There are plenty of oversized head tubes that still use a press-in headset cup, especially at the 1.5" lower end. Oddly enough, riders who have such frames report less creaking than many riders with simple drop-in style units; hmm. Park has always made the right tool for the job, so stop bending your RT-1 to get cups out of oversized headtubes. The RT-2 Oversized Head Cup Remover was designed for 1 1/4 and up head tubes and when properly used, and when it is used properly, you can protect and preserve your frame and head cups with the flared of this simple, but crucial, steel tool.

Simply slide the RT-2 into the headtube from the end you want to remove a cup from. Once the flared ends slide up into the cup and you hear a click, you should be good to go to drive it out. However, we recommend you inspect carefully, using a flashlight if necessary, to ensure the tool ends are sitting on the cup and not some random protrusion or lip inside the headtube. Satisfied? Now you can strike the impact head of the tube with a hammer to drive the cup out straight. Often this takes one sharp blow, but if it takes more than one, make sure, again, that the tool is seated on the cup before re-striking.

As a bonus, the RT-2 can also be used to drive out cups on one-piece cranksets. We have even seen it used as an impromptu flower delivery carrier. Ah, bike people. It is not everyday you get flowers in a heat-treated alloy steel tool with a fine nickel finish. Every shop and race mechanic should have an RT-2, and if you are a home mechanic with an oversized head tube and pressed-in headset cups, put down the long screwdriver or hex wrench, and pick the Park RT-2 Head Cup Remover- Oversized, and get the job done properly, without risking the integrity of your frame or headset cups.