SRAM XD cassettes/freehubs, heads up…!

I forgot about this but a few weeks ago I was removing (well, trying to) a SRAM 10-42 cassette from an XD freehub body which had, unknown to me, been overtightened. All the splines sheared off with a bang leaving it utterly impossible to remove cassette from freehub body. That’s £300+ at RRP wrecked.

Just a warning – FFS – Fit them with a torque wrench! It’s 40Nm, the same as any cassette. And grease/anti seize the threads too.

As you can see here the splines are long and thin and once they’re gone, that’s it. You’re buggered.

Great advice! Copperslip is the answer.

Them seizing is nothing new.Been issues from day 1.

Had this happen twice to me on new bikes that had no anti seize or what like on the freehub. Fisher warrantied both times and managed to get the freehub off the cassette for me too.

The one I sent back Fishers/SRAM service returned a single, bent 42t sprocket with the free hub body still attached……

Will have to redo mine by the sound of this!

Apoogies Peterpoddy. I then sent mine to hope, who retuned the freehub seperate from the 42t.

you need to make sure you’ve got he correct cassette tool that properly engages with the splines. Some of them, particulary with 142mm axles, do not insert far enough and thats when the splines can break.

If its a Hope XD driver make sure you remove the end cap, This allows the tool to go in fully.

😉

Good heads up.

I invested in a bike torque wrench this year expecting to only use it occasionally.

Now I find I use it on most stuff on the bike. Couldn’t do without it now!

That said, even torqued up right, if there is no grease or whatever on many of the pats your doing up, it’s just asking for trouble in the future.

Also make sure you:

Use a full length tool with long splines – not a cheap one.
Pay extra attention to the tool engagement on an 1150 or 1175 cassette as the splines are more easily damaged.
Only torque to 30NM… SRAM would disagree but I’ve tested this and I am 100% convinced that 30NM is plenty.
Don’t buy cheap XD hubs. The tolerances need to be spot on.

As mentioned grease or anti -sieze liberally before putting the cassette on.

I invested in a bike torque wrench this year expecting to only use it occasionally

I presume you’re not using the same torque wrench on your cassette as your (for example) carbon bars…? Bit of a difference in requirements.

Its also worth using a piece of long threaded bar (&nuts) to secure the cassette tool into the hub, this stops the tool popping out and damaging the splines.

Related question: do I need a SRAM-specific cassette locking removal tool or will my Shimano version do the trick?

That tool (Assuming yours is exactly the same) will be fine. Its the depth of the splines you need to watch for, and thats looking all good.

I saw a fitting guide somewhere that said SRAM are now supplying the cassettes greased, not sure if that’s actually true though, mine was removed OE.

LBS have just tried to remove my cassette and destroyed the splines! So it’s going back to SRAM as a warranty request. Does highlight how fragile the splines are.

Also the freehub bodys, XD driver, for my ROAM40s seem as rare as chicken’s teeth, I don’t think SRAM make ROAM40s anymore but surely the parts should be available for wheels that were only released about a year ago?

It’s not your LBSs fault. Even if they built the bike they might not have known about this potential issue. That said, I’d be expecting them to remove, grease and re-torque every XD cassette at PDI stage from now on. We are!

Hi Peter no 100% not their fault didn’t mean to sound like I’m slagging them off, seems to be a fragile design and easy to strip whoever does the job.

UPDATE: When SRAM took the cassette off the freehub (destroying both in the process) they discover that the inner spacer was missing so poor assembly at the factory was the root cause and the cassette was overtightened even before I took ownership of the bike. SRAM replaced the cassette and freehub body under warranty and the only downside was it took 3 weeks to arrive.

Is driver a sold piece?

How do the thread AND the locating notches both work together?
Surely the notches prevent the thread from turning?

bringing this one alive…

Having these problems with my cassette/freehub at the mo… cant separate them and making an awful noise when on the bike!
Cassette been on since new (November 2015) – would this still be worth a warranty claim?

Is driver a sold piece?

How do the thread AND the locating notches both work together?
Surely the notches prevent the thread from turning?

It’s a bit confusing when you come from shimano. The splines are actually a form of internal lock sleeve (like a log ring but on the inside of the 10T sprocket and longer).

My GX ones came greased but I slapped a load of extra stuff on. It is definitely not as nice to fit as a traditional cassette and has me wincing. I found witht he factory grease on a clean driver it felt very tight and I could run it very under-torqued had I not known it wasnt right.

BFITH: what freehub? Might be easier to just to bin it and buy a new one!

Andyl- it’s a sram xd. Was hoping to avoid having to buy a new one!

Aye, that design gave me the fear when I got my first XX1 stuff. I put plenty grease in there and periodically remove it so it’s always reasonably fresh.
A good reminder as it happens…

crap, bought me xx1 stuff second hand and it’s never been off the hub.. torn whether to leave well alone until it ‘has’ to be done or try and remove and copperslip.

I picked up a spare Hope XD off ebay for £30 just in case!

If i put a warranty claim in (it appears stuff is under warranty for 2 years) would i go straight to SRAM or Via YT Industries (where i bought the bike?

So the cassette tool spins that entire inner sleeve, which butts up against the cassette bearer right at the “back” ?

Shit design IMO, too much surface area for stickage and no potentially sacrificial part like on a normal lockring. I’ll be avoiding wherever possible

Eventually got cassette separated from cassette. Cassette appears to be in decent order but bearings in freehub are gone methinks. Any body replaced the bearings in a DT Swiss freehub? outer looks like a 6802 is the inner similar?

Resurrecting this to moan I’ve had the exact same problem, cassette is still all good and no problems thought I’d whip it off and give it a greasing, seems I’m too slow, so it will stay on till its properly goosed now. Sodding thing

A good heads up. Got a brand new bike and will be copper slipping this weekend.
I only have a quarter drive torque wrench what happens if I don’t do the cassette up tight enough?

The drive size won’t matter mate.

Just do it to correct torque and make sure interface areas are well greased.

I assume the torque wrench goes up to 40nm of course? …

I wouldn’t go as tight at that. As per Ben’s comments above, it’s not necessary.

Your probably right but I tend to go with the spec sheet.

No problems. Yet. 😉

Ain’t broke don’t fix it… Shimano freehub standard 😛

Well, has its issues also, but nothing you can’t sort out or avoid in the first place (steel spider, alloy freehub for example). Everyone knows about them going back decades, and cheap to fix.

BFITH – Member 
Any body replaced the bearings in a DT Swiss freehub? outer looks like a 6802 is the inner similar?

Sizes might depend on the specific hub, not sure. Pulled apart my 350 to check it and expecting the find the bearings need doing after a few years and discovered they were still buttery smooth. Just needed a dash of oil in the ratchet to get it back to stealth noise. Best hubs I’ve ever had.

Hmmm, I haven’t touched my cassette in about 18 months. I’ve just put a new chain on and it’s working beautifully so looks like there’s plenty of life in the cassette. So my options are:

1) Leave the cassette until it’s knackered. That way, if I break it I’m only down the cost of a new freehub.
2) Take the cassette off now (before it’s too late??) and make sure it’s clean / greased.
3) Something else?

Personally I would just take it off, clean and regrease.

It will probably come of fine!

Just what I would do anyway…

Don’t sue me!

If it is factory fitted, it’s probably knackered already (the cassette comes smeared in some pretty chunky threadlock). If you know for a fact that you used grease/anti-seize when you fitted it, then there won’t be any issues when you try to swap it anyway.
So yeah, leave it alone.

@deadkenny: lolwut, which Shimano “standard”?

So one vote for ‘leave it’ and one for ‘give it a try’.

The cassette has been off at least once. I think I greased it when I put it back on 😕