When checking out the bike prior to our ride last Sunday, I found that the rear wheel was out of true. So I took it off, put in the truing stand and found a broken spoke. Since I didn't have a spare spoke, it was off to the only bike shop that was open. After selling me the spoke, the bikeshop-person said "You know, you're going to have to take that brake off to get the new spoke in." DOH!! They didn't have the tool and couldn't get it off. The next bike shop said that they could get it off, but failed (the mechanic said that he usually clamps two screwdrivers in a vise and uses that as a pin spanner to hold the drum, but his vise was too small.) The guy at the third shop said he'd done one before and tried to use a big Crescent wrench on the hex inside the drum, but he couldn't get it off either (he did mark up the drum in the process, though.) The fourth shop - Hallejuah! - had the correct tool and knew what they were doing; he had it off in less than a minute, threaded the new spoke on for me, and re-installed the drum. Back home I got the wheel re-trued and we were off for a shorter-than-planned ride.

There seems to be two ways to grip an Arai drum; using a pin spanner in the holes around the perimeter of the drum or a 41mm socket on the hex in the center of the drum. I know that Tandems Ltd sells a drum brake removal tool and there is also the Hozan C-349 brake removal tool. A 41mm socket would work also if I had a breaker bar long enough to get the leverage needed.

Does anyone have a favorite method of removing these drums? Is there an alternate method (as in, cheaper) to remove one? Thanks.