Useful life of cassette lockring threads?

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voicycle
Posts: 170
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:38 am

by voicycle

How many of you have come up against the limits of the useful life of cassette lockrings? Or more importantly - have most found that the threads on the freehub are sufficiently robust to always be the surviving part if/when a lockring gives out?

Lately I’ve taken to removing my cassettes and putting them on the Shimano plastic carrier thing in order to clean them - easier to access and no risk of contaminating bearings. But I don’t really think cassette lockrings are designed for removal and reinstallation as repeatedly as, say, pedals. Have started to wonder if I’m simply bringing forward the day I need to replace a whole freehub rather than just bearings.


On install I always spin the lockring in reverse first til I feel the threads engage so have managed to avoid cross threading except for maybe once in five years. Have got a mix of freehub brands but it’s mostly DT Swiss and my cassettes are all Shimano.


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tarmackev
Posts: 899
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:59 pm

by tarmackev

Roadie since 90. Dont think I've ever had threads or a lockring fail on me. I'm forever mixing up lockrings and cassettes.
Lots of variables on this one.

jfranci3
Posts: 1572
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 5:21 pm

by jfranci3

They're easy to screw up though. Especially if you're mixing SRAM and Shimano lockrings (slightly diffrent depths) or using Steel freehub bodies. You can buy new onces for about $10.

satanas
Posts: 315
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 5:45 pm

by satanas

FWIW, I've been using Shimano cassette hubs for 40+ years and have never had, seen or heard of a failed lockring or stripped freehub body thread. Not had much Campag but never saw a failure there either anywhere I worked. I've had nothing to do with XD/XDR so can't comment on that.

OCD cleaning requiring frequent dismantling of parts - especially square taper cranks - is IMHO a pointless way to wear parts out prematurely, so best avoided.

Having said all that, if sufficient brute force and ignorance is applied anything can be broken. (And I personally don't enjoy cleaning cassettes - at all! - and wouldn't bother removing them for cleaning; if they're so disgusting they can't be cleaned in situ I'd be using a different chain lube and/or applying it less often and/or in smaller amounts.)

voicycle
Posts: 170
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:38 am

by voicycle

Thanks all, sounds like no need to worry.
satanas wrote:
Thu May 04, 2023 2:37 pm
OCD cleaning requiring frequent dismantling of parts - especially square taper cranks - is IMHO a pointless way to wear parts out prematurely, so best avoided.

Having said all that, if sufficient brute force and ignorance is applied anything can be broken. (And I personally don't enjoy cleaning cassettes - at all! - and wouldn't bother removing them for cleaning; if they're so disgusting they can't be cleaned in situ I'd be using a different chain lube and/or applying it less often and/or in smaller amounts.)
This is mostly a byproduct of immersive chain waxing rather than filthy cassettes. Since I'm removing chains to clean them now, the cassette is the only reason I've got left to use degreaser near an assembled bicycle anymore. Seemed wise to get it away from the wheel bearings if it only requires minimal effort to do so. But as satanas says it might just as easily be a good way to cause premature wear and prove to be a false economy. Time will tell I guess, and as long as I keep hanging onto lockrings even once I dispose of old cassettes then I'll always have some backups on hand.
satanas wrote:
Thu May 04, 2023 2:37 pm
if sufficient brute force and ignorance is applied anything can be broken.
I think maybe this is the real takeaway for me here. I've never actually owned a torque wrench that goes above 15nm. No biggie for most bike maintenance but might start to matter in my lockring situation. Perhaps it's finally time to buy the big torque wrench - not for every use, but to remind myself every so often what 40nm should feel like.

Also I have no idea why I posted this in the Gravel subforum :noidea:

satanas
Posts: 315
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 5:45 pm

by satanas

I wouldn't bother with a torque wrench for lockrings. They need to be tight, but unless you're a gorilla your chances of stripping one are zero IMO. We did have a customer once though who was a stonemason, and he routinely applied ridiculous amounts of force to everything. Always remember, bicycles are not like blocks of granite! ;-)

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