Carbon parts carry a torque figure, and guessing it is the expensive way · review
A chain whip and a splined lockring removal wrench, both heat-treated steel, for 8, 9 and 10-speed cassettes.
Our conclusion The two tools a cassette change actually needs, in one purchase: a chain whip to hold the sprockets and a splined lockring wrench to undo them. Both heat-treated steel, both for 12-tooth splines, and the wrench fits any brand using that pattern — Sachs, SunRace, SRAM, SunTour, Chris King. Rated for 8, 9 and 10-speed cassettes, which leaves the 11 and 12-speed cassettes on this site outside it.
Two tools: a chain whip with an orange non-slip handle, and a lockring removal wrench for 12-tooth splined freewheels and cassette lockrings. Both heat-treated steel, “to prevent bending and flexing”. $12.99.
This is the part people discover the hard way. A cassette lockring is tightened to about 40 Nm, and the sprockets it holds can turn freely in one direction — so turning the lockring just turns the whole cassette.
The chain whip is a length of chain on a handle that wraps round a sprocket and holds it still. The wrench engages the lockring’s splines and undoes it. Neither works alone.
“Designed to be used in conjunction with the cassette lock ring tool to remove cassettes from hubs.”
The introduction to this shelf compares multi-tools and torque wrenches, and the five tools published here are three 16-function multi-tools and two torque wrenches. None of them removes a cassette.
“Fits for any brand 12 teeth splined type freewheels, like Sachs Aris, Sun Race, SRAM, SunTour, Chris King and other cassette lockrings.”
Twelve splines is the pattern Shimano introduced for Hyperglide cassettes and which the industry adopted — which is why one wrench covers five named brands and the cassettes written on this site besides. The cassettes page here publishes Shimano HG51, HG50, HG500-10, XT M771 and the 105 CS-R7101, all of which use a splined lockring.
What the listing does not say is the spline diameter, which differs between a cassette lockring and some older freewheel removers. Twelve teeth is the identifier it gives, and it is the right one.
“Sprocket remover can also be used to tighten on screw-on freewheels.”
Loosening and tightening. On a screw-on freewheel — the older arrangement where the sprocket cluster threads onto the hub — the same tool does the job in reverse, which is worth knowing on a bike old enough to have one.
And the whip holds a sprocket for refitting as well as removal, though the lockring’s own tightening torque should come from the hub or cassette manufacturer’s figure.
“Caters for 8, 9 and 10 speed cassettes.”
The cassettes written on this repository run from 8-speed to 12. So:
Why a chain whip would have a speed rating at all is the width of its chain: an 8-speed chain is too wide to seat properly between 11 or 12-speed sprockets, so it slips instead of gripping. The wrench itself is indifferent — splines are splines.
So on a modern 11 or 12-speed cassette, the wrench will work and the whip may not. A cassette-specific holder is the alternative there.
“Both are in high quality, heat treated to prevent bending and flexing.”
A chain whip is a lever that takes a hard pull with a chain under tension; a lockring wrench takes 40 Nm through twelve small teeth. The failure mode of a cheap one is the handle bending or the splines rounding off, and heat treatment is the answer to both.
“Constructed from steel for durability”, and the handle is “orange non-slip coated” — which matters because this is a tool used with greasy hands.
“When remove flywheel, fixed wheel to prevent from damage.”
Awkwardly phrased, and the point is real: the whip holds the sprocket so the wheel does not spin and the spokes do not take the load.
No handle lengths, which decide the leverage available; no spline diameter; no weight; no chain speed for the whip itself — only the cassette range it suits; and no torque figure for refitting, which the buying advice on this shelf says should always come from the part or the manual rather than from a comparison page.
Read on the day this page was built: $13 at the American Amazon shop.
Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-06. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Contents | Chain whip and lockring removal wrench |
|---|---|
| Spline pattern | 12-tooth splined |
| Brands named | Sachs Aris, SunRace, SRAM, SunTour, Chris King |
| Cassette range | 8, 9 and 10-speed |
| Also does | Tightens screw-on freewheels |
| Material | Heat-treated steel |
| Handle | Orange non-slip coating |
| Price | $12.99 |
| Handle lengths | Not published |
| Spline diameter | Not published |
| Weight | Not published |
| Amazon reference | B075RS5T8P |
| EAN | 0840586114292 |
Because the cassette turns. Its lockring is tightened to roughly 40 Nm, and the sprockets freewheel in one direction — so turning the lockring with one tool just spins the whole cluster. The chain whip wraps round a sprocket and holds it still; the wrench undoes the lockring against that resistance. Neither works alone, and several of the seven tools already published on this shelf does either job.
The wrench will; the whip may not. Splines are splines, and the 12-tooth pattern is the industry standard. The whip is rated for 8 to 10-speed because its own chain has a width — an 8-speed chain is too wide to seat properly between 11 or 12-speed sprockets, so it slips instead of gripping. The 105 CS-R7101 12-speed cassette published on this site is outside the stated range; a cassette-specific sprocket holder is the tool for it.
Use the figure from the cassette or hub manufacturer, not from here. The buying advice on this shelf is explicit: torque values on this site are reported from the part or the manual, never derived. A lockring under-tightened works loose and chews the splines; over-tightened it is a problem to remove next time. Oumers publishes no figure, and nor should it — the number belongs to the part.
Changing a cassette on an 8, 9 or 10-speed bike at home
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 600.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for bike gear and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
16 functions · hex 2–6 mm (0.08 to 0.24 in) · sockets 8/9/10 mm · 205 g (7.2 oz) · 90 × 44 × 25 mm (3.54 × 1.73 × 0.98 in)
The best-selling tool here: a folding 16-in-1 multi-tool with hex keys from 2 to 6 mm (0.08 to 0.24 in), three socket sizes and a screwdriver, at 205 g (7.2 oz).
Best for: The roadside tool to keep in a saddle bag, at the price of a set of brake pads.
16 functions · hex 2–6 mm (0.08 to 0.24 in) · sockets 8/9/10 · CrV steel · 305 g (10.8 oz)
A 16-in-1 folding tool in chrome vanadium steel, with the same hex and socket range as the best-seller here but a harder alloy and more weight.
Best for: Riders who would rather carry an extra hundred grams than round off a seized bolt.
5–25 Nm · ±4% · aluminum alloy · 30 bits, 12 sockets, case
A 1/4 inch torque wrench covering 5 to 25 Nm at a stated ±4%, in an aluminum alloy body, supplied with thirty bits and twelve sockets in a case.
Best for: A first torque wrench where the bit and socket collection matters as much as the wrench itself.
