What Torque Wrench

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gmw492

Veteran
Hi everyone,looking at getting a decent torque wrench as I don't want to over tighten any parts I take off or replace, stems ,pedals etc general maintenance,anyone recommend a good decent one at good price,not a professional obviously at mechanics but a good one for general maintenance,seen a few but prefer more of an expert opinion from here,thanks :reading::wacko:
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Some interesting views here need a torque wrench
 
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gmw492

gmw492

Veteran
Ah thanks been searching to see if there was any posts but couldn't find one,I will have a read :reading:
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
On an impulse I got the planet X one, but gawd knows why I bought it as I so rarely have a job that needs a specific torque.
 
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gmw492

gmw492

Veteran
I don't think I will do much ,but handy to have one for the right amount of torque,just want to do it right,might look into a bit of mechanics more .I will look at the Planet X one,that was mentioned in the link you gave me ,:okay:
 
I had a Giant branded one like THIS, but after a while I found I wasn't using it so I flogged it.

You might be better off getting a Ritchey Torque Key like THIS for small jobs, it'll save you a chunk of cash as well.

FWIW I always considered I had no mechanical sympathy, but after tightening by hand and then checking with the torque wrench I had I found I was worrying about nothing.
 
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gmw492

gmw492

Veteran
Thanks seen a few with the same range as the giant one,it has good reviews though,yes prob be ok with hand tight but for a decent price prefer to get it to correct torque,new bike so wanna be careful :okay:
 

fatboy123cycling

Well-Known Member
Location
Wirral
Good idea to use a torque wrench but Be careful with Torque Wrenches and Torques.
How accurate is the torque wrench? How is it set? The tolerance it is manufactured to. Is the specified torque on the nut/ bolt dry or lubricated - as this can change the torque ( can be X 1.6 ) depending on the Coefficient of Friction.
 
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gmw492

gmw492

Veteran
Wow that's a bit more than I thought ,I've read the giant reviews on various sites and they all come up pretty good 5 star but still looking at a few cheaper ones
 
Location
Loch side.
A torque wrench on modern bicycles is a must.

It is no so much the overall accuracy but consistence that helps you stay safe.

One of the most dangerous things on a bike is the stem. If the stem fails, the accident is catastrophic. Modern Aheadset style stems have front-loader bar clams with multiple small bolts for redundancy rather than one big bolt. Unfortunately, with multiple bolts you have to get the torque equal. Obviously the overall value should be within 10% or so, but more important is equality. If the one bolt is tighter than its mates, it takes all the strain and can fail. A bolt loaded in a situation where it is subjected to repetitive cycles of strain like that, is very sensitive to a) overtorquing and b) carrying an uneven load.

A torque wrench is a must for even just Johnny Average DIY. The brand is irrelevant.
 

I am Spartacus

Über Member
Location
N Staffs
Belongs in a decent home workshop toolbox. I have a Norbar TTi50 mid range 8nm to 50nm which has its ISO certificate of accuracy.. pretty useful to note that!
OK, not cheap and only 1 drawback... it torques uni directionally... so leftie threaded fasteners, you still have to guess.... bit of a doh moment. Nice made piece of kit though.
 
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gmw492

gmw492

Veteran
I have a bit of a starter tool kit,keep adding to it slowly with a few essentials this is the next piece of kit I will be adding after reading reviews and advice ,still not decided what one,but will get one ordered by the end of the week :okay:
 
Location
Loch side.
I have a bit of a starter tool kit,keep adding to it slowly with a few essentials this is the next piece of kit I will be adding after reading reviews and advice ,still not decided what one,but will get one ordered by the end of the week :okay:
Get whatever cycling-specific one is the cheapest at the time. Within reason obviously. Something like BBB or PRO is perfect. All of them will come with a calibration certificate of sorts.
A cyclist's dilemma is that no affordable torque wrench can handle the range of torques required on a bicycle. This range is unfortunately. It hovers between 3 and 14NM and then with nothing in between, shoots up to 40NM. To make a wrench handle this range is expensive. It is usually cheaper to buy two. However, if you are reasonably competent, you only need one and that in the lower ranges i.e. the BBB, PRO, Parktool etc.
The reason being that mistakes in the lower ranges are dangerous whereas mistakes on the upper ranges that affect BBs and cassette lockrings are not. Further, the BB and cassette can tolerate a huge variance and even a good guess is good enough.
Invest in at least a small wrench. Nowadays you can buy single torque gadgets that are pre-set for 4, 5 or 6NM. Even those would suffice.
 
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gmw492

gmw492

Veteran
Have seen a cheap one 2-14nm its the topeak one but also the giant one looks ok too in a case with hex heads 2-24nm I will look at the ones you suggest too :okay:
 
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