Too much play in my cassette?

[BatThinG]

I've recently got a cube reaction pro and about 2 weeks ago noticed it was a bit chattery and couldn't figure it out. Eventually I tracked it down to the cassette. Is this normal? It seems like it's got quite a bit of play between the 5th and 6th cogs and the larger cog set moves up and down a little on the spindle. The nut is tight so it's not that

 

[Weeksy]

Yeah that's not right mate. You should have no play. None.
It could be a spacer needed at back of cassette or a hub bearing, without seeing it i can't say 100%

Is it a Shimano HG type ?

 

[Stihldog]

I’d carefully check the hub, free wheel, cassette cog spacing and overall torque (40nm usually) if the cassette nut.

Looks like a freewheel issue to me (pawls, spline wear, fitment etc. freewheel bearing's?…hmmm?

If it wasn’t assembled correctly then other issues could start to appear.

 

[BatThinG]

Yeah that's not right mate. You should have no play. None.
It could be a spacer needed at back of cassette or a hub bearing, without seeing it i can't say 100%

Is it a Shimano HG type ?

is is HG yep, it's this one:

Shimano Deore M5100 11 Speed MTB Cassette - Wolf Cycles..

S-M5100-11 SHIMANO DEORE – 11-Speed – HYPERGLIDE – MTB Cassette Sprocket Perfect for front single and double MTB drivetrains, SHIMANO’s M5100-11cassette offers Rider Tuned gear steps for maximum cadence control across the varied terrain of mountain biking. FEATURES Ride anywhere with smooth and...

www.wolfcycles.co.uk

it is all in warranty so I can just take it to the shop if it's nothing i can easily fix - as long as I'm confident that it's not as it should be

 

[RustyMTB]

If it's in warranty, I'd make it the LBS's problem, that's what warranties are for after all. On the tech side, the cassette slides onto the hub splines precisely, so it's not going to be that. On Shimano cassettes, the smaller gears are separate from the larger ones & fit on the hub with spacers between them. If they were fitted incorrectly, it would be obvious from above as the spacing between gears would be irregular but still wouldn't have the lateral play in your video.

So, my guess is the freehub is borked. Easily fixed but I'd let them do it.

 

[RustyIron]

it is all in warranty so I can just take it to the shop if it's nothing i can easily fix - as long as I'm confident that it's not as it should be

Don't take it apart. You might be opening a can of worms that you can't put back together, and the shop might try to blame you for everything being knackered.

The individual sprockets should not be loose and they should not move in relation to one another. That much movement suggests that they're loose and have eaten into the splines on your freehub. Take the bike back.

 

[steve_sordy]

I had loose sprockets on a Shimano cassette and it turned out to be a failure of the rivets that hold one of the gear clusters together. The cassette had been an aftermarket purchase and the supplier only wanted a few pics and I got a new one straight away.

 

[BatThinG]

I had loose sprockets on a Shimano cassette and it turned out to be a failure of the rivets that hold one of the gear clusters together. The cassette had been an aftermarket purchase and the supplier only wanted a few pics and I got a new one straight away.

thanks, i'll ask them to check this

 

[steve_sordy]

thanks, i'll ask them to check this

There is no need to pay your LBS to do this, unless it's under warranty of course. But even so, waiting for them to do it and the trip to and from the LBS (maybe twice) can all be avoided.

If you have the tools required, a chain whip, a socket of the correct size and either a spanner or the driver that came with the set the socket came from, then it will take you a few minutes to remove the wheel and undo the clamp nut. Then you can lift off the entire cassette for inspection. If you don't have the tools, then buy them, it is like money in the bank!

Before you allow the whole thing to collapse into a random chaos of sprockets, take a photo!

It will be easy to see if the rivets have failed.

 

[Stihldog]

Just a tip, after you remove the cassette. Pass a zip-tie through and around the cassette. Include the spacers, cogs and any bushings. Helps keep things in order or from going missing while you check the free wheel etc.

 

[steve_sordy]

Just a tip, after you remove the cassette. Pass a zip-tie through and around the cassette. Include the spacers, cogs and any bushings. Helps keep things in order or from going missing while you check the free wheel etc.

I do that too! Zip ties, an even better idea than paper clips!
I hope the inventor is a millionaire.

 

[Stihldog]

I do that too! Zip ties, an even better idea than paper clips!
I hope the inventor is a millionaire.

Paper clips? That must be old-school stuff. How?

But I do use a thumb squeeze on my tires to check the psi.

 

[steve_sordy]

Paper clips? That must be old-school stuff. How?

But I do use a thumb squeeze on my tires to check the psi.

I meant as an invention that zip ties were even better than paper clips.
NOT to imply that paper clips could be used to hold a cassette together!

 

[Stihldog]

Ok, ok…I’ll try your method and give up my method.