Headtube Reamer and Facer

Most factory frames arrive with the head tube already faced and reamed; most builds never need this tool. The Headtube Reamer and Facer 1694 is the one we reach for when a frame doesn't fit that profile. A steel build coming back from powder coat. A second-hand frame whose history we don't know. A fresh-from-the-painter frame with the upper cup face still hiding under a paint film. A new aluminum build where the headset feels tight on press-in or rocks after install. In each case the head tube needs work before the headset goes in, and the 1694 does both operations the head tube needs.

What the tool does

The 1694 reams the head tube bore and faces both ends from a single handle. The reamer trims the inside diameter to spec; the facer trims the upper and lower head tube ends square to that bore. The order matters: ream first, face second. The reamer establishes the reference bore, and the facer registers off that bore to set the face perpendicular. Facing before reaming gets you a perpendicular face to whatever the bore was, which may not be what you want.

The tool is part of Unior's modular frame-prep series. The 1694 reamer/facer cutters share a handle with the modular system's bottom-bracket facing tool, the chase taps, and the other frame-prep tools we sell. A complete frame-prep kit takes up about a third of the bench space a non-modular toolkit would; useful in a small shop, useful in a travel-case kit.

Compatibility

The 1694 is sized for 1 1/8″ head tubes. 1″ head tubes (vintage road, BMX, some classic mountain) are a different fitment and the 1694 doesn't cover them. Tapered head tubes are reamed and faced at the 1 1/8″ upper end; the lower (1 1/2″) end uses a separate cup-bore tool, which is a different operation than face-and-ream.

Specs

• Compatible head tube: 1 1/8″ only
• Cutter: hardened tool steel reamer + facer cutters
• Handle: shared across Unior's modular frame-prep series
• Made in Slovenia by Unior

Includes: Reamer cutter, facer cutter, modular handle. Cup-side cutters (1694.1) and the modular-system handle (1695.1/4BI) are sold separately if you need to replace a cutter or expand the kit.

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 1694's reamer body is hardened tool steel because the head tube face has to survive thousands of cuts across a tool's working life without the cutting edge dulling. A reamer that goes soft in five years isn't a tool, it's a consumable; the 1694 is built to be the former.

Pro tip from our mechanics

Before you commit to facing a frame, run the dust-cap test. Drop the upper cup in dry, set the dust cap on top, and look at the gap. A gap that closes evenly all the way around means the cup is sitting square and the face is fine. A gap that closes on one side and stays open on the other means the head tube face isn't square and the 1694 has work to do. A factory-faced frame doesn't get better from a second pass; it just gets shorter, and the head tube has a finite stack height. Face only when the test says you need to.

The dust-cap test, the ream-then-face order, and how the 1694 fits into a full frame-prep workflow are all in our walk-through: Frame prep: head tube, crown race, and star nut work →