Cassette removal tools

Am I thinking that I need a lock ring removal tool and a chain whip to remove a cassette?

Are the lock ring removal tools specifric to brand? The cassette is an SRAM PG1050.

Are these tools I should be spending a significant amount of money on or will cheaper tools be good enough? Any recommendations that don’t cost the earth?

Yes
No
Any old kit, you sound as though you don’t do this often, pointless spending big money on little used tools.

Shimano and SRAM casettes both use the same lockring standard, so one tool will fit both (and certrelock rotor lockrings by the way). And yes, you’ll need a chainwhip too. The forces involved aren’t massive, so I’ve found the cheapo CRC homebrand ones (X-tools) adequate enough. One thing I would recommend, get one with a built-in handle rather than a seperatre one that needs a spanner – difficult to juggle chainwhip and keep spanner on the tool I found – cause of many bloody/oily knuckles!

For the lockring tool be careful not to get one where the body is too ‘long’ otherwise it can be difficult to get a regular QY skewer through it to hold it in place. The parktool one is ok iirc

Are the lock ring removal tools specifric to brand? The cassette is an SRAM PG1050.

You can use the same removal tool with Sram and Shimano but for Campagnolo you will need a different one as the splines are slightly different.

I have this one[/url] and it’s fine. a £10 Chain Whip[/url] will be fine too.

For the lockring tool be careful not to get one where the body is too ‘long’ otherwise it can be difficult to get a regular QY skewer through it to hold it in place. The parktool one is ok iirc

This does not matter at all there is no need to use quick release.

Yeah never used the QR to hold the lockring tool in place, stays put well enough on it’s own. Cheap chain whips work fine IME although I did splash out on the Pedros clamp type version a while back, works well but not £50 well.

If you have a solid bench with an old style vice that stands up above the bench surface you can use an old length of chain round one of the sprockets, ideally the largest, with the end clamped in the vice and the wheel resting on the bench. As you turn the wheel will snug up against the vice and will be nice and stable to use the lockring tool on. The chain needs to be wrapped the right way, otherwise you’ll just tighten the lock ring. Leaving the tyre on saves having to pad the wheel rim.

OP

I think it’s a handy part of a bike toolkit to have,even if you don’t use it that much.It’s not just for changing a cassette over ,there are other times you may want to remove it for maintenance jobs.

If you ever want to use it for centrelock discs on an Alfine hub (and probably kids bikes/BSOs without QR) then you need one without the central spindle and with a wide and deep recess in it to accommodate the axle. The Park one works.

this

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/workshop-tools/tools/tools-workshop/icetoolz-cassette-tool-with-guide.html

and this

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/workshop-tools/tools/tools-workshop/icetoolz-chain-whip.html

are all you need

Many thanks all – most informative as usual on here 🙂

I made a chain whip, chain piece of flat metal bar easy.

you can use an oil filter remover as the chain whip, if you have one handy (and they’re a fiver cheaper if you have to buy one)

And I have a (tightarse) mate who reckons that for the number of times he’d use a chainwhip per year, he can get away with sticking a screwdriver into the back of the cassette through the spokes to jam the freehub mechanism up. That’s not a recommendation BTW, but is a valid bodge.

I have one of these and it has served me for the odd cassette replacement for many years – cheap and (a bit nasty) but it works

hypercracker

[edit: not sure if you can still get them]

once you have a whip and cassette tool you generally find you take the casette off more regularlly for a good clean etc. worth getting – but no need for anything fancy.