The Best Cassette Tools – Velo

“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”>

How much thought have you given to cassette tools?

I hadn’t dwelled on it much, but if you look in our gear reviews, you will see a lot of wheel reviews. Every time that happens that means removal of the cassette and disc brakes from the old wheels to the new wheels. Then there’s general testing of different setups. I aero tested road bike helmets but I still swapped wheels to make sure I set myself up with a solid bike and wheel combo as the base. New tire testing might mean swapping wheels for the sake of comparisons.

Long story short, we move cassettes and disc brakes around a lot here at Velo and we’ve been at it for years. It’s exactly the kind of scenario that’s ripe for optimization and that’s just the kind of weirdo I am. Early this year, I decided I’d had enough of the annoyance that chain whips present and I started a search for better cassette tools. Here’s what I found.

It’s a two-piece system

There are two pieces to this puzzle. This isn’t some grand realization I had, but rather a statement of fact. I want to make sure we are both on the same page as I go through the options.

One side is whatever broad category you want to apply to a chain whip. You need something that stops the cassette from rotating when you attempt to loosen it. Traditionally that’s a chain whip but chain whips are a hassle and there are better options.

The other side is a cassette lockring tool. Once you’ve stopped the cassette from rotating you need a special tool that fits into the cassette lockring and allows you to rotate it free. If you also have internally splined centerlock rotor lockrings on your brakes, you can use the same tool for both.

If you don’t already have internally splined rotor lockrings I’d say consider getting a set. Wolftooth centerlock rotor lockrings are a beautiful option. They add a bit of bling but it’s also easier to loosen/tighten them. Bonus is a reduction in tools to swap wheels.

You can, of course, use most lockring tools with most cassette tools. That said, there are actually some reasons to stick with a single brand. I’ll get into that below.

What I’m trying to solve with better cassette tools

I’m sorry, one more thing before I get started. If you’ve always used a chain whip and wonder what the issue is, it’s only that there are better options. A chain whip is fine, it’s just a bit fiddly and it can slip. You have to find the right gears and wrap the chain in the right direction… none of this is a big deal but smart people made better options.

One of those is the Pedros Pro Chain Whip. It adds a spring and generally makes a chain whip better. It’s still a chain whip though and it has a lot of the same issues. We can do better. Let’s get overly narrow in our focus and generally pedantic.

Park Tool

Park Tool is ubiquitous and, like a vast majority of people, I started with the blue handled tools. I’ve had an SR-12.2 chain whip forever and I used it with an FR-5.2GT (cassette lockring tool with 12mm guide).

For a long time I just grabbed the lockring tool with whatever wrench I found first. Sometimes that was a tongue and groove plier, sometimes that was an adjustable wrench, and sometimes that was a Vice-Grip. All the options worked but obviously none of it is ideal.

As I traveled down this path of optimization the first thing I thought made sense to try was the Park Tool Cassette Lockring tool with handle (FR-5.12h). This is one of those tools you’ll dream about. It feels so good in your hand and is such a joy to use, you’ll want it just to enjoy the weight. Seriously, it’s perfectly weighted and a joy to use. It will also for sure outlast you and your desire to remove cassettes from wheels.

As amazing as the FR-5.12h is to use though, it’s only half of what you need. The SR-12.2 chain whip is a lovely chain whip but it’s still a chain whip and, as I’ve said, we can do better. Park Tool actually offers another option in that department. The CP-1.2 Cassette Pliers upgrades the concept of a chain whip but I went a different direction based on a tip from a colleague.

Pedros

The Pedros Vice Whip II gets a lot of love from a lot of people and I can see why. In some ways it’s similar to the Park Tool pliers but it’s easier to use. The fact that it locks on means there’s one less thing to deal with when you’ve got a stuck cassette lockring. It also works with Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM cassettes with adjustability for 9-23 tooth cogs.

You could then pair this tool with the Park Tool wrench above and have a pretty nice system. Pedros has a wrench as well though and it’s got some interesting features. For one thing, it’s two pieces.

Instead of a simple cassette lockring tool with a handle, Pedros offers the Pro Socket Handle 3.0. It’s a thin metal rod with a nice big yellow handle and an open 24mm head with magnets. You can pop in the Pedros cassette lockring tool, the splined bottom bracket socket, or a freewheel socket and there’s a set screw if you have a need for it.

As nice as all of this is, I found a few issues. The Vice Whip II is awesome if you always work on either Shimano or SRAM but not great if you need to bounce between different options. Yes it’s adjustable but you have to adjust it and think about which cog it goes on. Then there’s the wrench.

The Pro Socket Handle isn’t as lust worthy as the Park Tool piece but it feels good in your hand. There’s a certain satisfaction in popping the cassette lockring tool into it but that’s where the joy ends. What’s odd about it is the cassette lockring tool was almost the best part of the whole system.

Pedros has the Pro Cassette Lockring socket with pin and without. The pin isn’t strictly necessary but I prefer to use it as it keeps your tool stable and avoids stripping the lockring. Probably not an issue but why not err on the side of safety? The problem is that some people need a thru axle pin and some need a quick release pin. They are different sizes. Most brands offer two versions.

The Pedros Pro Cassette Lockring socket with pin is different. Instead of offering two versions there’s only one version and it has a magnetic guide pin. Pull it off and there’s a satisfying pop leaving you with a 5mm pin for a quick release. Sounds genius right?

The problem is that it comes out when you remove the socket from the cassette. It’s also kind of hard to line it up with the hole because the magnet wants to stick to everything. Don’t forget it’s not impossible to lose the guide pin in the axle either. You can just push it back out but why does it come off? There’s no scenario where I want that pin to stay in the cassette.

I was so confused by this that I called around to some shops asking mechanic friends if I was crazy. Maybe there’s a reason why this makes sense but no one I talked to could think of one. On top of all that, it didn’t fit in some of my wheels at all. And the Pedros tool costs more than double what other brands charge. You could buy a cassette lockring tool with a 12mm guide and a 5mm guide and still spend less if you choose a different brand.

Unior 

That expensive lockring tool is a perfect segue to Unior. Unior tools use red instead of blue in the US and tend to offer competitive pricing. The Unior cassette lockring tool with guide for a thru axle is $14.99 while the quick release version is $9.99.

The Unior tools aren’t just a great bargain though. There’s a unique shape to the cassette lockring tools from Unior. Unlike Park Tool’s offerings they are tall and narrow. You can grab them externally with a wrench but at the end is a spot to attach a 1/2″ drive tool.

Like Pedros, Unior offers just such a tool as a two part system. Unior does also offer an integrated tool but I ended up using the Unior Pro Socket Handle. It’s got a cast finish to the flat medal then there’s a large handle at the end. Most importantly, there’s a 1/2″ drive connection at the other end and the whole thing is only $13.99.

All of this matters because, at least for me, the king of chain whip solutions is the Unior Cassette wrench. The shape and finish is the same as the Pro Socket Handle but instead of a socket connection at the end it flares out and has three pins with a hole in the middle of the wrench. The pins fit into the teeth at the end of the cassette to stop it from moving but there’s no fuss in getting the tool in place. Just pop it on from the outside and it falls naturally into place.

The downside to this design is the need for specific tooth pairings. One version has an 11 on one side and a 12 on the other while the other has a 10-tooth design. If you have both SRAM and Shimano bikes you’ll need two tools and 9-tooth Campagnolo will need to look elsewhere.

The hole in the center is also quite narrow but that’s why it pairs best with the long and narrow Unior cassette lockring tools. Over and over this is the pairing I’ve come back to and after all my exploration and optimization the Unior cassette wrenches are my favorite way to handle installation and removal of cassettes.

There’s one more piece though.

Add a ratchet to your cassette tools

For the most part I’ve moved to Unior tools after exploring all the options. Everything matches and the cassette tools as a whole are by far my favorite. The only exception is that I’m not using the Pro Socket Handle.

That tool is light and inexpensive and generally a nice piece. It’s not the best thing to attach the cassette lockring tool to though. It works fine but what works a whole lot better is a ratchet. The ability to position the wrench for the best leverage and bring it back instead of going all the way around is hands down a better way of doing things.

Personally I’m using a 72-tooth Dewalt 3/8-inch drive ratchet with a 1/2-inch adapter. It’s not the fanciest, or the perfectly optimized, but it works incredibly well. If you want to get fancier there are other options out there. Unior offers a reasonably priced Ratchet Wrench with 75 pawls and an available 1/2-inch drive. Alternatively you can fall down the rabbit hole of wrenches as far as you want to go. There are crazy expensive options and cheap stuff and they will all likely work fine for this use. A good ratchet can last a very long time, so maybe pay a bit more, but your choice.