Hi everyone,
I am attempting to change a 9 speed cassette on my bike. The cassette is worn but not crazily so. To assist, I am using a Park Tool SR-1 Sprocket Remover/Chain whip with Header. When I have done this in the past, the process has been smooth. Unfortunately, as soon as I apply any pressure to the lock rig, the chain on the chain whip keeps jumping off whatever cog I place it on to hold the cassette in place. I have had other people hold the chain whip and it still jumps off the cogs. I have only changed a few cassettes with the whip so it is in pretty new shape. A picture of the cassette is below. What is causing this? what is the solution?
Thanks,
Neil

I see nothing wrong with the condition of cassette that would case you any serious trouble removing the lock ring.
If your doing it like this it should come off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQ3R3qdc_c

I haven't removed as many cassettes as some of the other guys around here, but I've done a few and it's difficult to imagine you can't use a chain whip to grab at least one of the cogs on your cassette. It's gotta be a matter of technique.

Just to confirm, you use the chain whip to pull (hold) the cassette forward as if you were driving the wheel, and the lock ring tool pulls in the opposite direction. That means the free end of the chain will be wrapping around to the left, with the end about 180 degrees counter-clockwise of the pulling bar.

Hi all,
Thanks for the responses. I have actually watched the Spin Doctors video linked above a few times but am not seeing why I can't get the chain whip to stay seated. I feel like I am doing everything suggested above. Are there other tips you all can offer? I have to be overlooking something simple....

Here's a tip - modify your chainwhip.

IMO and IME chainwhips are wrong.

Undo one end of the little loop, and join it onto the whip end, so you only have a large loop.

@ everyone:

Wrap the chain whip almost all the way around the cassette, then hold it in place with a rubber band. It's hard to imagine it not holding

You know how many knuckles have ever been skinned because that was hard to imagine?

Worn cogs, unused chain, shouldn't be such a surprise.

Thanks everyone. Please keep the tips coming!

I've had some success using an old chain wrapped all the way around cassett, locked in place with vice grips, then a pair of channel locks as whip handle to hold while unlocking ring

i've had success wrapping a towel or rag around the teeth and wedging or tying the rest in or around the chainstay, but don't blame me if you break something.

and i'm always careful to go easy when tightening lockrings. IME, they don't need much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imlb...IoDLA&index=59

To the OP.

Since you were able to post a photo of the cassette, why not post the photo that would most help us solve your problem?

That would be one of the chain whip assembled onto the cassette as you're doing. We don't need to see the lockring tool since that doesn't seem to be the issue.

Hi FBinNY,
I will arrange for a photo tomorrow. In the interim, I purchased a couple small clamps at home depot to pin down the chain as suggested above. This helped but ultimately my clamps flew off the chain after I really cinched down the pressure. I will try to position them better tomorrow. I have also put some liquid wrench penetrating oil into the lockring. The video linked by 1nterceptor above showed a man using a giant plumbers pipefitting wrench. I will look into borrowing one. Thanks everyone for the recommendations.

This is an amazing tool, especially if you have an extremely worn cassette.

https://pedros.com/products/tools/cas...ain/vise-whip/

FFS, people...

Hi Chris,
wow, that Pedros tool is plain scary looking. Thanks for the tip!

Hi Kimmo,
Thanks, I appreciate the thought but please remember that gravity keeps pulling the chain off when I try to cinch down to remove the cassette.

I simply wrap a spent chain (which I retain specifically for cassette removals) around the largest cog on the cassette and wrap the other end of the chain (in overlapping fashion) several times around a piece of 2 by 3 which I chock against the rear of the tire on the floor as though it were a wheel chock (see pics). This causes the required loosening torque to pull the tire against the wrapped portion of chain around the 2 by 3 thus binding the chain against the 2 by 3 as loosening torque is applied.

Notice that roughly 3/4 of the large cog gets wrapped by the chain (the more teeth the better for improved grip). Some professional chain whips won’t wrap this much chain around the large cog, so this technique works better than many chain whips.

NOTE: I only had a rear wheel with a 13-28 freewheel available to take these shots just a few moments ago, but it was good enough to demonstrate the gist of the technique I successfully use when removing my cassettes.

I hope you find this helpful.

It is basically a pair of vice grips that go around one of the smaller cogs without damaging them. It is super solid, we have had to throw a breaker bar on the end of it for more leverage when someone grossly over tightened a cassette that needed removed. No matter how worn the cog is, the tool will not slip. Great tool but kinda pricey for home use.

@ 2:05 in that video. What's funny is, all else is pretty sane recommendations & he seems to truly care & know but MAN......that cassette wrench choice is uhhhhhh..........well.....

If all else fails, you can always wrap the chain around a smaller sprocket (or use a longer chain) so it's long enough to wind back onto itself. That way the bar itself will hold the end down and make any unwinding or slippage impossible.

Since this is a problem of technique and not equipment, I say pull a friend in and work on this together. Put your minds and two pairs of eyes together. You'll figure it out.

If you have the chainwhip on backwards that would explain your problem. If so, flip it over.

I think I need to repeat myself...........DID YOU GUYS SEE WHAT THAT GUY WHIPS OUT @ 2:05 in the video??? (I hope that cassette didn't cost a lot)

Has anybody here, ever used a pipe-wrench on their cassette before**********