Hoping someone can offer some advice. I’m working on a late 80s Raleigh Montage, 88 I think. It has a u-brake on the rear which dates it.

Anyway I have it all stripped down, including the cup and cone bb.

The only thing I can’t seem to remove are the headset cups, as the headtube is slightly flared on the inside top and bottom, so I can’t get the tool to make contact with the edge of the cup.

What am I missing here? How do I get these out?

    • misery mansionOP
      1•9 days ago

      Will endeavour to take some pictures or a sketch tomorrow. I can’t see how a cup remover can possibly work on this, or what the alternative ‘correct’ method would be, but I’m a novice for sure. I find it hard to believe that mechanics were tapping these out with screwdrivers but maybe they were!

      • misery mansionOP
        1•8 days ago

        Here’s some pictures - do I just have a crappy removal tool?

        https://imgur.com/a/headset-woes-E8uKywr

        There’s a tiny tiny lip of the cup but no way this tool is going to hit the edge. Worth noting that the quill stem on this is 1mm smaller than usual, it’s 21.1mm instead of 22.1 so maybe that’s my problem

        • @RubberElectrons
          2•8 days ago

          Hmm. I see what you mean, the cup edge is partially recessed. Something like this may work, but a solid bit of rod will do the trick: https://www.instructables.com/Bicycle-Headset-Cup-Removal-Tool-1/

          Try to grip the frame as close to the headset as possible, that way less of your upwards tapping force isn’t getting lost to frame flex etc. Dry ice can also help, from local grocery store.