Chain whip
A chain whip is a tool to hold the sprocket set on the rear wheel of a bicycle when you want to loosen the lock ring with which the sprocket set is attached to the freewheel body.
For this purpose, the free piece of bicycle chain attached to the tool is looped around one of the larger sprockets in order to be able to exert the appropriate force. The short piece of chain, which is attached twice to the lever, serves as a counter support and guide on the pinion so as not to damage its teeth. While one hand is now holding the sprocket with the chain whip, the locking ring is loosened with the other hand using a suitable sprocket puller.
If you were not to counter-hold the ring gear when opening, the freewheel would be effective and the ring gear would only rotate counterclockwise on the hub, which would make it impossible to loosen the locking ring. You do not need a chain whip when screwing the ring on, since the freewheel works here from the direction of rotation "the right way round", all you need to do is hold or turn the wheel on the rim.
literature
- Michael Reimer, Wolfgang Taschner: Bicycle repair. 1st edition, Bruckmann Verlag GmbH, Munich, 2005, ISBN 3-7654-4063-9
- Rob van der Plas: Bicycle repairs made easy. 1st edition, BVA Bielefelder Verlaganstalt, Bielefeld, 1996, ISBN 3-87073-185-0