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Huh, that's lame. My Var 186 Regina remover fits over a Phil axle, just tried it. I also have the Campy "i" tool (just the letter i) Regina remover that comes with the fully Campy toolkit from the '70s, and it fits over the Phil axle too.


But the one I actually use is my Dura-Ace, with the reinforcing ring as John mentioned, it's the best of the three.

Since all three of my Regina removers fit over Phil hub axles, I was unaware that there were other, dumber designs out there. Who would put up with removing the hub axle to take a freewheel off? With your ball bearings falling on the floor and all that? I mean even if you don't have a Phil, which is a whole 'nother can o' worms, even more of a pain to get the axle out and then mount it and the bearings back in the shell. Oh yeah, later Phil hubs had a "field serviceable axle" but all my Phil hubs are the older kind, where removing and re-installing the axle is one step short of impossible for most people.

I see the Dura-Ace remover is available here (ebay) for $37.50 shipped. Definitely worth it to anyone who wants to work on a bike with Regina two-prong freewheel. Of course that sidesteps the question of why would you want to use that freewheel! That same freewheel was made with the Atom-style splined remover, and that's less likely to self-destruct while removing. But you might just like your two-prong -- I won't judge, I use a lot of dumb old bike parts just because they're old and I like 'em for some idiosyncratic reason. I have a bike in the stand right now with a two-prong Regina. Anyway, at the very least, you need to take it off one time even if only to to replace it.

Beware, the splined remover style of Regina only works with a Phil hub if you get the remover made by Phil Wood. Or maybe I shouldn't say that categorically -- maybe someone else made them too? But a regular Atom-style remover like the Var will not fit, you need a super thinwall remover, such as the one Phil used to sell. Ah, I see Park makes an Atom/Regina remover, but one reviewer (John M. Schubert) on Amazon said it does not fit over Phil or Campy. Not thinwall enough. Can anyone confirm? (I wonder if that's the John Schubert who used to be an editor at Bicycling magazine? If so, he's very smart and knowledgeable.) Yeah I know I'm going off topic, OP was asking about 2-prong, not spline.

I've had my Phil thinwall splined remover since the '70s and it hasn't broken yet, so it's a great tool if you can find one. Pretty much all 2-prong removers have to be thought of as expendable, in my experience. I've even broken 4-prong removers like Suntour Winner and Cyclo-Pans. Very upsetting to break a practically unobtainable Cyclo-Pans remover from the '70s. Big fan of the splined remover style, if and only if you can find a Phil remover. This guy on Flickr had one for sale a few months ago, might be worth asking him if it's still for sale. $20 seems like a bargain.

Mark B in Seattle