I’ve changed my cassette many times in the past, and so when I got my new wheel, I preceded un-daunted to change the chain rings, chain and cassette at the same time.

I installed the cogs, put anti-seize on the lock ring, and tightened up as normal. All seemed fine, so, new chain on, new chain rings on. all good.

Whilst I was at it, changed the brake fluid, and did a lower leg service on the fork.

I didn’t get round to indexing the gears.

This morning, whilst proudly surveying my work over coffee, I noticed that I could see the fee hub body between the back of the cassette and the hub body

This is wrong isn’t it!?

what have i done wrong!?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/njN6Xx]Untitled[/url] by ericpandrew, on Flickr

other than manage to include a tiny photo above!

hows that happened then?

is it that little rubber ring that sits on the bit that comes away (the big black bit that goes inside the cassette) not into the groove on the freehub body?
easy to pull it away when taking off the old cassette.

That’s fine.

New wheel that has never had a cassette installed (to my knowledge)

There is probably something that will be obvious tonight when I take it apart and re-assemble, but I just have no idea how its gone wrong!

~unsure if njee20 is serious~
~concerned about death and fire~
~convinced its wrong~

they all do that, sir.

No idea what the little black thing is – maybe it’s the perspective of the photo, but it looks like some kind of spacer.

On my Hope freehub the biggest sprocket doesn’t sit all the way on because of the curved ends on the hub splines. I assumed it was normal

It’s fine. That’s how it’s meant to be. If the cassette was sitting that much too far out you’d never get the lockring threads to catch.

you sure that spacer should be there

As above , perfect.
The blak bit hard pressed up against the hub is the carrier that the sprockets are riveted to.

Ah well that’s good then, I’m not a total idiot, just looks wrong!

good pic of the cassette carrier to help chip!

Whilst we are at it….

I know that the alloy free hub bodys get cut into easily….
whats the better way to help prevent it, do the lock ring up “really” tight or just “nip” it up?

I do mine to 40 nm as specified which is pretty tight.

Tight, but not because of that. With that cassette you shouldn’t have any bother with it biting in.