Trying to remove the cassette from a second hand bike but I can get it to come off. I’m holding the chain whip to where it can’t turn and then pushing down on the wrench side. I’ve tried using my body weight, hammering the wrench, and covering it in PB Blaster rust penetrator overnight but I can’t get it to budge. I feel like I must be doing something wrong
by tooskip
19 Comments
Try the chainwhip on the largest sprocket – get a bit more torque.
Other than that, more weight or extend the wrench and the chainwhip!
Some do not come easily if they’ve been on a while!
Set the wrench so that it’s close to the chainwhip handle and squeeze the two towards each other.
Got another person who can help you hulk on it?
Edit: or can you can find something to brace one handle from turning so you can put your full strength and body weight into the other, possibly standing or even lightly bouncing or stomping it.
I once used an electric impact gun for the initial shock to loosen the nut on a pretty sized cassette.
In my experience this is a pain in the ass to do with an adjustable wrench, so if you have a standard wrench and a way to get enough leverage that’d help.
I also tend to start by whacking the wrench with a rubber mallet rather than pushing on it.
put the cassette tool in a vise maybe put the quick release in the tool to hold it on, and the chainwhip on the largest sprocket
Some can be pretty hard. Try to put the chain tool like under a truck bumper where that weight will hold it in place and then use more force on the crescent wrench. A breaker bar would be better. Those nuts have like ripples and you put them too tight: later you pay the price to take them off.
Have a second person step on the wrench. I know you said you used a hammer and tried body weight, but you can’t really do it well leaning over this or squatting. I do put the chainwhip over larger cog, but that’s mostly to avoid it slipping, not to get any better leverage.
You are doing it correctly, so in this case the answer is: If a force has proven to be insufficient, use larger force. Be smart about, avoid injuries. I happen to like to e.g. hold my hand over the chainwhip handle (using a rug) against a spoke and only go funny with the wrench handle. Anything that slips should be hitting the ground.
It looks like a freewheel, not a cassette.
Everything looks good setup wise. Next step is to find longer wrenches or cheater pipes to fit over and extend the ones you have. Wear gloves.
You can also position the handles of the chainwhip and the wrench closer together. This gives you more of pliers handle effect. Or use your weight to push down on the wrench to loosen.
You may also want to consider using some penetrating oil like kroil or pb blaster, especially if that lockring has been on there for awhile. Besides the fact that breakaway torque (the amount of torque required to break a fastener loose)is always higher than the torque required to set it, if that ring has been on there for a bit, things like really fine dirt, rust, or other debris might work its way in there over time and increase resistance to breaking torque.
That looks old. Consider a small amounto of penetrating oil (PB blaster) on the edge of the lockring then ride it around a bit as the vibrations may help loosen things. Longer wrench/breaker bar
Are we sure that’s not a freewheel? I’m not lol.
You can try putting the wheel on the ground and positioning the whip on one side and the breaker bar on the other, so you are pushing downward on both of them. You can put your whole body weight into it. Be careful to make sure the whip does not slip. This method has gotten some really stuck ones off.
Keep it in that position stand on non drive side and pick up the tire keeping the tools in position and slam the wheel down.
As the previous poster said, it may not be a cassette. If it’s a freewheel, put the tool teeth-up in a big bench vise. Put the wheel on top of the tool, freewheel down onto the teeth. Then turn the whole wheel to the left, like driving a bus steering wheel on a sharp left turn. (One change to that advice: unlike a cassette, you will not need a chain whip, because it is the freewheel body being held, not the individual cogs.) As you turn the whole wheel left, also apply a little body weight downward to ensure the teeth stay firmly engaged.
“to where”????
You mean “so that”
I tend to stand on the NDS side, bend over the wheel and push down on both tools with weight, tends to do the trick. Not a fan of the adjustable spanner to be honest.
Use a skewer to hold the cassette tool in place.
Get another person to hold the chainwhip with two hands. Push down the wrench with two hands.