Replacing the cassette on your road bike or MTB [How-to]

Replacing the cassette on your racing or mountain bike is something you can do yourself. In this blog we will explain how you can change the cassette on your bike, what tools you need and what you should pay attention to.

What tools do I need to change my cassette?

In order to change or replace a road cassette of mtb cassette, you need two tools: the cassette-afnemer to tighten and loosen the lock ring, and a chain whip to hold the cassette in place while disassembling it.

There are two fits for the cassette's lock ring, which are Shimano/Sram and Campagnolo. The difference between them is minimal, yet the cassette remover tools for these cassettes are not interchangeable. The chain whip tool, however, is suitable for all cassettes.

If you know the brand of the cassette that is currently on your bike, you know which tool you need. You can then replace your cassette yourself. For Shimano and Sram cassettes we have, among others, BBB and Pro cassette removers available. Both removers have a very precise fit. For Campagnolo cassettes we advise the BBB set with chain whip and cassette remover.

Which cassette do I need for my road bike or mtb?

When you need a new cassette, either because you want a different ratio or simply because your current cassette has worn out, it is important that you buy the right cassette. Which cassette you can use depends on the body on your rear wheel.

The body is the part on which the cassette is fitted. With road bikes and mountain bikes, different fits are used nowadays:

• Shimano/Sram Hyperglide (HG): Road Bike and MTB
• Shimano MicroSpline: MTB
• Campagnolo: Road Bike
• Sram XD: MTB
• Sram XDR: Road Bike

Still haven't decided which cassette you need? Then use the selection guide on our website.

Shimano/Sram Hyperglide cassette (Road Bike and MTB)

This fit is used on both racing and mountain bikes. However, there are differences between the bodies. Bodies for 11-speed road bikes are wider than 9/10-speed road bike bodies. This means that you need to place a cassette spacer on an 11-speed body if you want to place a 9 or 10-speed cassette on it.

11-speed mountain bike bodies are as wide as 9/10-speed road bike bodies and therefore narrower than11-speed road bike bodies. The largest sprocket of a mountain bike cassette can be placed closer to the spokes, without the risk of your derailleur getting in between them. This resulted in a narrower body, which saves some weight too!

How should I replace a Shimano/Sram Hyperglide cassette?

1. Place the chain whip on the cassette. Make sure that the entire whip is on one sprocket.
2. Place the cassette remover on the lock ring and unscrew it. Sometimes the lock ring will not loosen even though you put a lot of force on it. In this case, spray some WD40 on it and let it soak in for an hour. Then try loosening the lock ring again.
3. Clean the body with a cloth before fitting the new cassette.
4. For a 9 or 10-speed cassette, place the spacer on the body. This is not necessary if you have an 11-speed cassette!
5. Slide the gears onto the body in the correct order.
6. Apply a little assembly paste to the lock ring and then tighten it well.

The images below show how we change the cassette on an 11-speed road bike.

Shimano MicroSpline cassette (MTB)

For its 12-speed mountain bike groupsets, Shimano have developed a different body. Thanks to this body, 12-speed cassettes can be fitted, whereas the Shimano HyperGlide body only had room for 11-speed.

How should I replace a Shimano MicroSpline cassette?

1. Place the chain whip on the cassette. Make sure that the entire whip is on one sprocket.
2. Place the cassette remover on the lock ring and unscrew it. Sometimes the lock ring will not loosen even though you put a lot of force on it. In this case, spray some WD40 on it and let it soak in for an hour. Then try loosening the lock ring again.
3. Clean the body with a cloth before fitting the new cassette.
4. Place the spider with the first seven gears on the body.
5. Then place the other 5 sprockets with intermediate spacers on the body. Make sure that you put the spacers in the right place, because they differ in thickness. If you place the spacers in the wrong order, your bike will not shift properly!
6. Apply a little assembly paste to the lock ring and then tighten it well.

Campagnolo cassette (Road Bike)

Italian Campagnolo has been using its own bodies for years. All Campagnolo cassettes, from 9 to 12-speed, fit on these bodies! Campagnolo simply makes the sprockets and chain narrower, so that the different cassettes fit on the body. The Campagnolo cassette lock ring also has a different fit than cassettes from other brands. You will need a special cassette remover for this!

How should I replace a Campagnolo cassette?

1. Place the chain whip on the cassette. Make sure that the entire whip is on one sprocket.
2. Place the cassette remover with Campagnolo fitting on the lock ring and unscrew it. Sometimes the lock ring will not loosen even though you put a lot of force on it. In this case, spray some WD40 on it and let it soak in for an hour. Then try loosening the lock ring again.
3. Clean the body with a cloth before fitting the new cassette.
4. Place the sprockets on the body. Make sure that you place the spacers in the right order, otherwise your derailleur will not shift properly.
5. Apply a little assembly paste to the lock ring and then tighten it well.

Sram XD (MTB) & Sram XDR (Road Bike)

When Sram started to work on a 12-speed mountain bike groupset, a new body had to be developed for it. This groupset was equipped with a single front sprocket. A cassette with a '10' as the smallest sprocket was needed to increase the range. If they hadn't done that, you'd have had to exceed your optimal cadence in order to reach a decent speed.

The assembly of this cassette is completely different from what you may be used to, as the lock ring and all the sprockets on the cassette are bonded to one piece, which means that there are no loose sprockets to slide onto the body.

This assembly method has been adopted for the bodies for 12-speed racing bike cassettes. However, the body for road cassettes had to be wider, because otherwise you would run the risk of the derailleur hitting the spokes. This was not a problem with the Sram XD mountain bike bodies, because the largest sprocket of the cassette is further away from the spokes.

How should I replace a Sram XD (MTB) or a Sram XDR (Road bike) cassette?

1. Place the chain whip on the cassette. Make sure that the entire whip is on one sprocket.
2. Place the cassette remover on the lock ring and unscrew it.
3. Clean the body with a cloth before fitting the new cassette.
4. Apply a little assembly paste to the thread.
5. Slide the new cassette onto the body.
6. Tighten the cassette using the cassette remover tool.