How to remove front sprocket on a bicycle

This post is how to remove a front sprocket with a Shimano Ultegra crank set. The instructions are the same for a normal sprocket. The only difference is rather than using a special Shimano Tool to remove the crank set, you will use a normal Allen key.

If you’re like us and want to do much of the cleaning, and fixing yourself to your bicycle, it may be useful to know how to remove front sprocket on a bicycle.

When you’re able to remove the front sprocket, you can figure out why there are strange creaks coming from the body. You can regrease the bicycle, service your bike chain and you can replace parts that are getting old.

Outside of the derailleur, this is one of the major aspects of a bicycle that propels it forward, and learning to understand how this aspect of the bicycle functions is a huge step forward in your Do-It-Yourself (or for others) bicycle mechanic career.

Tools

For this sprocket removal, you will need:

Shimano Crank Set Removal Tool: If you do not have a Shimano Ultegra system, an Allen Wrench will be used in lieu of this tool to remove the left crank arm.

5mm Allen Wrench: If you do not have an Allen wrench, we recommend getting a full set. These are useful for many things, including Ikea Furniture, and getting items unstuck from the corner of your wood floorboards.

Grease: Do not mistake grease for chain lube. They are very different. Grease is thicker and used for moving parts that are not exposed to debris, water and much air contact.

Plastic mallet: This is recommended but optional. If your really do not want to purchase a mallet, you can bunch a towel together to dissipate the impact of on the surface that you are hitting and use a hammer. It’s not recommended, but it is a workaround.

T-30 Torx Key: We recommend getting a full set if you don’t have one. I use my torx set often for my car as well when removing items in the chassis, and the undercarriage.

How to Remove Front Sprocket on a Bicycle

To remove a front Sprocket on a bicycle, you need to first remove the crank set to gain access to the front sprocket. The screws to remove the front sprocket are in the back of the chain ring.

Take advantage of the time to do this repair by cleaning and regreasing the moving parts inside of the drivetrain.

First you will need to remove the crankset, and then you will remove the Front Sprocket from bicycle. Knowing how to remove your front sprocket will take you the first steps towards learning how to do a full tune-up on your bicycle.

Steps to remove crankset

1. Loosen the pinch bolts: Take your Allen wrench and loosen the pinch bolts on the left crank shaft. Where the axle spins there will be two bolts to spin counter clockwise. Remove the screws and store them in a safe place.
2. Remove the safety pin: In between the pinch bolts where the crank arm connects to itself, there is a small piece of plastic which holds the two pinch bolts together. Remove these bolts with your fingers.
3. Remove the crank arm: Use the Crank set removal tool (or the Allen wrench tool if you are removing the crank set from an older bicycle). Insert the tool into the hole and spin counter clockwise to remove the bolt. Pull the crank arm out of the seat and expose the silver bottom bracket.
4. Pull out the bottom bracket: Pull from the right side to remove the bottom bracket. If you are having any trouble, use your plastic mallet to remove the bracket and push it from the opposite side out of the hole.

Now that you have the crank set out of the bicycle, it is time to remove the front sprocket from the crank set.

How to remove front sprocket from the Crank Set

This is fairly simple if you have the correct tool. The way to remove the front sprocket from the Crank Set is to use your T-30 Torx key (or Allen wrench if your bicycle is older) and spin counter clockwise the bolts that are connecting the sprocket to the crank set.

Conclusion: How to remove front sprocket on a bicycle

This is a fairly simple process if you have the correct tools. You need a crank set removal tool, an Allen wrench set, grease, a plastic mallet, and a torx key set.

The typical process to remove the crank set takes about 5 minutes. 10-15 minutes if it is your first time removing the crankset. Other longer processes might be taking stickers off your bike.