Retaining Ring Circlip Pliers Set

Retaining rings; the snap rings and circlips that lock bearings into hub axles, fix pedal-spindle assemblies, and hold internal-cup headset adjusters in place; are the bike-shop problem nobody warns you about until you meet your first one. Trying to free a circlip with a flat-blade screwdriver bends the ring, breaks the screwdriver, or sends the ring across the shop floor at velocity. The 539+ set is the right answer: four dedicated circlip pliers covering every internal-and-external, straight-and-bent combination, in one bag.

What's in the set

Four pliers, sized for the bike-shop circlip range:

• Internal circlip pliers, straight tips. Squeeze the handles, jaws spread; for circlips with tab holes on the inside edge.
• Internal circlip pliers, bent tips. Same direction of action, 45° tip angle for clearance.
• External circlip pliers, straight tips. Squeeze the handles, jaws close; for circlips with tab holes on the outside edge.
• External circlip pliers, bent tips. Same direction, 45° tip angle.

The internal and external versions are not interchangeable; the mechanism inside reverses the squeeze direction so the jaws do the right thing for each ring type. The straight-tip and bent-tip versions handle the same ring types but at different access angles.

What makes these pliers different from cheap circlip pliers

The tips are tapered at 9 degrees. That taper is what holds the circlip on the pliers under load: when you squeeze (or release) the handles, the ring tries to cam off the pin tips. A straight tip lets it roll; a 9° taper seats the pin into the circlip hole and keeps it seated.

The pivot is reinforced so it doesn't develop side-play after years of use. A circlip plier with a loose pivot becomes useless; the pin tips can't stay aligned with the circlip holes, and the ring fires off across the shop. Our pivot is tightened against rotational slop specifically for the circlip use case.

Where it earns its space in the bike shop

• Cup-and-cone hub axles. Internal snap rings hold the axle bearings.
• Pedal-spindle bearing assemblies. Some platform and clipless pedals use a circlip to retain the bearing.
• Internal-cup headset adjusters. A circlip locks the adjustment.
• Fork seal heads. Some suspension forks use a circlip to retain the seal head; service requires the right plier.
• Quick-release skewer assemblies. Higher-end skewers use a circlip on the locknut side.

Identifying internal vs external

Look at the circlip with the bike off the bench:

• Tabs on the inside edge (pointing toward the center of the ring): internal; needs internal pliers.
• Tabs on the outside edge (pointing away from the center): external; needs external pliers.

The internal ring sits in a groove cut into the inside of a bore; squeezing the ring compresses it and lets it slip out. The external ring sits in a groove cut on the outside of a shaft; spreading the ring lets it lift off. The two require opposite-direction tools.

Specs

• Set contents: 4 pliers (internal straight, internal bent, external straight, external bent)
• Tip angle: 9° taper (all four)
• Bent-tip angle: 45° to handle
• Storage: bag included

Made in Slovenia, since 1919

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The 9° tapered tip is Unior's design call; cheaper pliers use straight tips that cam-roll out of the ring under load and either bend the ring permanently or launch it across the shop. The taper is what makes the set work for years of circlip work, not just the first ten times you use it.

Pro tip from our mechanics

The first time you replace a hub bearing on a cup-and-cone axle, you'll be glad this set is in the drawer rather than just one or two of the four pliers. For when a circlip plier isn't the right tool, and when a different plier is: Pliers for bike work →.