I see this on a lot of packing lists and was wondering what this is all about. Do cassettes break which require a mid-ride change and if so should a spare cassette and chain whip be packed as well? I'm looking to pack only the essentials but really don't want to leave something out that could keep me from being stranded. Thanks for any info,

gz

you need it to replace a broken spoke,,have a look at your back wheel,i think you will,get the drift,,

you will need to remove the cassett
to do the job,.

DOn't bother unless you are going somewhere really remote - just bring a fiberfix spoke

I might carry this for a cross country/multi-state tour - can't weigh more than about 80 pounds []

I carried one across the Denali Highway and had another tourer borrow it so he could clean a bunch of gunk out of his cassette cogs. It doesn't weigh much and is nice and slender for packing. Just don't smoke down your cassette lock-rings. The Stein or Hypercracker tool isn't exceptionally robust. No big deal if you don't over tighten your lock-ring.

Tailwinds,

Ah cool... this is the first I'm hearing about the fiberfix spoke. I'll just pack that instead and save a locking, chain whip, monster adjustable wrench, spare spokes, and spare nipples... seems like a no-brainer.

Take a Stein or a hypercracker as which hardly weighs anything. Also take spare spokes as the unexpected can happen when you least expect it. I've had the rear derailleur jam and go into the spokes which locked up the rear wheel and broke spokes on both sides of the wheel. pushing a loaded touring bike is not fun.

Cheers

Geoff

Do hypercrackers work with freewheels? I thought only with freehubs?

I guess the first thing to determine is whether the wheel uses a freewheel or hub. Anything new is probably a freehub.

In the case of freewheels, the ratchet mechanism is in the cog seembly. It can break eliminating, forward drive. To make maters possibly worse, a fair number of the currently available assemblies are bottom of the barrel units, so one may end up having to splice a nasty part to the Phil uber hub one buys. To fix such failures one needs a means of getting into the back of the freewheel. The good news is that the fix is pretty easy and one reason why some like dealing with freewheels rather than hubs.

We had the Stein tool, used it successfully 3 times and on the 4th time it broke. Grrrrrr.... worked great when it did work, but having paid $50 we hoped for a bit more use out of it. For a short tour I think I would also take a fiberfix spoke.

The OP was concerning cassettes and having torn freewheels to pieces and bent lots of axles, I am a big fan of cassettes.

The Stien tool does look a bit fragile. Care is needed when using it. I've only needed it once so far which isn't a fair test of it's durability. Beats taking a chain whip though.

Cheers

Geoff

If you're in Europe there's also The Next Best Thing II. I've never tried the Stein tool, but I have the NBT2, and for me it has been robust enough. I've used it maybe 3-4 times and cannot really see how it could break.

--J

I carry one of these but am not sure they are a great solution. Also remember that broken spokes tend to come in bunches.

Check out this hub I found on an old touring bike.

It's made so you can replace a spoke without removing the freewheel! It's also made of 4130 chrome molly steel so it's never going to break. I'm in the process of cleaning it up so ignore the rusted spokes. It's getting a new QR axel,new spokes, and rim.

Do you need a spoke wrench to tighten up the kevlar emergency spokes?

I just wrote to Stein about the tool, and Jim informs me that a new version of the tool made out of one piece of steel is in the works for the next few weeks. Watch this space

On tour I take the Park cassette tool. It's small and easy to use. It's also cheaper than hypercrackers.

Yes but to use that you still need a large adjustable wrench and a big chain whip. I don't mind bringing the lockring but the wrench and chain whip are pretty heavy.

Here's a removal tool you might want to check out and a few other nice bits as well.
https://adamk.ca/custom_bits.html

Don't need chain whip - remove rear wheel, place lower chain on cassette top, wedge foot against pedal, and apply tool to remove cassette. About the wrench, it is possible to use many devices here especially if one does not wrench hard on the lockring when it is installed initially (I've even applied lockring with hand and had it stay in place adequately). I do carry a 6" wrench with extra wide mouth for this and other jobs (pedals, threaded headset adjustment).

I like this little removal tool on Adams site but I will be damned if I can find the Lifu tool to start with.

Yes, but one is supplied in the kit - as is a spare nipple.

I've been able to use a broken spoke to jam the cassette by passing the spoke trough one of the holes on the largest gear, bending it in place near the spoke's threaded end then using its capped end to cling onto the edge of the rim with the tire removed. Once the freewheel is jammed then I use my regular wrench with the cassette locknut bit. Saves me having to carry a chainwhip.

I don't know about anyone else, but I've had a freehub pack in on me on tour ... and again when I was at home. Evidently they aren't the most durable things. It's also, potentially, a huge inconvenience if one does pack in on you out in the middle of nowhere ... basically ... you're walking.

So do you ride with a freewheel instead? They can get pretty crusty as well.

No, I'm on my third freehub. They give you a bit of warning before they die ... I know what to watch for now.