The little tool that could, Park's Lockring Tool is the first step in long-term maintenance.
Written: Jan 14 '06 (Updated Jan 14 '06)
Product Rating:
Pros: Best of the bunch thanks to self-centering guide pin, low-price/high-quality.
Cons: Not really necessary unless you ride off-road or ride/race frequently.
The Bottom Line: Bikers looking for that first advanced maintenance tool to buy should consider this as a strong contender. Makes cassette maintenance very easy.
openroad's Full Review: Park Tool FR-5G Cassette Lockring Tool
Park Tool FR-5G Lockring Tool
MSRP: $7.00
Weight: 4 ounces
Compatibility: Fits Shimano, SRAM, SunRace, SunTour, Chris King, and other cassette lockrings. Also fits Shimano Disc Brake lockrings.
Technical Level: 5.0 (scale of 1-10)
----- Do I need a Lockring Tool? -----
For starters, this is a very good question… most bikers have no need of a lockring tool at at all. Before I go too much further I’ll explain what a lockring tool does and why you might want one. Whenever you pedal your bike (whether road or mountain), the torque you apply to the pedals goes through your chain and to the rear stack of gears otherwise known as a cassette. There are usually between 5 and 10 gears in a cassette depending on the type and price-point of your bicycle. As time goes on you’ll get sand, dirt, mud, leaves, twigs, clay, toy army men, (okay maybe not), and other debris stuck in your cassette. This ‘gunk’ gets jammed down deep into your cassette where it’s nearly impossible to remove. You’ll also notice your gear teeth becoming packed full when riding in adverse conditions. The fastest way to clean your cassette is to remove it and soak the whole cassette in a good cleaning solution. To remove your cassette you'll need a cassette wrench to hold your cassette and a lockring tool to remove the lockring holding your cassette on.
Back to the question; do you need a lockring tool? If you’re an aggressive trail and off-road rider, an aspiring or active racer, or you simply have lots of bicycles in your garage, you definitely should own a lockring tool. Now that you know what it does and whether or not you should buy one, let’s move on to how it’s used.
----- Removing your cassette using the FR-5G -----
For starters you should remove your rear wheel, unscrew and completely remove your quick-release axle, and by all means please work in a safe and ventilated environment. Safety glasses aren’t a bad idea since at some point you’ll be working with cleaning solution and/or degreaser.
To remove your cassette you’ll need:
Park Tool FR-5G Lockring Tool (or equivalent)
Pedro’s Pro Cog Wrench, Park or Shimano Chain Whip (to keep cassette from turning)
1” box-end wrench, 1” socket, or Crescent wrench to turn lockring tool
Park Tool Citrus ChainBrite degreasing cleaner (or equivalent)
First have someone hold your wheel or wedge it tightly against a wall or workbench. Now slide the cog wrench onto the cassette or attach your chain wrench to the desired gear. Using the FR-5G’s built-in centering pin as a guide, slide the lockring tool into the center of the cassette. It will drop into the hole where your axle normally goes and stop when the teeth of the lockring tool engage the lockring. Using your 1” wrench/socket or crescent wrench, apply pressure CCW while holding the cog wrench (or chain wrench) to keep cassette from rotating. Once lockring starts turning it should come off by spinning the lockring tool with your fingers. Remove the lockring and pull up on your cassette while rocking slightly side to side. Pay attention to the order your gears are stacked in since you’ll need to reassemble them in the same order.
Now you’ll need to soak your cassette in a solution such as Park Tool ChainBrite, Finish Line EcoTech Degreaser, Pedro’s Oranj Peelz, Pedro's Bio Cleaner, or other degreasing cleaner. Once you’ve loosened up the dried on gunk you can scrub the remaining bits with a toothbrush or other small cleaning brush. Park Tool makes a cassette specific brush in the Park Tool GSC-1 GearClean Brush. It’s small enough to get down between each gear with the small serrated end. Once your cassette is shiny and looking like new, reinstall onto your rear hub (making sure to line up the splines correctly with your gears) and try to get each gear in its correct position in the stack. Stick your cog or chain wrench back on, set the lockring on top of your cassette and using the lockring tool spin the locking on using only your hand (that way you won’t cross-thread it). Using the lockring tool and socket or wrench, tighten the locking tight enough it feels somewhere between tight and very tight. The first couple times your perform maintenance on your cassette you should check the tightness after a ride or two. Eventually you’ll know just how tight your lockring should be, it’s just a matter of experience.
----- Bottom Line -----
As part of a dedicated rider’s long-term maintenance outlook, chain and cassette cleaning is the first thing you should attend to. No other part on your bike is used more frequently or attacked more harshly than the drivetrain components. Dirt, mud, twigs, leaves, all debris of the natural and man-made type put more wear and tear on your bike than you do by riding. The cleaner you can keep your cassette the longer everything else will last.
I own not only the Park Tool FR-5G, but also the Park FR-5 and Shimano’s TL-HG16 lockring tools. I prefer the FR-5G over the FR-5 due to its built in self-centering guide pin. This makes removing lockrings a little easier, but GREATLY aids reinstalling the lockring. It’s all too easy to cross-thread lockrings without the center pin to center your tool. I really only need my lockring tools about 3 or 4 times a season, but for the $5-$7 cost it’s much more effective than borrowing one from a friend. If you’re ready to take that first step in bike maintenance beyond cleaning your chain, the FR-5G and a cassette tool are the first steps in a new direction.
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