Pull thru-axle hub end caps without marring them. The Hub Genie's expanding collet grips each cap from the inside and draws it straight out, so there's no screwdriver prying and no chewed-up cap faces. Pick the smaller tool for 12 and 15 mm hubs or the larger for 20 mm, both built by Unior in Zreče, Slovenia.
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Forged in Zreče, Slovenia since 1919. Sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams.
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Modern thru-axle hubs use removable end caps to convert between axle standards. The same hub body services a 12 mm thru-axle when fitted with 12 mm caps, a 15 mm thru-axle with 15 mm caps, and so on. Swapping the caps is the easy part on a new hub; pulling the caps off after a few seasons of road grime working its way into the cap-to-bore interface is what stops a lot of mechanics from doing the swap at all. Prying a cap off with a flat-blade screwdriver is the field-mechanic answer, and it marks up the cap's face every time. The Hub Genie pulls the cap from inside without contacting the cap's outer face.
How it works
The Hub Genie has an expanding mechanism in its working end that grips the cap from the cap's inside diameter. The mechanism opens against the cap's interior wall, applies even pressure across the cap's full inside circumference, and the puller draws the cap straight out with no contact on the cap's outer face. The cap comes off unmarred; the hub bore comes through the operation unscratched.
The tool's mechanical advantage comes from a sliding handle and the expanding-collet grip; no hammering, no prying, no lateral load on the cap. Modern hub caps that have been seated by years of corrosion still release cleanly when the expanding mechanism is applied along the cap's axis of removal.
Two versions
The Hub Genie ships in two configurations sized to current axle standards:
- Smaller version: 12 mm and 15 mm thru-axle hubs
- Larger version: 20 mm thru-axle hubs
Both versions feature plastic-dipped handles for grip under load. The handle geometry stays comfortable across long shop sessions where multiple hub services queue up.
Compatibility
The Hub Genie engages on the cap's inside diameter, which is the engagement surface that's standardized across most current thru-axle hub designs. It works on DT Swiss, Industry Nine, Hope, Chris King, and most aftermarket thru-axle hubs in the 12, 15, and 20 mm axle envelopes. Quick-release hubs (9 mm front, 10 mm rear) use a different engagement style and are not the use case for the Hub Genie; see the Axle Vise 1639/2 for that workflow.
Built in Zreče, Slovenia
Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919. The Hub Genie is the kind of Unior tool that exists because the alternative (prying caps off with a screwdriver) was the workshop default for years and quietly destroyed a lot of hub caps. The expanding-from-inside mechanism is the design move that makes the tool the right answer to a stuck cap.
Pro tip from our mechanics
When a cap is severely stuck, give the cap an overnight soak in penetrating oil before reaching for any tool. The corrosion that holds a cap in place is most often where the cap's seal lip has fused to the hub bore; breaking that fusion with penetrating oil makes the Hub Genie's clean axial pull work the first time. Forcing a stuck cap with any tool risks shearing the seal lip and turning a clean cap-swap into a hub rebuild. The hub-service context for this tool: Bearing and headset service: a workshop guide →
FAQ
Which version do I need, the smaller or the larger Hub Genie? The smaller version (SKU 627272) fits both 12 mm and 15 mm thru-axle hubs in one tool, and the larger version (SKU 627271) is for 20 mm thru-axle hubs. The two sizes are sold separately, so pick the one that matches your hubs, or get both to cover every current thru-axle standard.
Will the Hub Genie damage my hub end caps? No. Instead of prying on the outside of the cap with a screwdriver or squeezing it with pliers, the Hub Genie's expanding collet grips the cap from its inside diameter and draws it straight out. Nothing touches the cap's outer face, so the cap comes off unmarred and the hub bore stays unscratched.
Which hubs does the Hub Genie fit? It engages the end cap's inside diameter, which is standardized across most current thru-axle hub designs, so it works on DT Swiss, Industry Nine, Hope, Chris King and most other aftermarket thru-axle hubs in the 12, 15 and 20 mm envelopes. Quick-release hubs (9 mm front and 10 mm rear) use a different end-cap style and are not the use case for the Hub Genie; the Axle Vise 1639/2 is the tool for that workflow.
What should I do if an end cap is badly stuck? Give a seized cap an overnight soak in penetrating oil before you pull it. The corrosion that holds a cap in place is usually the seal lip fused to the hub bore, and the penetrating oil breaks that bond so the tool's clean axial pull works on the first try. Do not force a stuck cap with any tool, because you risk shearing the seal lip and turning a simple cap swap into a hub rebuild.
Tech Tips
Bearing and headset service: a workshop guide
From the press
It is a specialized tool that not everyone needs in their tool box. But for mechanics who regularly service thru-axle hubs, or anyone regularly swapping wheels from bike to bike it can eliminate a lot of frustration.
