Frame & Fork Tools

Precision is everything when it comes to the foundation of your ride. Our frame and fork tools are built for the heavy lifting of bike repair, from facing head tubes and chasing bottom bracket threads to aligning dropouts and derailleur hangers. Whether you're installing a crown race, setting a star nut, or using the Hanger Genie for perfect shifting, these European-made bicycle tools offer the professional accuracy required for complex frame prep and fork service.

Frequently asked questions

Which frame and fork tools do I actually need to face and tap a new frame?

For a threaded bottom bracket shell you want a tap to cut the threads and a facing tool to true the shell ends square. Our mechanics reach for the Bottom Bracket Facing Tool 1699 with its BSA facing guide plus the matching BSA tap holder and cutters. Headtube prep adds the Headtube Reamer and Facer 1694. Buy by shell standard, not by guesswork.

How do I choose between the BSA, Italian, and T47 bottom bracket tools?

Match the tool to your frame's shell thread. BSA (English) is 1.37 inch by 24 TPI with a left-hand drive-side thread. Italian is 36 mm by 24 TPI and right-hand on both sides, so the drive-side cup can back out if installed dry. T47 is 47 mm threaded at 1.0 mm pitch. We keep separate tap and facing-guide sets per standard: BSA, Italian, and the T47 taps. Confirm your shell before ordering, since the threads are not interchangeable.

What tool straightens a bent derailleur hanger?

A hanger alignment gauge. It threads into the derailleur hanger and references off the rim so you can read and correct the misalignment that causes ghost-shifting and poor indexing. In our experience a slightly tweaked hanger is the most common cause of a drivetrain that will not tune out. The Hanger Genie 2.0 Hanger Alignment Tool handles modern direct-mount and standard hangers; bend it back in small increments and recheck against the rim each pass.

Do I need a bearing press for a press-fit bottom bracket or headset?

Yes, for any press-fit interface. Hammering a press-fit bearing or cup in by hand cocks it in the bore and creaks for life. A press draws the bearing in straight and square under controlled load. The Universal Bearing Press 1721 covers headset cups and many press-fit bearings; the Bottom Bracket Bearing Press Kit 1721BB adds the BB-specific adapters. Threaded bottom brackets do not need a press; they thread in by hand and torque to spec.

What do the crown race and star nut tools do during a fork install?

They handle the two press-fit steps a threadless fork needs. A crown race setter drives the headset crown race squarely onto the fork's crown-race seat; our Crown Race Setter 1683/5A sets it and the Crown Race Puller 1614/4BI-US removes it. The Star Nut Setter 1682/4 drives the star nut to depth so your top cap can preload the headset. Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams.