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Old 01-31-25 | 05:45 AM
  #34  
Tourist in MSN
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Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Madison, WI

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

It is not that critical to select a freehub type hub that enables you to remove a cassette that easily. There are small tools that can be carried on a tour. For example, cassette tools that do not need a chain whip, like this one (and there are others):
https://uniorusa.com/products/pocket...remover-wrench

I do not like to use my frame as the wrench with that tool, so I carry a small pliers or wrench to use with it. That means needing a chain whip. But there are small work arounds for that too, example I started this thread over a decade ago:
Chain Whip for Travel

That said, I do not know the spoke lengths on my front wheel on my light touring bike because I did not build that wheel. So, when touring on that bike I do not carry spare front wheel spokes. Instead I use a Fiber Fix Emergency Spoke. Yan on this forum has ridden a long distance on a Fiber Fix and demonstrated that they work. And you do not need to remove a cassette to replace a drive side spoke if you use a Fiber Fix. Do a google search for Fiber Fix Emergency Spoke and you find lots of hits including youtube videos on how to use.

If you are worried about spoke breakage, carrying a Fiber Fix will make you less worried about spoke breakage. That said, if you do not know how to use a spoke wrench, that is a skill that you might want to learn if you have good mechanical aptitude.
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