With most modern 1X cassettes being as large as a dinner plate, you can use another chainring or sprocket to jam a chain when you need to take off a cassette locker
I fucking hate chain whips and sockets for removal, it is one of the worst jobs IMO trying to keep that tool seated in the lock ring correctly and the cassette from spinning whilst using sufficient force to undo it all is bull shit.
Recently I used one of these for the first time -
It is listed as an emergency pocket lock ring tool but I will never be going back to using shitty chain whips. You remove the wheel and get the tool in the right place and the refit the wheel so the tab will push in the frame. I placed a bit of cut inner tube under the tab to protect the paint and then you just pedal to undo the lock ring. The tool is sandwiched in there so won’t slip and you have the power and leverage of your legs and a crank arm to put in the force needed, in comparison a chain whip seems fucking stupid to me if you are able to use one of these.
I probably wouldn’t use it on a carbon frame but I also personally would never own a carbon frame either so that is a non issue for me.
For a tenner it is probably one of the best tools I have discovered that no one ever speaks about.
I have never used this tool, but it’s in my long-distance tool set in case I ever need to swap a broken spoke in the middle of nowhere. Can’t quite remember if I ever tested it either.
I have had it for probably a year or more and recently wanted to remove my cassette for yearly maintainance and thought I’d give it a go as I never want to use a chain whip. Can’t recommend it enough!
Cool idea.
It would worry me though if one could find enough purchase or stability that way to get off lock ring; particularly an XD/XD-R driver. Those are on tight when properly fitted. I need the long handle of both my chain whip and my lock ring wrench to get some of my cassettes off.
Maybe I’m just weak (highly probable).
Yeah, this only worked for HG cassettes. XD is much tighter
I made a chain whip using 10” of old chain, a peice of scrap wood and a peice of wire. Takes off my fully torques road cassette.
