Shimano Centerlock Rotor Installation

[Conrad_K]

I have a Shimano hub with brake splines, and a rotor with lock ring. Neither came with instructions.

What am I supposed to put on the splines and the lock ring threads? Regular grease, waterproof silicone grease, or anti-seize?

 

[Cycleops]

Any you like but not too much.

 

[I like Skol]

Nothing! Really no need to lubricate this point at all. Carefully tighten to the recommended spec and that's it. Anything you put there is almost inevitably going to leach out onto the brake surface and contaminate the brake pads.

 

[I like Skol]

Any you like but not too much.

@Cycleops please don't recommend that people grease their brake rotors!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I don’t put anything there and never had a seized rotors.

 

[Conrad_K]

What, you don't have damp-induced corrosion in Britain?

 

[figbat]

This is the sort of thing you want to stay tight. On brake disc bolts, Loctite is used. Not sure that a large thread like a rotor nut would need thread lock but I’ve also never used a grease and never had a problem removing them. That’s on MTB wheels that see all weathers.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What, you don't have damp-induced corrosion in Britain?

Not on the splines, no.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Nothing! Splines or threads… Dry, dry, dry…

I work on these daily, the factory build the bikes with this assembly dry, I’ve never seen one seize in use and I always assemble them dry when servicing them.

 

[Conrad_K]

[suspicious squint] I guess I'm used to equipment where no threaded parts are assembled without antiseize, grease, or threadlocker. Bare (well, anodized) aluminum on aluminum would be a serious mistake in most applications.

 

[Drago]

@Cycleops please don't recommend that people grease their brake rotors!

I think he meant the splined section, little different to putting moly anti seize on the mating faces of car disc brakes.

Done correctly It's no problem, but ultimately unnecessary in this instance.

 

[Conrad_K]

Okay, I'll assemble everything dry. It still gives me the creeps, though.