The Lindarets Terske Travel Disc Brake Rotor Lockring Tool is a lightweight, compact solution to Center Lock problems, at least for those times when carrying a steel foot with a regular tool on it doesn’t work. Your bike will need 12mm hubs with the right wall thickness and grooved rings on the outside to make it work, though – in addition to using the usual 40-50Nm torque – so it’s a very convenient device. If that suits you, it’s great.
Anyone who has put a bike in a can or car will likely know the annoyance of discovering, within just a few laps of the cranks at the other end, that the rotor has bent in transit. Cue suffers from noise and drag, as well as the noise trying to make a real spinner with your fingers, since you almost certainly didn’t pack a spinner.
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The answer is to remove your rotors and carefully pack them away where they cannot be changed. But the tools required are usually large and heavy – at 40-50 Nm of typical lock-up torque, you need the ballast to deliver the grain.
The issue is leverage – how do you get the required torque delivery length? It’s no short of a versatile device, that’s for sure. But now the hubs are pretty much standardized at 12mm, at least in the rear, you have about 130-150mm of crossbar already on your bike.
American design house Lindarets came up with the idea of using the hub as a lever, and this is the result (it also works with a 6/8/16mm hex tool for the pedals and Race Face Cinch levers).
The tool is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, then laser engraved. It’s great, weighing in at 17g is also very light for something capable of handling 50Nm of torque. The secret is how the tool spreads power from the axle through two wide, hollow ports, each with a rubber ring inside to prevent the axle from slipping.
The depth of the tool is 4.6 mm, which allows maximum opportunity for mating with the lock. Some mount locks can be quite thin, and Lindarets cautions to “take care to ensure full engagement and avoid stripping.”
Devil’s determination
40-50 Nm is a reasonable amount that can be changed if you can’t get your full hand around the handle, and this is an inherent problem with removing or installing the rotor lock. If you are running a large rotor (160mm or larger) and you are using a front hub as a handle, it leaves only 2-3cm outside the rotor, and part of it is strongly threaded. I found it best to wear gloves to cushion my palms and protect in case I slip.
Don’t be tempted to use your foot, a rock, or any other additional lever, Lindarets cautions – and make sure your pivots have a wall 3mm or thicker (so a 6mm center hole is max).
After testing with a torque wrench, I can confirm that 40 Nm is a reasonable amount of flexibility to apply in this manner. With practice, you appreciate how much is enough – I’ve been securing rotors after traveling for years with other tools, and have yet to experience any subsequent loosening.
I find there is plenty of margin of safety in the typical 40Nm spec, and any loose action in the lock will be evident due to rotor friction/noise before it gets dangerously loose.
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I once completely forgot to add a lock in a flurry of sleep-deprived excitement before the ride, only realizing when I came to the end of a long camp lane after braking a few times. Not recommended, but demonstrates that the Center Lock standard can withstand torque variances without catching fire.
Learn to live with it
I’ve found that the amount of force you can comfortably and safely apply here is more than enough. If in doubt, you can always take out the tool mid-ride and see if anything has changed – if there is a slip, it can be easily corrected by applying more force, until it settles on just enough. I tried and missed it at home until I almost realized how much oomph I had to give it, then rode the bike hundreds of miles without any slipping at all.
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Note that this is for external mounting locks. There are also internally bolted locks, which use the standard Shimano cassette locking tool internally, and it would be nice to see Lindarets offer that option as well. However, if you’re careful (and your rotor has clearance with the caliper), you can always switch to external locks.
Values
There is nothing like it on the market. A regular full-size version like the LifeLine Shimano Steps Lockring Tool and a 1/2-inch drive-cutter bar will cost about the same, but will obviously have a much more weight and size. For travel, Terske is in a class of its own.
Total
If you are swinging external locks (preferably at low torque), large 12mm hubs and need to remove/reinstall them wherever you are, this is a very elegant, smart and light solution.
to rule
A unique and lightweight tool that uses your hub as a handle, if far from being universally useful
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Make and type: Lindarets Terske Travel Disc Brake Rotor Lock Tool
Tell us what the product is and who it’s targeting. What do manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your feelings about it?
“Every now and then we find ourselves on the road or away from home in need of a tool that’s really hard to rig. Say, say, a 16-degree tool for tightening an external central locking and AFS disc brake rotor locks. And that’s exactly what this is for.”
“It works with a 12mm thru-axle (the rear gives you the most leverage but the front will work too) and fixes a problem that doesn’t happen often but could ruin your day if it does. Consider it part of your travel kit and toss it in your ‘big day’ bag or The flight bag or the tool case in the trunk of the car.
“This tool was designed with air travel in mind, when it’s so easy to leave the rotors on wheels and spend your vacation listening to the friction brakes and generally kicking in to skip the simple step of removing those rotors.”
Tell us more about the technical aspects of the product?
to specify
6061-T6 aluminum precision machining
Weighs only 17 grams
For use with 12mm hubs through a minimum 3mm wall thickness
Important Notes
50 Nm Max torque.
How much does it cost? It’s like you’re hanging 34 pounds of stuff off the handle, 100mm from the center of the tool (about halfway through your hand at the rear axle end). Most rotors specify 40 Nm of torque (about 27 pounds of stuff). Next, you’ll want to have a stronger handle.
Use one hand to secure the tool to the lock and the other to tighten or loosen with the handle.
Some mounting locks, especially the front wheel locks, are too shallow. Take care to ensure full participation and avoid abstraction.
Use only with 12mm hubs through a 3mm (1/8″) wall or thicker wall (6mm max hole width).
Common sense is your friend: Ultra-light parts don’t like to be used as knobs, but 3mm wall ones (3-3.5mm are common) will give you a good margin of safety when you notice the maximum torque value.
This is a handy tool: do not use cheater bar, hammer, foot, rock, or anything else not in your hand to apply force.
If you overdo it and bend the hub, don’t put it back in your bike! One, you can get stuck. Secondly, it can weaken and fail somewhere along the way. You don’t want that and we don’t want it either.
Wear eye protection. seriously. You only get two and it’s very hard to fix.
Product ratings for build quality:
10/10
It is pleasant to the eye.
Product ratings for performance:
7/10
Depending on the length of the transverse axis and the size of the rotor, its use may be difficult, and gloves are necessary.
Product ratings for durability:
9/10
Rate the product by weight (if applicable)
10/10
Ridiculously, ridiculously light.
Rate the product for convenience (if applicable)
6/10
Here it is limited by the length of the transverse axis and the need for gloves.
Rate the product by value:
5/10
Tell us about the product’s overall performance when used for its intended purpose
Works well, just do yourself a favor (using an appropriate tool) set your locking locks to manual torque before you set out on your excursions.
Tell us what you particularly like about the product
Concept and implementation.
Tell us what you didn’t particularly like about the product
Leverage can be an issue.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including those recently tested on road.cc?
There is nothing like it on the market. A regular full-size locking tool like the LifeLine Shimano Steps Lockring Tool and a 1/2-inch drive-cutter bar will cost you roughly the same price again, putting you at the same price but with a much more weight and size. This travel is in a class of its own.
Did you enjoy using the product? yes
You might consider buying this product? yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
This is hard to score, because it’s beautifully made for a clever design and works well…as long as you have external locks, reasonably small rotors and 12mm hubs with at least 3mm thick walls. Ideally, you’ll also have gloves on and you’ve already unlocked to below normal specs as well.
If you meet all these requirements, it will be great and affordable, and since there is nothing else like it, this thing is almost invaluable. In truth, you will only work with very few riders, and you may even have problems. On the whole, it’s good.
age: 47
I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe My best bike is: No brother, that’s all
I have been driving for: More than 20 years I ride: a few times a week I will classify myself as: expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: Cyclocross, general fitness riding, MTB, GRAVEL
