Been looking on the bay for a bb / cassette tool. I’m of the understanding one tool does both? I’ve seen listings for tools with 20 teeth and some with 12, both claiming to do the same job…

Which one will?!

Um…without being unhelpful…that depends what tool you’re looking at, what bottom bracket you have and what cassette you have. I presume you’re looking for a lock-removal tool? I can’t think of one off the top of my head that does both (although I’m about to go look up the new Leyzene tools I’ve seen advertised) but that’s not to say that they don’t exist.

As a rule though…use the correct tool for the correct part and don’t try to ‘adjust’ things with a hammer and chisel….

well you have these for external cup BBs:

or

which are about 2 inch in diameter

for octalink and square taper type BBs you need one of these:

which are about 1 1/2 inch diamter and have 20 teeth.

and for cassettes you need one of these:

which is about 1 inch diamter and has 12 teeth.

You may be able to get a double ended tool but I would just buy 2 separate.

To remove a cassette you will also need a chainwhip and I use a wheel axle QR through the rear hub to lock the cassette tool into the splines and the octalink type BB tools into the BB splines to prevent them slipping and then use either a socket on a long bar or a good adjustable spanner (get a plumbers type) or a normal ring spanner.

Don’t worry, I’m a qualified aircraft engineer, so husbandry isn’t in question! I started on MTB’s a few years back and often borrowed a mates tool he said he used for both for one of my builds. Sadly building two bikes two years ago hasn’t left a particularly enduring memory as to the finer aspects of the tool I used!

I / he may be wrong, I have have had a few too many beers since, I dunno… It’s a sram pg950 cassette, the bb, I dunno, not had the bike apart yet…

Ok as suspected…if you must have a combined tool you want the Leyzene exbbt-clt or equivalent. Assuming you’re running one of the more common shimano-type set ups.

Ah, couldn’t have been one tool then! I’ll go for the too many beer’s theory…

Yup, got a chain whip on the way, liking the qr idea, didn’t think of that!

Cheers chap.

There are other types of BB but they will be on old bikes or road bikes (eg campy).

You can buy tools that do both as I said like this: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=73442

but I would buy two tools as they can get damaged and you can’t use a socket and torque wrench when doing the cassette with that one.

I’m taking so long to reply you’re getting yours in first! I’ll google that mate.

Or if you have a bench vice, place the tool in the vice, place the wheel over the top (QR removed), wrap the chain whip around the casette and apply force through the whip. Be prepared for a loud cracking noise as the lock-ring releases…it sounds scary the first time you hear it!

It’s a standard, as in not external, bb it’s got. I’m not really in any need for the bb tool as yet, its smooth and tight, as long as I can get the cassette sorted I’ll be chuffed!

the cartridge style (octalink/square taper) BBs should last for years and year and years.

But remember the threads on the drive side are left handed. This seems odd as the BB will unscrew if the bearings jam but I guess this is better than the BB becoming really locked into the frame and they will only undo as far as the cranks.

The drive side’s left handed? Yeah, that does seem weird, I’m used to threads being tapped so they tighten with use! Lucky one that, stripping by bb thread would really make my day!!! Using the bike for the commute now that Llandegla may as well be on Mars now I have two kids, so I’m really depending on it to get to work.

The guy I bought the bike off fitted an 8 speed cassette to a 9 speed system, I spent an hour trying to set the mech before I noticed! Not exactly a problem, parts are cheaper than I remember!

the derailleur shouldn’t matter it’s the shifter. The cable pull on 8 and 9 speed is the same if I remember correctly but I am guessing the shifter is 9 speed too.

yeah, sram x5 9 speed, which I can’t wait to change for a pair of xt’s! I was worred because the 8 speed cassette seems to fill the free hub so I’m guessing the spacing of the cassette is greater with the 8 speed rather then its depth compared to the 9?

Correct, 8sp sprockets are spaced further apart than 9sp. If you’re changing to XT in the future, you’ll also need to change the rear derailleur to Shimano, as Sram has a different cable pull ratio(as do 10sp MTB derailleurs).

carlnicholson83 – Member
The drive side’s left handed? Yeah, that does seem weird, I’m used to threads being tapped so they tighten with use!

Yes, it seems counter intuitive but it’s because you have a ball race separating the two components (frame and BB axle) and so the phenomenon known as precession comes into play.