shimano’s new RT-76 6-bolt rotors with Saint 4-pot brakes.