Viewing 34 posts - 1 through 34 (of 34 total)
  • Lightweight cassette removal tool
  • MadBillMcMad
    Full Member

    Out riding last night and my chain got jammed between wheel and cassette.

    There was nothing I could do but carry the bike home.

    So this got me wondering about longer trips and what to do.

    Has anyone got/used a lightweight cassette removal tool and do they work.

    I’ve found this, an NBT2.

    https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s72p595/NBT2-%28next-best-thing%29-Cassette-lockring-remover

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    It’s a rare occurrence. Have a look for the root cause. There used to be the Pamir Hypercracker which worked well. Not sure if it would work with bolt through or the deeper splines on a xD type cassette though.

    **Edit**
    They mostly come from an era of steel frames and vertical dropouts and could cause damage on modern lightweight frames due to increased leverage.

    What hub do you have? It would have been tricky, but a lot of them, the freehub can pull off ones the axle is undone. It only needs a mm extra to get the chain out.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    If it’s a repeat of the same issue you’re fearing, then the uncool but effective preventative measure is…

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    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    I carry a light weight welding kit for when my frame snaps.

    Well no I don’t. As above sort out the issue that caused it to happen. Shouts poor maintenance to me and a bit of poor mechanical sympathy.

    nixie
    Full Member

    Brute force solves this issue (and a properly adjusted limit screw prevents it :P).

    boblo
    Free Member

    I have one of those NBT’s that I carry when touring, never used it. I did managed to get the chain stuck twixt cassette and spokes one time when off road. I used a couple of medium cable ties to get purchase on the chain and rip it back out.

    It is best to have the limits properly set but you know that already and sometimes you still get overshift e.g. bent hangar etc.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Re-lace your wheel so it can’t happen, look at that one in martinhutch’s pic, the drive side pulling spokes are on the outside, which means when the chain jumps off the tension and the angle of the spoke pulls it in and jams it. Lace it with them on the inside and it’s much easier to get out.

    Well no I don’t. As above sort out the issue that caused it to happen. Shouts poor maintenance to me and a bit of poor mechanical sympathy.

    I suppose not riding would solve the issue of it getting knocked off by sticks/rocks and hangers being bent.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    MadBillMcMad – Member
    Out riding last night and my chain got jammed between wheel and cassette.
    There was nothing I could do but carry the bike home.
    So this got me wondering about longer trips and what to do.

    These things can happen when you take your bike into “interesting” places offroad – or because of a crash or poor maintenance on a purely road bike.

    Simple answer for long trips – reliable hubgear or singlespeed and never have another transmission problem. 🙂

    MadBillMcMad
    Full Member

    Thx, but I’m not asking about the cause.

    Saying that you are all probably right, poorly aligned adjust screw I assume

    I am specifically asking about the tool for use when doing multi day rides out in the true wilderness.

    These things do happen folks so I am thinking from a be prepared point of view.

    greyspoke
    Free Member

    thisisnotaspoon>>>

    Re-lace your wheel so it can’t happen, look at that one in martinhutch’s pic, the drive side pulling spokes are on the outside, which means when the chain jumps off the tension and the angle of the spoke pulls it in and jams it. Lace it with them on the inside and it’s much easier to get out.

    I have wheels laced like that. If you try to re-lace them different, you end up using the spoke holes a different way. This is not advised because the aluminium deforms around the spoke hole to fit the spoke so deforming it at roughly a right angle to that will introduce weakness. Well, that is what I read, I have no idea how important a factor it is, but it appears reasonable to me. Also, I am not sure how important the lacing is to chain jamming, marginal I would think.

    This can happen to the best maintained bike if you are unlucky.

    kayak23
    Full Member

    Can’t say I’ve ever seen a cassette tool that’s operated via an allen key and not a whacking great spanner, but that’s what you want.
    You could just carry the tool and use your multitool then.
    Maybe one can be fashioned.

    What if you took your cassette tool as above there and drilled a hole right through it from spanner flat to flat, big enough to fit an allen key all the way through to get some turning purchase.

    Then, the ghetto chain whip option is to use another allen key/stout twig to put against the cassette teeth and (obviously only an emergency situation) jam against the spokes where they meet the hub, and undo.

    Just thinking out loud…
    Might work.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    Its not maintenance. No maintenance involves touching the limit screws.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    singlespeed and never have another transmission problem.

    snapped chain? 🙂

    mintimperial
    Full Member

    The nbt2 is the best you’re going to find I think… I’m not aware of anything else like it, and it does work, I’ve seen one used in the wild and everything. 🙂

    whitestone
    Free Member

    How do alloy gear hangers deal with the nbt2? There’s a large amount of torque being applied when releasing the lockring. I know that the documentation says you should ensure that the lockring hasn’t been tightened by a gorilla.

    Speeder
    Full Member

    A lightweight chainwhip would, I imagine, be the sticking point in this plan.

    I can’t imagine any scenario short of a solo expedition somewhere very remote I’d ever consider it a trail tool. If it can get in there, you can get it out.

    DezB
    Free Member

    I’ve seen a few chain jammed betwixt spokes and cassette issues before – but never ever one where the chain couldn’t somehow be pulled out of the jam.
    Undo the chain with a chain tool, wrap it around your (gloved) hand and pull/wiggle/yank/tug it out.
    Never ever seen the requirement to remove a cassette out in the wild. Tighten one up yes, but I’ve done that with needle-nose pliers, enough to complete a ride.

    mcnultycop
    Full Member

    Surely if it’s that jammed popping a pin out of the chain and unthreading the chain from one end would work, then a master link to put back together?

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Shouldn’t need to resort to carrying a cassette tool (you’ll need a chain whip also). It’s just not set up right.

    * Been dicking around with the limit screw when you shouldn’t

    * Limit screw was never set right in the first place

    * or, mech hanger or cage bent

    Solution – fix limit/hanger/cage. Or get a Dork Disc 😉

    whitestone
    Free Member

    @DezB – the reason for the nbt2 is to remove the cassette to be able to replace a broken spoke on the drive side. Not a common occurrence IME. There’s also the Fiberfix spoke that lets you get somewhere with a more comprehensive toolkit. Seems to be pretty good – someone tested it by removing a spoke and riding around for a couple of weeks and it held true.

    Edit: both products are aimed at those who head far from backup where you might be several days from being able to fix things properly.

    spacehopper
    Full Member

    do a google search for

    hypercracker tool

    i think that was the name for the original version of the lightweight cassette tool..

    all the versions ive seen brace against the chainstay’s (id still want something between the tool and the stay to spread the load though..)

    im not sure id entirely trust the dropout braced version.. and it wouldnt work with a bolt through rear end..

    if it was totally jammed id be looking at loosening some spokes off instead maybe and then attaching cable ties and pulling?

    Bez
    Full Member

    Dork Disc

    Nice. Can I propose “Fred Frisbee”? Or is “Fred” too much of an American thing?

    Anyway, it seems the ideal solution since it weighs next to nothing and is preventative. Generally I’ve found that if a chain gets pulled into the spokes so hard that you can’t get it out with a little work and an allen key or something (I’ve never seen a chain drop that hasn’t been recoverable on the trail) you’ve probably gouged a couple of spokes pretty hard anyway.

    NBT2 should do the job on a suitable frame, though. Might even work for Centerlock discs, I guess*, which would be a bonus.

    * no coffee, can’t think

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    Relace your wheels with DT240 or DT350 hubs. Not only are they the best on the market, but the freehub just pulls off the axle by hand, no tools required. Also no seals to oush back into place and no pawls on springs to go missing so you’d be fine to do it out on the trail.

    IvanMTB
    Free Member

    snapped chain?

    Oh I don’t think so…

    All matter of having THE CHAIN 😈

    Hint: one on the right hand side…

    Cheers!
    I.

    glenh
    Free Member

    DezB
    Free Member

    Also, I’m sure everyone knows this! but if you feel your chain doing something it shouldn’t.. immediately STOP PEDALLING! 😀

    Bez
    Full Member

    What the hell is that chain? It must weigh a ton!

    Never snapped a chain in my life and I’m a 14st pedal-masher… I’ll stick with the cheap-light-strong-pick-three one on the left 😉

    somafunk
    Full Member

    Loos like a Keirin chain to me.

    GavinB
    Full Member

    That Fibrefix looks good. I’ve been carrying some adjustable spokes around the bottom of my guiding pack for years, but now with 24, 26, 27.5 and 29″ wheels, they are next to useless. The NBT2 thing is fine except it won’t work with bolt-through axles, so that’s almost all modern mountain bikes.

    nbt
    Full Member

    I’ve got a pamir hypercracker. works fine, if you can get it past the mech etc. Not sure I’d want to be using it on a carbon frame though. If I’m fettling in the garage, I use a proper tool not the hypercracker

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Here’s the Fiberfix spoke test I wrote about earlier. Not scientific or anything proper like that.

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Gevenalle HUUP and lose one speed. Oh and check the adjustment on limit screws whenever you swap wheels.

    Teen2 destroyed a Ksyrium rear because I forgot to check once.

    IvanMTB
    Free Member

    What the hell is that chain? It must weigh a ton!

    Wippermann IG8 PRO.

    Toughest BMX chain on earth 😈

    In one particular moment I get pissed off with chains snapping.

    Not fussed about weight, happy with a fact that since swap never had any issues with chains 🙂

    Cheers!
    I.

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