attaching cassette to wheel

prhino said:

I bought Ultegra wheels and a cassette separately, online.

As one would expected, the cassette was not attached to the rear wheel when it arrived.

I've read the instructions, but given that I've never attached a cassette, and don't have the 'special tools' required, is it worth tackling it myself (after buying the tools of course), or should I just pay my LBS to put it (and the front wheel, with quick-release) together?

And how much should I expect to pay for this service (in Australia)?

Unless you are a complete and total klutz, these are jobs that you can do yourself.

If you don't have the chain thingamabob that grabs the cassette and the lockring attachment for a ratchet, then that's a hurdle easily leaped by purchasing those from the LBS. If you take the wheel and cassette into the LBS with the intention of buying said tools for later performance of this task, my bet is they will show you how to do it and do it for free.

prhino said:

I bought Ultegra wheels and a cassette separately, online.

As one would expected, the cassette was not attached to the rear wheel when it arrived.

I've read the instructions, but given that I've never attached a cassette, and don't have the 'special tools' required, is it worth tackling it myself (after buying the tools of course), or should I just pay my LBS to put it (and the front wheel, with quick-release) together?

And how much should I expect to pay for this service (in Australia)?

Here's how ...

Look at the "freehub" body of the rear wheel onto which the cassette is attached ... you will see that ONE of the "splines" is narrower. If you look at your cassette, you will see that ONE of the notches is narrower.

Slide the cassette components/cogs onto the freehub ...

Thread the lockring into the end of the freehub body.

If you don't have the lockring tool (you may if you have purchased on of the economy, notebook-sized-in-a-plastic-case toolkits), then you can probably use a pair of needle nose pliers to tighten the lockring -- the tips of the needle nose plier's ends should fit into the notches of the lockring unless you have some sort of industrial sized pliers.

The process sounds simple because it is.

To remove the lockring (less than $10AU), you will need the lockring tool + a chainwhip (less than $10AU).

prhino said:

I've read the instructions, but given that I've never attached a cassette, and don't have the 'special tools' required, is it worth tackling it myself (after buying the tools of course), or should I just pay my LBS to put it (and the front wheel, with quick-release) together?

This is a simple install. One of the most useful resources for the home bicycle mechanic is the Parktool web-site. Clear, step-by-step instructions with photos, and references to the exact tool(s) needed to do the job.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=48

Bob

prhino said:

or should I just pay my LBS to put it (and the front wheel, with quick-release) together?

You gotta start somewhere so if you feel half confident you can do it, then do it I reckon. At least that way you can take your time and know it's done right, not rushed through by some pimply faced apprentice who is far more concerned about getting out at lunch to pull a few billies. I had a free-hub maintenance done at a respectable shop here in briso, the guy pumped it full of silicone grease, so much so that the awls wouldn't engage half the time. When I took it back and complained he corrected it by pumping WD40 into it 🙄

prhino said:

I bought Ultegra wheels and a cassette separately, online.

As one would expected, the cassette was not attached to the rear wheel when it arrived.

I've read the instructions, but given that I've never attached a cassette, and don't have the 'special tools' required, is it worth tackling it myself (after buying the tools of course), or should I just pay my LBS to put it (and the front wheel, with quick-release) together?

And how much should I expect to pay for this service (in Australia)?

I'd expect to pay for 5 minutes shop time for this service, or get it free if you're friendly with the LBS. It's easy to do at home too if you wish to learn; just get the right tools and follow directions on the parktool website.

You don't need a chainwhip to tighten the lockring because you can just hold the tire by the tread to keep the cassette from spinning while you tighten the lockring. Loosening it would be a different story.

My LBS said that the torque applied to the lockring was not critical.