Mechanical > Mountain Bike Maintenance: Stuck Cassette

Mountain Bike Maintenance: Stuck Cassette

1. Attach the splined cassette removal tool as normal using the QR lever to hold it in place.

2. Put a spanner on the cassette removal tool and hold the spanner in place with your knee. (If you can’t do this then tie it to the spokes).

3. Take a flat bladed screwdriver and hammer and tap the cassette in the opposite direction to the force applied by the chain. Make sure you tap each part of the cassette.

4. Try to remove the cassette now. I find that I can now only get the smaller rings off at this point.

5. Do NOT try to lever the back of the cassette off the hub, with the Hope hub this will only remove the whole freehub body. Instead put the wheel down with the end of the cassette carrier on a block of wood and tap the back of the cassette GENTLY with a flat bladed screwdriver and hammer. You should feel the cassette shift, hammer it until it reaches the end of the cassette carrier.

6. Try to slide the cassette off now. I had to lever the smaller set of rings away from the larger ones using a screwdriver to get them off. Finally the large rings should just slide off.

7. THUMBS UP! All done now.

For information, I have used both my Hope Pro 2 and Chris King hubs with either SLX or XT (9-speed and 10-speed) cassettes. The Chris King was 2 years old before I retired it and I had siezed cassette issues from the first time I changed a cassette. The Hope Pro 2 is 8 months old and I had issues removing the first cassette after 3 months. Bear in mind that I usually ride around 24 days a month, on rough mountain trails with steep climbs and technical descents.

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This entry was posted Monday, August 15th, 2011 at 9:29 am and is classified as Mechanical.