Best torque wrench

[MountainSurfer]

So far, most reasonably priced torque wrenches I've seen give you ranges like ~5/15-110Nm (therefore ignoring some of the smaller torque components on the bike that only need 2-4Nm) or ~2-20Nm (therefore ignoring some of the higher torque components). Does anyone have good experience with torque wrenches that cover all the needs for bike related jobs?

[Jdsk]

There’s a useful recent thread covering the lower end.

What’s the highest torque that you’d like included?

Jonathan

[NUKe]

Buy two, one for the small stuff. And then a big one for the heavy stuff. Mind you I have one up to 25Nm and then an industrially one which cycle wise has only one use installing old school square cranks. The small one is the lifeline one from chain reaction cycles. I use it a lot.

[MountainSurfer]

I’m sure 60-70 would be fine as a maximum?

There are few things yet require more than that as an exact science. I’ve been doing DIY for years and never needed one for being exact so this would just be for whatever specific forces are relevant to bikes.

[biketips666]

You probably won't get one that covers the complete range of values specified for cycle repairs.

I use:

2-20 Nm:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1 for lowest values. It comes with the commonest bits you are ever likely to need, and is calibrated, with a certificate. The little case is a nice touch. Though the markings are just at the lower end of legibility for me.

5-25 Nm
https://www.tengtools.com/r/gb/en/Torqu ... -3892AG-E1 also for smallish values. I already had this when I bought the one above, but the bits with the Pro Bike one make it a bit more convenient. This one is also calibrated. I've got a few Teng tools. They seem well made and are well thought of, I think.

20-100 Nm (actually, mine is marked 19-110 Nm, the spec must have changed)
https://www.tengtools.com/r/gb/en/Torqu ... -3892AG-E3

There's obvious duplication there, I know. So the 1st and 3rd should do it. I had the two Teng ones already before I started doing work on bikes.

[Jdsk]

You probably won't get one that covers the complete range of values specified for cycle repairs.

Yes.

Buy two, one for the small stuff. And then a big one for the heavy stuff. Mind you I have one up to 25Nm and then an industrially one which cycle wise has only one use installing old school square cranks. The small one is the lifeline one from chain reaction cycles. I use it a lot.

Yes. I have the Lifeline for the bike and another for the car.

If I were buying now that would be:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-essen ... ench-set-1 (NB large range... of prices)
https://www.halfords.com/tools/hand-too ... 88703.html (or the Norbar equivalent)

Jonathan

[slowster]

I would not bother buying a torque wrench for bicycle maintenance tasks needing high torque values, e.g. bottom brackets and cassette lock rings. I think they are rarely essential for those tasks:

- high precision is not needed, e.g. a wide range of 35Nm to 50Nm is specified by Shimano for an external bottom bracket.
- it's usually not a major problem if these components are under-torqued, i.e. the part is usually not damaged and the fact that it is not tight enough is soon diagnosed by the rider noticing a noise or similar.
- Shimano (and others) make dedicated long handled tools to fit parts like BB cups. Although these could be bought and used solely to undo, and another tool with a 1/2" or 3/8" drive fitting used for tightening with a torque wrench, I think in practice most people just buy the one tool.

In essence with these parts, just do them up tight, and if your estimation of what is tight is too little, you learn to do it tighter next time.

Similarly I do not have a torque wrench for very low values like 2Nm or less. Instead I use my feel and judgement. I would suggest using a long handled allen key for such tasks rather than an allen key on a multi-tool, because it allows for better feel than gripping the bulky body of a multi-tool. That feel can be increased by holding the allen key with the pad of the thumb pressing against the long end (assuming the short end is in the bolt) and the index finger under the bend of the allen key.

I would just buy a torque wrench suitable for the torques required for safety critical carbon parts, e.g. stem clamp bolts, and parts like Hollowtech 2 left hand crank bolts which have a narrow recommended range (12Nm-14Nm) and which are much more likely to be damaged as a result of under-torqueing and the crank becoming loose.

[mjr]

- it's usually not a major problem if these components are under-torqued, i.e. the part is usually not damaged and the fact that it is not tight enough is soon diagnosed by the rider noticing a noise or similar.

I feel this is not true in all cases. Some riders are remarkably insensitive and it doesn't take long riding knocking to knacker a loose square taper crank. I've even seen shell threads trashed by a loose cup rocking.

If money is tight, prioritise a low range beam wrench but both sizes is better.

[biketips666]

There should be some version of Godwin's law about torque wrenches.

"The longer a discussion about torque wrenches continues, the greater the probability that a poster will say they are unnecessary and that it is best to do it by feel approaches 1".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYiDcnrM0Mo

[Jdsk]

There’s a useful recent thread covering the lower end.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=146039

Jonathan

[slowster]

- it's usually not a major problem if these components are under-torqued, i.e. the part is usually not damaged and the fact that it is not tight enough is soon diagnosed by the rider noticing a noise or similar.

I feel this is not true in all cases. Some riders are remarkably insensitive and it doesn't take long riding knocking to knacker a loose square taper crank. I've even seen shell threads trashed by a loose cup rocking.

I think that illustrates how things have changed. When I started cycling, no one had a torque wrench and I doubt any of the shops I used had one. Square taper cranks were simply done up 'very tight' (or better, very tight, go for a short ride, and then tighten again). Those people who did not tighten them sufficiently and damaged the cranks, very quicky learned from their mistake. Although disposable income was less and cranks were not exactly peanuts to buy, they would likely learn that lesson on a bike with a cheaper, lower end crankset. The cost of that crankset was effectively the price of learning how tight it needed to be and (as a hopefully one-off lesson), much less expensive than a torque wrench, especially in those days.

I guess that those of us who started cycling in those days had an advantage, because we started out with bikes which used components which were much more tolerant of the wrong torque, and mostly soon learned both a degree of mechanical sympathy and a willingness to use extreme brute force when needed on things like freewheels. By the time we could afford the nicer kit, like Campagnolo, or more modern kit appeared, like cassette hubs, we were experienced and much less likely to damage them.

People are starting cycling now with bikes which often use expensive components requiring careful assembly and which are often much less tolerant of incorrect torque. It is not surprising that many seem too daunted to attempt maintenance tasks and instead rely heavily on their local bike shop, something which is also only possible with the greater disposable income that many (but not all) now have.

[glpinxit1]

My go-to is a Wera that Google tells me is now sold by Screwfix, among others. It is excellent (but I've found that it has been a bit of a gateway drug for Wera tools generally- you should se their Advent calendars). https://www.screwfix.com/p/wera-click-t ... tid=301797

I've never felt the need to venture to higher torque on a bicycle but have something bigger if I ever do.

Most often, however I need 5NM and then I use a Park PTD5 which gets the convenience award https://www.parktool.com/product/preset ... iver-ptd-5

[Jdsk]

... it has been a bit of a gateway drug for Wera tools generally...

: - )

Jonathan

[mjr]

I feel this is not true in all cases. Some riders are remarkably insensitive and it doesn't take long riding knocking to knacker a loose square taper crank. I've even seen shell threads trashed by a loose cup rocking.

I think that illustrates how things have changed. When I started cycling, no one had a torque wrench and I doubt any of the shops I used had one. Square taper cranks were simply done up 'very tight' (or better, very tight, go for a short ride, and then tighten again). Those people who did not tighten them sufficiently and damaged the cranks, very quicky learned from their mistake. Although disposable income was less and cranks were not exactly peanuts to buy, they would likely learn that lesson on a bike with a cheaper, lower end crankset. The cost of that crankset was effectively the price of learning how tight it needed to be and (as a hopefully one-off lesson), much less expensive than a torque wrench, especially in those days.

Yes, I wonder if low end cranks were more solid or tolerant back then, too. I have also seen cranks cracked from the corners of the square taper, possibly from attaching with too much torque, but only the last decade or so.

[tony_s]

I don't find it surprising that few people understand what 1Nm is or hence have any idea what it feels like, and in this Internet-resourced DIY era the stern injunctions accompanying so much kit must be daunting. Sometimes accuracy is important, but frequently we only need to be roughly right, for which old-timers have a feel. So with apologies to pundits, here is an attempt at de-mystifying:-

1Nm is what you get by pulling with a 1Newton force on the end of a 1metre wrench.
1Newton is roughly the weight of a 10kg mass, acceleration due to gravity being roughly 10m/s/s around here.
So 1Nm is roughly what you get by hanging a 1kg weight on the end of a 0.1m (10cm) wrench.
I for one have a feel for that.

Do not confuse Nm (Newton-metre) with nm (nanometre) or n.m. (nautical mile) or sundry other abbreviations