I can’t remove my cassette - I’ve tried everything

af25
af25 Posts: 23
edited December 2018 in Workshop
So I have a Ridgeback Advance 5.0 road bike with an 8 speed cassette. I recently bought a new cassette and the tools required to remove a cassette which entails a lock ring remover for Shimano since the cassette is Shimano. I also bought a chain whip. I’ve tried to remove the cassette, I’ve looked at every technique including using a vice, using cloth around the handles, hitting it with a rubber hammer. I’ve done every trick, I’ve even got my dad to hold the spanner while I held the chain whip. There is no single budge in the cassette. It literally does not move. Has anyone got any other recommendations before I resort to taking it to a bike shop.

Comments

  • dj58
    dj58 Posts: 2,216
    Do you mean you can't undo the lock ring?
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,032
    Are you sure you are turning the lock ring in the right direction?
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  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    One of these?
    p4pb7400943.jpg

    or these?

    ParkCassetteLockringTool.jpg
  • timothyw
    timothyw Posts: 2,482
    My experience is that I can get most force through the tools not by holding them like this:
    p4pb7400943.jpg

    But by wrapping the chain whip around one of the smaller cogs on the cassette, and holding it alongside the cassette tool, such that I can apply the force to the tools by squeezing them together with my grip, rather than by holding one tool in each hand.

    Might be worth a go if you haven't already.

    With a cassette tool like the one pictured, you should fit the quick release skewer while you're doing it - loosely so that there is scope for the lockring to turn, but tight enough to keep the cassette tool properly engaged.

    Those are my top tips, never failed me yet.
  • frisbee
    frisbee Posts: 691
    Putting the cassette tool in a vice, attaching a chain whip and then turning the wheel is often easier.

    3 of us managed to break a hub once and still never managed to get the lock ring to move. We assume the bike shop that serviced it last had cross threaded it.
  • angry_bird
    angry_bird Posts: 3,786
    Make the levers longer, or take it down to the local rugby club.
  • jj1048
    jj1048 Posts: 107
    Are you sure it's a cassette? It might be a freewheel - if it is there's no need for the chain whip, just hold the wheel.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Do it the opposite way to the picture, with the wheel on the ground (upright) and push downwards on both tools with your weight.
    If that doesn't move it, nothing will.
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  • af25
    af25 Posts: 23
    TimothyW wrote:
    My experience is that I can get most force through the tools not by holding them like this:
    p4pb7400943.jpg

    But by wrapping the chain whip around one of the smaller cogs on the cassette, and holding it alongside the cassette tool, such that I can apply the force to the tools by squeezing them together with my grip, rather than by holding one tool in each hand.

    Might be worth a go if you haven't already.

    With a cassette tool like the one pictured, you should fit the quick release skewer while you're doing it - loosely so that there is scope for the lockring to turn, but tight enough to keep the cassette tool properly engaged.

    Those are my top tips, never failed me yet.

    Yep I’ve already tried every single thing you mentioned.
  • af25
    af25 Posts: 23
    davidof wrote:
    Are you sure you are turning the lock ring in the right direction?

    YEs of course this was the first thing I checked
  • af25
    af25 Posts: 23
    jj1048 wrote:
    Are you sure it's a cassette? It might be a freewheel - if it is there's no need for the chain whip, just hold the wheel.

    I have this free hub on my bike: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shim ... -prod38215
  • af25
    af25 Posts: 23
    frisbee wrote:
    Putting the cassette tool in a vice, attaching a chain whip and then turning the wheel is often easier.

    3 of us managed to break a hub once and still never managed to get the lock ring to move. We assume the bike shop that serviced it last had cross threaded it.
    I’ll give it a try
  • Any pictures of your hub/lock ring set up?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • fudgey
    fudgey Posts: 854
    Where do you live? If local to Swindon Wilts bring it round and ill have a go.
    My winter bike is exactly the same as my summer bike,,, but dirty...
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    cooldad wrote:
    Do it the opposite way to the picture, with the wheel on the ground (upright) and push downwards on both tools with your weight.
    If that doesn't move it, nothing will.

    +1 to this

    picture has it all wrong. You get much more leverage pushing down with your weight helping than pulling towards you just relying on muscle power alone.
  • paul64
    paul64 Posts: 278
    +2

    Ever since I shinned myself with a spanner and cassette tool a few years ago, I put the skewer back so that can't happen (minus the spring), stand the wheel vertical and use bodyweight - using my foot if necessary, a bit like undoing car wheel nuts after someone has put them on with an over enthusiastic air gun.
  • af25
    af25 Posts: 23
    Thanks everyone for the replies. However, I took the bike down to my local bike shop and, although they said it was the tightest cassette they’ve ever seen, they were able to remove it with some oversized chain whip and spanner combined with some scaffolding pipes over each and the power of physics to heave the lock ring open.
  • jj1048 wrote:
    Are you sure it's a cassette? It might be a freewheel - if it is there's no need for the chain whip, just hold the wheel.

    Bit of an old post but just felt the need to say thanks for this after finding the post from some thorough googling. It's not out there enough! I'd been looking round everywhere, all these suggestions about longer spanners and various other techniques but I thought I'm sure something's not right here.

    I didn't realise they were still making freewheels, I have a brand new bike and none of the specs (Tern Link A7) specified that it was a freewheel so I just assumed it was a cassette+freehub, and having never changed a freewheel before I didn't know the technique was different. So I'd ordered a replacement cassette and I was at it for hours of struggling and confusion only to finally realised it was a freewheel!

    So if anyone else is having this problem don't take it for granted and check!! They're still out there.

    You will never ever undo a freewheel using the same method as a cassette no matter how much force you put in as it's basically one solid unit.

    Thanks again :)