Help, Ive just attempted to remove my cassette – firstly to give it a clean and also to take that crappy plastic ring off the spokes.

I removed shimano lock thing using chain whip and cassette remover. Removed first two rings.

But could I hell get the cassette off the hub. I pulled it quite hard and ended up with this:

Where the cassette appears to be stuck on the hub body.

I ended up putting it back together worried I have fyucked it.

Its only a 2 month old bike. Is this correct and I'm being a tool or should my cassete slid of gently?

Once i had it all off i even tried to gently tap the hub from the cassette using a mallet but no luck.

You need to borrow another chain whip. Use it to pull the smallest sprocket forward, while pulling a bigger one rearward. You can remove them one by one like this.
Many people will be along in a moment to tell you to only use XT casettes. SLX or PG980 will be fine.

hehe, that may have **** it. could be that the cassette has dug into the freehub body as it doesnt use an alloy spider- try turning the cassette anti-clockwise on the freehub using the chainwhip.

the cassette should be really easy to slide off- that'll teach you for using a cassette with no spider on pro2's 🙄

so just by pushing it back into the hub body bit will be ok? Or by exposing this like i've done could i have damaged a water seal or something?

thats how it came from the shop as a std five pro build

If you look down the back of the biggest sprocket there should be the small semi circular end of the channels that is just big enough to get a small flat screw driver in and twist. Thats how I deal with stubborn cassettes on pro 2's.

The freehub is designed to come off like that. Just make sure the spacer is on (big washer) before you refit the hub. There is a plastic seal that needs to be clicked down toobut you'll need the cassette off to do that. There's a vid on the Hope tech site. You'll need to back off each ring to get the cassette off. 2 chainwhips sounds easier that the 1 chainwhip and screwdriver method that I devised.

The way i removed it was put the cassette over an open vice hit the end of the freewheel with a block of wood/hammer job done.A cassette with a spider is the answer

So lets get this right – i should sort this out and separate the cassette and hub so i can press the seal back in between the 2 hub bits.

I tried hammering it out like jordie suggested but no use. This is a sram pg950 should each ring separate or just the bottom 2?

Any Suggestions for a spider jobby? SRAM PG?? or XT

carbon337 – Member
thats how it came from the shop as a std five pro build

I had same problem on a 5 Pro. The advice from Hope (and on here) seems to be that you should only use cassettes with aluminium carriers (XT or similar as said above) – so why do Orange send them out with ones that munch up the freehub ? I dunno, but when it happened on my 3 month old 5, back in 2008 I took it back to the shop, complained and they gave me a new freehub body under warranty. I bought an XT cassette and sold the hardly worn cheaper one on here.

So if Hope say they should only ones with aluminum carriers and Orange supply otherwise then maybe I have a chance at getting Orange to swap one that is fit for purpose.

I dont really want to spend another £45 on an xt cassette because it hasn't been specced properly.

So dealer complaint or direct to Orange?

carbon337, your contract is with the shop, it can't hurt to mention, and i would suggest finding the bit about carrier mounted cassettes in writing somewhere. It depends on the shop as to their response, and it depends on you how far you want to push.

All i would say is start off nicely, it amazes me how some people go off on one and then are surprised by the negative response.

Now that you have the smaller sprockets off. Put the smallest sprocket back on, put the lock ring on and tighten it back up gently. Using the chainwhip the opposite way than when you took it apart, to pull the sprockets anti clockwise on the hub. You will feel when they have freed up, pull them forward on the hub before you undo the lock ring. The lesson here is that the lock ring tension is critical to stop the sprockets moving too much on the hub, and get a better quality cassette.

I had the same thing last week. Held in a vice and tapping with a hammer did the trick. However I saw that the freehub body was only slightly marked. Much worse and I'm not sure how I would have done it…

carbon337 – I'd do as mrmo suggests. There is a note about the carriers somewhere on the Hope website, but I recall it being a bit vague. The shop I bought mine from bent over backwards to help me on various issues with the bike, from delivery being delayed (so free custom paint), through the steerer being cut too short resulting in a free upgrade fork, and I didn't need to look at speaking to Orange.(Behind Bars in Glasgow BTW)

I posted up about it on here at the time and it seemed to be a common problem, so the shop probably won't be surprised. In my situation I was happy to get the freehub replaced and I considered the cassette purchase as an 'upgrade' anyway – I guess it cost £40 for an XT and I sold the other one for £15 I think

'09 XT has munched my free hub in a couple of months
so XT's not always the answer

only on the bottom 3-4 rings which are seperate from the main spider.
they were still a pain to get off though

A new steel freehub body should be here tomorrow. seemed the more fool proof way of solving the issue

If you have released the lock ring (I assume you have), then lying it across a gap that supports the largest sprocket but is larger that the free hub (I use a workmate) putting the end of a broom handle on the free hub body and smacking the broom handle through the cassette, drives the freehub body out fairly cleanly.

Unless it's really mangled of course.

I find that if you tap the cassette with a rubber mallet or something it knocks the cassette free and off it comes. the file the burrs down refit and carry on.

Vice and hammer will get that off. Had a similar issue but had a steel freehub fitted by hope under warranty so not a problem any more.

I'd go with the steel freehub like 29erKeith and markenduro, and if you can get it Orange to sort it even better!

putting the freehub back together takes a bit of practice, my tried and tested method is …

1. assemble the pawls and springs into the freehub body and hold in place with a bit of grease
2. then get a small elastic band and hold the pawls in so they're all lying 'flat'
3. slide the freehub into the hub and insert it until it there is about a 3mm gap
4. insert a scalpel and cut the elastic band, and pull it out with tweezers
5. the freehub should just push in the rest of the way

Am I just stating the obvious here – that cassette should never have been put near a Pro 2 hub. Not even in the same room ffs! Can you not bring it back to where you got it? Pro 2 instructions are clear on using cassettes with alloy carriers. If you didnt know better then you should go back to the shop.

utting the freehub back together takes a bit of practice, my tried and tested method is …

Que???? Push and twist. Piece of cake!

Spoke to Hope – they say there is a sticker in the pro 2 boxes that says dont use this type of cassette.

Shop are going to take a look at it and advise either later today or tomorrow.

Yeh – its the spider/carrier – older cassettes and Deores don't use a carrier so as said above dig into the freehub body which is soft alloy. For reference this is the Pro II servicing details so you can see how it all comes apart 🙂

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features/maintenance/hope-pro-ii-rear-hub-service.htm

Big thanks to M Steels in Gosforth for sorting me out a lovely XT cassette and filing down the spurs on the hub..

hurah