Warning: I used a regular wrench on my cassette lockring and almost stripped it

I was trying to swap my cassette last weekend and used a standard 12-inch adjustable wrench, which slipped and chewed up the lockring's notches. I borrowed a proper lockring tool and a long-handled wrench from a friend, and it came off with one smooth pull. Has anyone else found a good way to get enough torque without the right tool, or is buying the tool the only real fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithb5128d ago

My buddy tried the adjustable wrench trick on his old mountain bike. He ended up rounding the notches so bad the shop had to use a chisel and hammer to get it off. The whole cassette was trash after that. It cost him way more than the lockring tool would have. Sometimes the right tool isn't just for pros, it's to stop a simple job from turning into a huge mess. You got lucky it came off clean after borrowing the tool, right?

cooper.reese29d ago

Honestly, I've done the same thing and it worked fine. A big adjustable wrench gives you plenty of leverage if you're careful. Just make sure it's fully seated and push straight down, don't let it slip. People act like you need a special tool for every single bike part, but sometimes you just use what's in the garage. That lockring tool is a one trick pony, why buy it for one job?