Pardon my ignorance. I am trying to learn to be my own bike mechanic, at least for the basic stuff. I would like to become proficient at removing and installing cassettes. I have read the slowtwitch front page articles and some other sources including youtube. I know I need a lockring removal tool, a wrench, and a chain whip. In searching for a chain whip, there is a Park Tool SR-1 and Park Tool SR-11. The SR-1 is described as being appropriate for 7 through 10 speed cassettes, whereas the SR-11 is described as appropriate for 5 through 11 speeds. The SR-11 is also 5 dollars more expensive.
If I want to work on an 11-speed cassette, do I actually need the SR-11? Since I place the chain whip on one of the middle cogs, I don’t understand why there would need to be a tool specifically for an 11-speed cassette. Will there be a need for a 12-speed compatible chain whip when 12-speed becomes a thing, as it surely will some day? Or is this a scam to sell more expensive but functionally identical chain whips?
No. I used the generic chain whip that came with my set of spin doctor tools just the other day to remove a 10 speed freewheel and replace it with an 11 speed freewheel.
More speeds=narrower chain. A 10s chain whip generally works with 11s. If you had your dad’s old chainwhip from when bikes only had 5s, it probably wouldn’t work on an 11s cassette. Not that chain whips were necessary in freewheel days, but you see the point.
Maybe when 15s cassettes come out, your 10s chain whip might not work. You could always use your old chain to replace the chain on the chain whip if it becomes an issue.
More speeds=narrower chain. A 10s chain whip generally works with 11s. If you had your dad’s old chainwhip from when bikes only had 5s, it probably wouldn’t work on an 11s cassette. Not that chain whips were necessary in freewheel days, but you see the point. Chain whips were used in freewheel days to change cogs on freewheels.
To the OP’s question, a chain whip that works on 10-speeds will probably work on 11.
But as a point of information, I have a chain whip made at the time the largest number of cogs was 8, and it doesn’t work well with 10 - it’ll grab the biggest or smallest cog, but not any in the middle. If the Park tool for chains up to 10 speed is made with chain that is, say, the width of a typical 9-speed chain, there might be problems with 11 even though it will work fine with 10.
I’d buy one that works for 11 to be future proof if I was the OP. Or borrow one that is claimed to work only for 10 and try it on 11 to see.
The problem with the wrong whip isn’t damage to the bike - it’s just that the chain won’t fit on the cogs due to the cogs being closer together the more speeds there are.
Note - I switched chains on a chain tool once - the chain was too wide for the spacing of the cogs I was using, so I replaced it with sections of old narrower chain I had around.
But as a point of information, I have a chain whip made at the time the largest number of cogs was 8, and it doesn’t work well with 10 - it’ll grab the biggest or smallest cog, but not any in the middle. If the Park tool for chains up to 10 speed is made with chain that is, say, the width of a typical 9-speed chain, there might be problems with 11 even though it will work fine with 10.
I’m still using a 6 speed chain whip on 9, 10 and 11 speed cassettes. The only secret is to use it on the largest cog as you’re already alluded to. Having done hundreds of removals this way with no problem it seems to work just fine.
But as a point of information, I have a chain whip made at the time the largest number of cogs was 8, and it doesn’t work well with 10 - it’ll grab the biggest or smallest cog, but not any in the middle. If the Park tool for chains up to 10 speed is made with chain that is, say, the width of a typical 9-speed chain, there might be problems with 11 even though it will work fine with 10.
I’m still using a 6 speed chain whip on 9, 10 and 11 speed cassettes. The only secret is to use it on the largest cog as you’re already alluded to. Having done hundreds of removals this way with no problem it seems to work just fine.
YMMV
HughYeah, I actually do that sometimes.
I have two whips, the old one that I cut the handle down short for travel and use the way you do. And a newer one that is narrower. Sometimes I get worried about skinning my knuckles on the spokes with the old one, etc, but it’s usable.
If I was buying new and the price difference was small, I’d get the narrowest I could.