Help with loose cassette on mountain bike?

Question

The cassette on my mountain bike has a tiny amount of play in it.  We are talking very small.  I can wiggle the cassette on the freehub and the largest cog moves less than a millimeter.

I have checked to make sure that the hub bearing, the freehub body, and the cassette lockring are all adjusted properly. I also experimented with a spacer, but that didn't help either.


All I can think of is that the interface between the hub and the cassette just has too wide of a tolerance.



So my question is, will this get worse from riding?  And is there anything I can do short of replacing the freehub and the cassette?  It is a Mavic freehub and a Shimano XTR cassette, so both will be expensive to replace.

Mtrlpqbiker · Accepted Answer

Mavic freehubs require a spacer behind the cassette which is included when you buy a Mavic wheel. If there is no spacer, you will never be able to tighten the cassette. You should be able to obtain the correct thickness spacer from any bike shop. This is true for all 8,9, and 10 speed Shimano cassettes. 11 speed Shimano cassettes are wider and no spacer is needed

BigE · Answer

You can replace the "free" part of the freehub without replacing the whole hub.  It most likely not the cassette, because that is a solid unit.

I'd take it down to the bike shop, either to get an estimate or buy the free hub body  if you want to
do it yourself.  I think most bodies are < $75 US.

? · Answer

It will depend on the quality of the components.  I have 2 road bikes  the cheaper one has a small wobble in the cassette and the other doesn't.  Remove the wheel and cassette and see if the play is in the hub.

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Help with loose cassette on mountain bike?

3 Answers