Bicycle Mechanics - Alternate cassette removal techniques

I am building up a beater bike from garbage finds. I'm only missing brakes, a chain, and a cassette.

Last night, while meandering through some trash, I found a busted wheel that had a seemingly functional 5-speed cassette on it. The cassette said "Shimano DG," which I've found no info about online. I took the whole wheel home, and tried to take the cassette off with my cracker. The hole was a little to small for it to fit in, however.

Anyone have any ideas on how else I could get it off? I don't mind destroying the wheel, it is already damaged.

You need two chain whips. The small cog is also the lockring holding the whole cassette onto the freehub body. Use one to hold the cassette, the other on the small cog to unscrew the small cog. If you don't have chain whips, lengths of chain and locking pliers will work.

One cavet, this cassette will NOT work on a modern Hyperglide greehub with a separte lock ring.

More then likely, it is a freewheel that threads onto the hub rather then a cassette that slides onto a freehub body.

One cavet, this cassette will NOT work on a modern Hyperglide greehub with a separte lock ring.


Hmm, I guess that defeats the purpose of taking it off. Oh well.

Thanks for the info.

Shimano 5 speed stuff is all freewheel. Save your effort.

Do 5 speed cassettes even exist?
I figured they'd only be 7,8,9,10

Do 5 speed cassettes even exist?
I figured they'd only be 7,8,9,10

I've seen six, but never five.

Do 5 speed cassettes even exist?
I figured they'd only be 7,8,9,10

Here's the item in question. I count five. Could some of the cogs have been removed? I did find this in the trash, who knows what it's history is...

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f110/bearspaw12/cassette.jpg

Methinks we all forgot what 10 speeds were... 5 in the back, 2 in the front.

[QUOTE=BearsPaw]Here's the item in question. I count five. Could some of the cogs have been removed? I did find this in the trash, who knows what it's history is...

That is a freewheel. It takes a different removal tool than their new ones.

Park makes a tool to take off shimano freewheels that works on cassettes as well. Can be had for about $8 at the LBS.

There were 5 speed cassettes, but they didn't make it to the US market.

I think that says "Shimano-UG", not DG. They use an odd font.

It takes an FR-1 freewheel removal tool and a bench vise to get it off.

or a nice big wrench with a long handle and/or a cheater bar. The teeth on that are fine, it'll work no problem. Free freewheel for a beater--good, resourceful eye.

or a nice big wrench with a long handle and/or a cheater bar. The teeth on that are fine, it'll work no problem. Free freewheel for a beater--good, resourceful eye.

Be sure to clamp the Park or Shimano remover tool in place with a quick release skewer before applying that "big wrench". Shimano freewheel removers aren't as slip-prone as the older Sun Tour two-notch removers but clamping them in place is still a good idea.

You may have to improvise as the axle and cones are gone from the hub in the picture.

I think that says "Shimano-UG", not DG. They use an odd font.

It takes an FR-1 freewheel removal tool and a bench vise to get it off.


++ seems to be correct.

Methinks we all forgot what 10 speeds were... 5 in the back, 2 in the front.

Methinks those were freewheels.