Question on installing an ultegra casette

It's actually pretty easy.

1) Make sure the numbers (of teeth) on the cogs face AWAY from the
spokes (outwards).

2) The cog inner ridges are set up to line up with the splines on the
freehub body such that if you obey (1) above, you can't get them wrong
as long as you

3) Make sure the number of teeth on each cog are descending as you move
outwards from the spokes. (Sorry, it's like saying at McDonald's to
beware because the coffee is hot; if I didn't say it, SOMEONE would tell
me I needed to ;-)

Spacers are interchangable/flippable as far as which way they go, which
side out, etc. All the ridges are the same size. The cogs are the ones
you need to line up properly, and with 1-3 above, just put them on,
making sure to put spacers where needed.

4) You'll need a Shimano lockring tool to tighten the lock ring.
Tighter than hand-tight, but don't cinch it down too hard. Kinda tough
to describe this one. Make it tight, but not too tight.

Dave

Bob Palermo said:

Hi,

I just ordered and received an Ultegra 9 speed casette 12-23 to replace the
9 speed 12-25 that came with my bike. To my surprise, the cassette arrived
in numerous pieces. There is an outer three ring set (19-21-23), then a two
ring set (16-17), then 4 individual rings separated by individual spacers
(12-13-14-15), then finally what looks like a locking ring on the inside. I
had expected a one piece cassette like what was on my old (very old) bike. I
also bought the cassette remover, which looks like a nut, with a spindle
extending from it.

So far, I've been careful to keep everything in the same order as it came in
the box. I do notice that the spacers are not always in the same direction.
(I can see this because the small lettering on the sides are in different
directions for some of the spacers. Are the spacers symmetric with respect
to flipping?) The individaul rings look like they must be faced a certain
way.

Should I have expected so many pieces? Will my existing cassette (the
12-25), when removed, also be in multiple pieces? How do I install the new
one? Does everything thread onto a center core?

I don't want to start the removal and installation if I'm going to royally
screw up my bike. I didn't think this needed to be done professionally.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Bob P

Dave R said:

You'll need a Shimano lockring tool to tighten the lock ring.
Tighter than hand-tight, but don't cinch it down too hard. Kinda tough to describe this one. Make it tight, but not too tight.

It should be a _lot_ tighter than hand tight. I seem to recall 40 N-m
(about 30 Ft lb) of torque is what's printed on the lockring.

Art Harris

You'll need a couple of specialized tools just to get the old cassette
off. You might want to peruse this webpage to familiarize yourself with
what's needed:

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQcogs.shtml