Emergency Pocket Cassette Lockring Tool with Spoke Wrench

A cassette swap in the workshop is one set of tools; a cassette swap on the trail is a different set. The 1669/4 is the field-service version: a Shimano/SRAM-pattern cassette lockring tool, a spoke wrench, and a plastic frame guard, all sized to fit a jersey pocket or hydration-pack tool roll. One tool covers what would otherwise need three on the trail.

The use case is the one nobody plans for. A broken spoke on a remote ride means truing the wheel just enough to roll the rest of the way home; on most wheels the spoke can be replaced without pulling the cassette, but on the drive side of a 10-, 11-, or 12-speed wheel the cassette has to come off first to thread the new spoke through the hub flange. The pocket-format combination tool is what makes that field-service-able. Bring the 1669/4 and a spare spoke, and a broken drive-side spoke turns into a 20-minute roadside fix instead of a call for a ride home.

What's on the tool

• Cassette lockring tool; Shimano/SRAM HG 12-spline pattern (the dominant cassette interface). Engages the same lockring as the workshop tools.
• Spoke wrench; sized for the spoke nipples on the wheels the tool is most likely to be used on.
• Plastic frame guard; slips over the chainstay and seat tube to protect paint when you're applying force from the trailside workstand-substitute (i.e., the ground).

The trade-off versus a workshop-format tool is leverage. The 1669/4 doesn't have an integrated handle; it relies on the cyclist applying force with whatever's at hand; a multi-tool extension, a clip-in pedal as an emergency grip, the wheel itself braced against a tree. That's the pocket-format compromise. On the trail, you'll spend more time on the lockring than you would on the bench; in exchange, the tool is in your pocket when the workshop tool is 30 miles away.

How to use it

Remove the wheel from the bike. Slip the frame guard over the appropriate frame member (this is mostly relevant when you're holding the wheel against a frame for leverage). Seat the 1669/4's splined head into the lockring; use whatever you have; multi-tool, pedal, axle nut; as the lever. Hold the cassette still with a section of chain wrapped around a cog if you've got one; in a pinch, the cassette will sometimes back off enough by pressing it against a tree or a curb without a chainwhip.

Compatibility

• Shimano HG cassettes, 7- through 12-speed
• SRAM HG cassettes (XD and XDR included)
• Microshift and Sunrace HG cassettes
• Not for Campagnolo or freewheels

Specs

• Shimano/SRAM HG 12-spline cassette lockring engagement
• Integrated spoke wrench
• Plastic frame guard
• Pocket-format compact body
• Article number: 1669/4

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The 1669/4 is a pocket-format compromise; the workshop equivalent does the same job with more leverage; and what gets compromised is exactly the right thing for the use case. A cyclist 30 miles from the workshop doesn't need bench-grade leverage; they need a tool small enough to actually be carrying when the spoke breaks. The 1669/4 is built for the day the planning didn't catch.

Pro tip from our mechanics

Pack the 1669/4 with a spare spoke and a master link, and a drive-side spoke break turns from a ride-ending problem into a 20-minute roadside repair. Most riders don't carry a cassette tool on rides, which is fine until you need one and you're 30 miles in. If you're heading out somewhere remote; backcountry gravel, multi-day touring, a self-supported event; the 1669/4 earns its weight in pocket every ride after the first time it saves you. The cassette-replacement workflow lays out cassette removal end-to-end: When and how to replace your cassette →