Educate me on torque wrenches

[thegunner]

I'm thinking of making a foray into full carbon cockpit territory (and wanted advice on torque wrenches). Any cost-effective ones that y'all have used reliably? advice (maybe the best advice is to not chase grams and go with alloy bits)?

sorry if this has been asked, did a quick search and didn't find a dedicated topic to this :)

[Joachim]

Crucial if you have carbon fiber bits. I can't live without mine, Pedro's demi torque wrench. Its not cheap but it's the best money I have ever spent on a tool. You can get them for around $120 incl shipping. I also have the Pedro's Hex bit set.

[Lovetoclimb]

For 4-6 mm allen bolts typical of cockpits, seatpost, and other common adjustment points on the bike, I have had several mechanics recommend the Ritchey torque wrench. Small and portable, and very cost effective. No personal experience as I run Thomson and other alu bits everywhere. But I should probably look into one for drivetrain bolts . . . I would be curious to see it calibrated against others in a bench test.

Review from CC

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/review-tools/ritchey-torque-key_1216.html

[bargainguy]

My take on torque wrenches. YMMV.

Beam type: Fairly accurate but not easy to read in certain conditions depending on what you're doing. Least expensive.

Dial type: Better accuracy. Should really be zeroed out when not in use. More expensive than beam; prices vary greatly depending on design.

Transducer type: Best accuracy, and in my mind, easiest to use. Doesn't need to be zeroed out when not in use. Most expensive of the lot.

As a general rule, torque wrenches tend to be most accurate in the middle of their range, less so at the extremes. Make sure you're getting one that meets your needs as far as range & accuracy this way.

Most folks tend to overtorque small bolts and undertorque large ones.

After using all three types, I settled on the Topeak D-Torq (transducer type). Not cheap, but it's served me well. When I sent it in for recalibration after using it a year, found out it was almost dead on and didn't really need recalibration, but it was peace of mind anyway.

[lonoeightysix]

FYI, most average click-style wrenches are not accurate in the bottom 20% of their range. A standard 20-200 in/lb is really not accurate under 40 in/lb, where a bunch of CF component torque specs lie.

[velotel]

No idea on the wrenches but want to thank you for writing 'educate me' instead of the way too often written and stunningly wrong usage, 'learn me'. Thank you. Those who write 'learn me' obviously either weren't very well educated or they failed to learn certain aspects of the english language.

[Tony T]

I use the Park TW-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-TW-1-Torque-Wrench/dp/B000NVCI1U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360606930&sr=8-2&keywords=park+torque+wrench), but you'll need to purchase torque (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DNPE0E/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00) and hex (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0TF6G/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00) sockets. For a quick 5nm (i.e. seatpost) I use the Ritchey Torque Key (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013KJJ94/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00)

[thegunner]

No idea on the wrenches but want to thank you for writing 'educate me' instead of the way too often written and stunningly wrong usage, 'learn me'. Thank you. Those who write 'learn me' obviously either weren't very well educated or they failed to learn certain aspects of the english language.

:) I'm sure I commit grammatical errors all the time online... just got lucky this once!

[buddybikes]

Effetto Mariposa Giustaforza, this is supposed to be about the best out there. Also cutter and giant have the cheap key type that can take 4, 5, 6. perhaps a bit light for 6, but better soft that hard...

[Likes2ridefar]

Effetto Mariposa Giustaforza, this is supposed to be about the best out there. Also cutter and giant have the cheap key type that can take 4, 5, 6. perhaps a bit light for 6, but better soft that hard...

i have that one and it works great.

Do I need it? I dont really think so.

Before I had it, I just tightened stuff down until it seemed about right. Never had a problem, but maybe I was just lucky!

[cfox]

No idea on the wrenches but want to thank you for writing 'educate me' instead of the way too often written and stunningly wrong usage, 'learn me'. Thank you. Those who write 'learn me' obviously either weren't very well educated or they failed to learn certain aspects of the english language.

Come on, man. You're kidding, right? It's called a colloquialism. It's meant to sound slightly funny, kind of "red neck" if you will. Do you really think you're that much smarter than everyone else?

Back on topic: I have a Syntace torque wrench that was very expensive and works quite nicely. Syntace seems to go to great lengths to make sure their wrenches are very accurate.

[esldude]

Harbor Freight click style.

Good advice about accuracy in the lower 20% of range, and keep it zeroed when not in use.

Yes these are cheap Chinese tools, but I have checked three of them vs pro tools. They all match in calibration according to the shop where I worked before retirement. You can afford to get two different torque ranges at these prices.

I do have the Ritchey wrench for cockpit items, and those are very handy.

[Jaq]

Concerning torque wrenches, I have nothing to add. I would like to thank you for using the phrase "Educate Me" instead of "Learn Me," however. The latter is used far too often and is grammatically incorrect. At the risk of being utterly redundant, I find that those who use the latter phrase are obviously poorly educated or failed to learn certain aspects of the English language. Thank you.

ftfy

p.s. "Learn me" is a Southernism, as in "my graddaddy learned me to drive a tractor and pick a guitar." It's also occasionally written at "learnt me."

[fuzzalow]

advice (maybe the best advice is to not chase grams and go with alloy bits)?

Oh, hey, that's my cue! I was dozing, y'know the old luddite coot that fell asleep after eating lunch.

IMO, there isn't a sufficiently favorable cost/benefit ratio in chasing grams in the area of stems and bars. The simple fact that there is a fragile, irreversible boundary between being correctly-tight-to-spec and and over the line crush fracture. I know, that's what the torque wrench is for but over the line once and there's no going back.

Much high fragility for not much more than, what, losing 70 grams? 70 grams doesn't make up enough for what I haven't got.

[thegunner]

Oh, hey, that's my cue! I was dozing, y'know the old luddite coot that fell asleep after eating lunch.

IMO, there isn't a sufficiently favorable cost/benefit ratio in chasing grams in the area of stems and bars. The simple fact that there is a fragile, irreversible boundary between being correctly-tight-to-spec and and over the line crush fracture. I know, that's what the torque wrench is for but over the line once and there's no going back.

Much high fragility for not much more than, what, losing 70 grams? 70 grams doesn't make up enough for what I haven't got.

haha i was thinking 70 grams on the bars... 60 grams on the seatpost... all of a sudden i'm at 1/3 of a pound! maybe this is the right answer.

[Liv2RideHard]

For cockpit bits just get the Ritchey Torque Key. Precalibrated. Just twist and click. Done.

[Chance]

haha i was thinking 70 grams on the bars... 60 grams on the seatpost... all of a sudden i'm at 1/3 of a pound! maybe this is the right answer.

The one that works for me.;)

When comparing light carbon to average aluminum bars in the past they never even came close to 70 grams of differences. And the same for stems or seatposts. It's really hard to find equipment that light to make these kinds of difference. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with using a torque wrench. Even on heavier aluminum components although they are more forgiving to torquing by feel.

[MadRocketSci]

i go the pro torque wrench:

http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=8&description=Torque+Wrench&vendorCode=PRO&major=6&minor=13

as far as i can tell visually, this, the park one, and pedro's demi are all pretty much the same wrench from the same taiwan manufacturer dressed up differently. If this isn't the case someone clarify. The pro (div of shimano) is the cheapest and includes all the bits.

As far as accuracy, they're supposed to be good to +/- 4%, is being between 4.8 and 5.2 good enough for a 5nm spec?

[rjfr]

A work of art and a joy forever. Does the job each and every time. Small, compact, light weight and accurate. Ok, so it's expensive. Relative to a crushed seat post or handlebar, not so much.

Initially I thought it would have minimal usage. Turns out I use it frequently. Adjustments, changing components, etc.

[merlincustom1]

A work of art and a joy forever. Does the job each and every time. Small, compact, light weight and accurate. Ok, so it's expensive. Relative to a crushed seat post or handlebar, not so much.

Initially I thought it would have minimal usage. Turns out I use it frequently. Adjustments, changing components, etc.

+1 on Effeto Mariposa Giustaforza. Only downside, it seems to be priced by the letter.

[rice rocket]

Much high fragility for not much more than, what, losing 70 grams? 70 grams doesn't make up enough for what I haven't got.

There are other reasons to use carbon, like strength... :)

[donevwil]

As mentioned before choose a wrench with desired torques in the middle of it's range. I use Snap-On click types, but realize click types need to be calibrated periodically. Other types are more reliable if you don't calibrate at least once a year. Beam type are the most accurate for the money. Not familiar with the Ritchey solution, but looks appropriate for the application.

[thegunner]

alrighty - sound like i'll get me a ritchey torque key for now and be done with it (at the very least to toss in as a mini-tool)

good enough to secure bars/posts at least!

[scrubadub]

This might be a stupid and obvious statement, but for the dummies like me out there: the torque values given are generally the max value, not necessarily what you should apply. I found this out after cracking a Trek Speed Concept seatpost. Expensive to replace.