Hope's Centre Lock Lockring is easily the most affordable bling upgrade you can make to your bike. Machined here in the UK then hard-anodised in a choice of six colours, for eight quid a go they are great value too.
Hope Technology in Lancashire has been churning out beautiful CNC-machined bike parts for years, and its new road/gravel-specific rotors bring them up to date on the braking front. Fitting centre-lock-compatible wheelsets, the CL Rotors are easily swapped between wheelsets or removed and replaced after travelling.
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A key component of the Centerlock standard is obviously the lockring itself. Here Hope offers its lockring in six different colours – red, orange, blue, purple, black and silver to match its own centre-lock rotors, hubs and RX4 callipers. Weighing 10g and costing only £8 a go, this is fabulous value – the rrp on higher-tier Shimano lockrings is often double Hope's price or more, and they only come in black, or sometimes silver in the lower specs. The fact that Hope can machine them in the UK in a rainbow of bling for eight quid is unbeatable.
Noting the obvious fact that the teeth are on the inside, this lockring uses a standard Shimano-compatible tool like you'd use to remove or install a rear wheel cassette. This also means it's good to fit up to a 19mm external-diameter axle endcap while still allowing a lockring tool to slide between the endcap and lockring; the Park Tool FR-5.2GT works perfectly on my Hunt wheels with a 12mm thru-axle. Hope says axles up to 15mm should be fine, but again it's actually the axle endcap that is the defining measurement here.
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The only fault I can find is that the thin metal washer used to help lock the lockring in place isn't retained like the Shimano ones are – so you need to hold it in place when starting fitting, and remember not to lose it when removing. A niggle, but a very minor one and the only thing stopping it getting full marks.
There's really not much else to say here. These are the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to customise your gravel-road ride, made in the UK with no weight penalty. Blingtastic.
Verdict
Hands down the cheapest, easiest and fastest way to bling your bike
Make and model: Hope Centre Lock Disc Lockring
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
They are aimed at cyclists who want a bit more colour on their bike, without costing a fortune.
Hope says: 'Lockring designed for use with our Centerlock rotor. Also compatible with other manufacturers rotors'
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Key Features
CNC machined
For use with axles up to 15mm
Available in six colours
Weight 9.5g
Rate the product for quality of construction:
10/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Didn't fall off, looked bling. Can only mark down onthe fact the washer isn't retained.
Rate the product for durability:
10/10
CNC-machining instead of forging means a stronger product with finer tolerances.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
10/10
It's only 10g. Why are we even discussing this?
Rate the product for value:
10/10
Great value, lighter than & half the price of the higher-end Shimano equivalent and in way more colours.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It's a lockring, it stayed locked.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The colours. Fab.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
There's only one niggle - the metal washer isn't retained, so can fall off when fitting or removing.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
Cheap, made in the UK, in a range of colours to match Hope's hubs and rotors.
Age: 47 Height: 183cm Weight: 77kg
I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe My best bike is: Nah bro that's it
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L
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7 comments
Nothing bad to say about Hope products, in fact I highly recommend the barnoldswick company.
But cheaper bling can be had, Middleburn bullet valve caps.
Or for money saving practicality, Middleburn cable oilers. Cables work better for far longer.
Is all that defines whether you have to use an external or internal lockring the size of the axle end cap?
I've got some Fulcrum wheels (Racing 4) which have an external lockring and I'm running them with QRs. Would much rather use internal lockrings like these, much more meat to bite on if they end up seized on the hubs. Plus I've got a cassette tool with a locator pin.
Now if they could just do one for cassettes to replace the ones made of butter that shimano ship with them.
Don't worry about showing any pictures of them actually on a bike, we can always use our imaginations...
This do?
I'd loose my s**t if Hope made their kit in an oil slick finish option.
Chapeaux Mike for finding 300 words to review a lock ring
I would add a mark if they could produce a Hope Team Green set.