What torque wrench?!

aircooleddude
aircooleddude Posts: 79
edited December 2009 in Workshop
Hi all I have been road cycling for a year now and am looking for a torque wrench to tighten smaller components (seat post etc etc) so I don;t damage the carbon fibre parts. Please coul semebody have a quick look at these two items and tell me if they're any good for the money. I'm not looking for anything expensive and fancy, just something to do the job and make a few minor adjustments now and again. Thanks all.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=11142

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=32396

Comments

  • Sealey can be had for ~£40
    ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • scherrit
    scherrit Posts: 360
    I have a had a Mighty on test in my workshop for a few months and it's more than good enough for home use, I think- comes with a good selection of bits. £50-ish?

    Sonic cycles have them.

    Cheers,
    Scherrit.
    www.thebikewhisperer.co.uk
    If you're as fat as me, all bikes are bendy.
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    I bought one of these for £34.99 from Rutland Cycles, with a nice little box of Allen fittings.
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • scherrit
    scherrit Posts: 360
    Hmm, it's a 3/8 drive- does it go low enough for stem bolts? You need to be able to do 4Nm or so.
    Cheers,
    S.
    If you're as fat as me, all bikes are bendy.
  • morxy
    morxy Posts: 114

    Neither of those come with any hex or torx bits. You'll need a set like these unless you have your own.

    Also, the first of those wrenches is described as having a range of 2-24Nm. But one of the reviewers says it has a range of 7-105Nm? Very strange. Both wrenches have a 3/8" drive so they're compatible with the Park Tools Socket and Bit Set mentioned above.
    hopper1 wrote:
    I bought one of these for £34.99 from Rutland Cycles, with a nice little box of Allen fittings

    Looks nice but the item on sale doesn't include any bits and I'd want a lower minimum torque than 6Nm.

    Personally I'd buy a Pro Torque Wrench. It's high quality, addresses 3-15Nm and comes with its own set of bits, including a T30 which is handy for chainring bolts. The biggest hex bit is 6mm. But that should be fine as any fastener needing more than 15Nm would likely use a bigger bolt such as 8mm anyway.
  • These are fine and come with a set of drivers. As arethese but without the drivers
    Neil
    Help I'm Being Oppressed
  • morxy
    morxy Posts: 114
    mmacavity wrote:

    My friend owns one of these and is very happy with it. He trusts his Cervelo R3 with it :) Personally I'd like a T30 bit for chainring bolts. The BBB set only includes a T25. But that's just my personal preference.

    Has anyone ever used a T25 for anything?! What uses T25??
  • scherrit
    scherrit Posts: 360
    mtb disc mount I think?
    If you're as fat as me, all bikes are bendy.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    I'll cast my vote for "Do you really need one?" Is a torque wrench a cure for a problem that doesn't exist? At least on bicycles? FWIW I have never used a torque wrench on a bike and can't remember when I last time stripped a thread or something of that nature. And I'm pretty "heavy handed". I vote NO.
  • I bought one very cheap at trade, use it a lot, mainly because i can, but also because I've got carbon bars and posts and don't particularly want to break them.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    I bought one very cheap at trade, use it a lot, mainly because i can, but also because I've got carbon bars and posts and don't particularly want to break them.

    Not trying to be an *sshole, but how can you trust riding on bars and seat posts that you are afraid will break if you tighten them a bit too much???? I don't have a problem with carbon anything. Ride what you will. It's just that if you have little faith in them surviving
    a bit of extra tightening how could you not be terrified to ride them knowing the stresses
    that bumps and potholes in the road will put them through?
  • For carbon seatposts and handlebars this stuff is supposed to stop them slipping:
    PACE RC005 Carbon Composite Shield
    https://www.pacecycles.com/fluidworx2.a ... subcat=510
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    morxy wrote:
    hopper1 wrote:
    I bought one of these for £34.99 from Rutland Cycles, with a nice little box of Allen fittings

    Looks nice but the item on sale doesn't include any bits and I'd want a lower minimum torque than 6Nm.

    Personally I'd buy a Pro Torque Wrench. It's high quality, addresses 3-15Nm and comes with its own set of bits, including a T30 which is handy for chainring bolts. The biggest hex bit is 6mm. But that should be fine as any fastener needing more than 15Nm would likely use a bigger bolt such as 8mm anyway.

    It came with a 5 piece hex & torx set.
    I use a Ritchey Torque Tool for my stem bolts, etc...
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • Torque wrenches do not come much better than:
    http://www.norbar.co.uk/
  • dennisn wrote:
    I'll cast my vote for "Do you really need one?" Is a torque wrench a cure for a problem that doesn't exist? At least on bicycles? FWIW I have never used a torque wrench on a bike and can't remember when I last time stripped a thread or something of that nature. And I'm pretty "heavy handed". I vote NO.

    I'd second this by all mean get a torque wrench but a feel for how tight things should be is invaluable. What do you do if you need to adjust something away from your workshop and have no idea of how tight is tight enough?
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    When I tighten my headset, I just use a multitool, seems to have worked so far,I just memorised how tight it was when I first undid it.

    If I could afford one I'd certainly get one though.
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    freehub wrote:
    When I tighten my headset, I just use a multitool, seems to have worked so far,I just memorised how tight it was when I first undid it.

    If I could afford one I'd certainly get one though.

    That's just 'pot luck' so far then, as it takes more effort to overcome the make-up torque, than it does to apply the make-up torque! :roll:
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • markp2
    markp2 Posts: 162
    I use Facom and Britool torque wrenches. Whatever you do, don't buy a 'bendy bar' type as these are difficult to use and generally inaccurate.
    Genesis Croix de Fer - my new commuting mount
    Saracen Hytrail - the workhorse - now pensioned off
    Kinetic-One FK1 roadie - the fast one - hairy legs though!
    Cannondale Jekyll Lefty MTB - the muddy one which keeps tipping me into gorse bushes!
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    People who know more than me advise against using them at all, better to learn to do it by feel. The force you need will vary from the quoted figures anyway , apparently, depending on various factors, so it`s not always a good thing to stick to the figures.
    Smarter than the average bear.