Torque wrench?

[Roy E. Munson]

As I fiddled with my Newton bars and stem today, the thought occured to me that I really should consider getting a torque wrench. Does anyone use one and have any recomendations? Do you use a bike specific (Park) or a hardware store one? Interestingly, my ITM Miilenium stem that I have on my cross bike came with a small allen key that only allowed so much force before you couldn't turn it anymore or it stripped, and it was surprising how little force it took to strip the damn thing.

[Bruce K]

Craftsman

As far as torque wrenches go, they are fairly reasonably priced and their warranty can't be beat at twice the price.

I have their inch-lb / newton-meter one. It is about 15" long and works like a champ. I have never stripped a stem/handlebar bolt by following the manufacturer's suggestions and using this wrench.

BK

[dirtdigger88]

amen to craftsman. I love those tools. unless you are turning a wrench for a living there is nothing better. Imagine if they made bicycles. . . can you see that one. Taking back your 25 year old bike because you broke it doing something you were not suposed to do with it. the LBS just smiles and makes the exchange. AHHHHHH Craftsman........... :banana:

[Frank]

was needed to properly tighten a bottom bracket or crank to the manufacturer's suggested standards until I got a torque wrench (yes, a Sears Craftsman also).

I found that I had always been way under the suggested torque before I began using the torque wrench. I don't use it for much else beacause I don't use many light weight carbon or magnesium components, but it is worth the investment in the torque wrench ($50 or so) just to have the bottom bracket and cranks tightened as they should be.

[Bill Bove]

We used to call the torque wrench "cheap insurance" and left it on the tool board, "a good mechanic has a torque wrench built into his arm" it was surprising how close we actually were. But that was then... now with all the light weight parts if you don't use a T.W. routinly you are a fool. I now use a 1/4" and a half inch Snap On, exspensive yes but when you pay some one to do something you should expect them to do it better than you could. Look in a Formula 1 tool box, no Home Depot stuff there.

[theoldman]

I do all my own maintenance on my bikes. A torque wrench is a great tool to have when working on bikes. I purchased two craftsman torque wrenches a number of years ago; a 3/8 for the small stuff and a 1/2 inch for the bigger items. They are perfect for the home mechanic. Never had a problem and they appear to be well made.

[Russ]

Ever since I stripped a bolt on a Deda Newton stem in 2002, I decided to play it safe and use a torque wrech. Just like Bill Bove, I now use Snap-On tools and torque wrenches almost exclusivelly.... I have used the Snap-On adjustable, click-type torque wrenches, but now I have the fancy "Techwrench", which have a -/+ 1% accuracy.

By the way, is anyone interested in buying my "old" click type Snap-On wrenches? I've two, a 1/4 drive and a 3/8 drive. The 1/4 measures from 1.2 Nm to 6 Nm. The 3/8 measures from 10 to 50 Nm. My prices: $160 1/4 and 3/8 $180, and they come with a certificate of calibration from Snap-On ;)

[jpw]

Mr. Munson

Newton stem. Torque wrench. Very Apt. Nm.

[Tom]

I have a friend who's very cheap. He's an independent painting contractor, he has to be. (Houses and interiors, not bikes... no smart remarks, Dave).

Anyway, he has been known to march into Sears with his Craftsman bamboo lawn rake when a couple of the tines break off and exchange it for a new one.

[zap]

Stripped my Newton stem using a Craftsman tw. Tightened the bolts in the required x pattern and was bringing the bolts slowly up to spec when one stripped just before the torque spec supplied by Deda.

I'm looking for another torque wrench, one specifically for lower torque apps. Another note, torque wrenches do need to be calibrated regularly.

[DWF]

Probably stepping out on a limb here, but the Newton stem is really not appropriate for most riders. Think about all the parts on a bike that can fail and then reduce those into the the group thats failure will likely cause a sudden crash & severe injury, i.e., stem, bars, fork, front wheel, front skewer. In those areas I'd advice controlling the weight-weenieism that may unduly influence your component purchasing.

Want a good reliable stem that doens't cost a ton, try a Salsa. For most bikes, the Salsa also meets my first rule of stem aesthetics: The diameter of your stem should never exceed the diameter of your top tube.

[merlinagilis]

Would the newton be more reliable if you replaced the ti bolts with regular bolts?
How do the stella stems measure up for reliability?

[Needs Help]

How do the Park torque wrenches compare to Craftsman and Snap On? Brandford Bike sells the Park 1/4" and 3/8" torque wrenches for $50/each. They look like a good design because you never need to calibrate them.

http://www.branfordbike.com/cassette/cg20bigb.html

Here is a description:

"On either tool, the larger steel beam or rod flexes as you tighten any bolt. The more force you apply to tighten your bolt, the greater the steel beam will deflect. The smaller beam with a pointed end does not deflect. It is a reference for the larger beam.

To check tool calibration look at the pointed indicator when you are not tightening a bolt. If it is pointing at 0, it is accurate. If it is off, bend the indicator unit until it points at 0. Park wrenches are accurate both for both left and right hand torque. The beam will never fatigue and lead to inaccurate readings."

Sandy might be interested in this bit:

"The most common reason for threaded fasteners loosening is simply that they were inadequately secured during initial assembly. Vibration, stress, or use/abuse usually will not cause a properly sized and secured threaded fastener to loosen."

Stripped my Newton stem using a Craftsman tw. Tightened the bolts in the required x pattern and was bringing the bolts slowly up to spec when one stripped just before the torque spec supplied by Deda.

Branford bikes website says you need to grease the threads before tightening to get an accurate reading. Did you do that?

[Russ]

How do the stella stems measure up for reliability?

I have a couple of models of the Stealla Azzurra stems and bars and I am very happy with them. There was one incident with the Garda Carbon bars, but the company replaced it, no questions asked! Try that with Campagnolo or Shimano....

[Bill Bove]

I would absalutely recommend tha Park torque wrench for the home mechanic. It is easy enough to use and will prevent the most commom beginer's mistake, over tightening.

[dave thompson]

How do the Park torque wrenches compare to Craftsman and Snap On? Brandford Bike sells the Park 1/4" and 3/8" torque wrenches for $50/each.
It appears the Craftsman torque wrench http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0354714507.1081097541@ @@@&BV_EngineID=ccfgadcldklggjjcehgcemgdffmdflh.0&vertical=TOOL&pid=00944642000&bidsite=CRAFT is almost the same as the Park tool. It doesn't appear that Snap-On has a beam type wrench, just the click style, which are around $200.

I have used the Craftsman torque wrench for a year now. It's more than satisfactory for bottom brackets, crankarms, chainrings and the like. It's calibrated in foot pounds and Newton meters, and for $20, it's a deal! $50 for the Park tool seems a little steep.

[Needs Help]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the difference in the two Park torque wrenches the "torque" or the size of the socket? Hmmm...or is it the size of the fitting that the sockets attach to?

[Needs Help]

One of the Park tools measures from 0-60 inch lbs and the other measures from 0-600 inch-lbs. First, why would anyone buy the 0-60 when for $5 more they could get 0-600? That's 540 more for only $5. Second, what does the Craftsman measure up to?

[dave thompson]

One of the Park tools measures from 0-60 inch lbs and the other measures from 0-600 inch-lbs. First, why would anyone buy the 0-60 when for $5 more they could get 0-600? That's 540 more for only $5. Second, what does the Craftsman measure up to?
The Craftsman reads up to 75 ft lbs (100 newton meters) Most torque values in that range aren't given in inch-pounds. To get inch-pounds from foot-pounds, divide by 12.

A torque wrench that reads in higher values won't be as accurate at lower values, so a 0 to 60 inch-pound torque wrench is much better when used on fasteners like stem and handlebar bolts, dérailleurs bolts and the like. Small bolts like those usually have torque values under 60 inch-pounds (5 foot-pounds). So, if you were a conscientious mechanic, you would have both torque wrenches in your tool box. Bike mechanics that have been practicing for a long time, will develop a 'feel' for what 5 or 35 foot pounds feels like, and can apply that force with skill. Most home mechanics won't get that much experience and are the ones that can use torque wrenches the most.

[Needs Help]

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you need a Park for the small fasteners and either the other Park or a Craftsman for the larger bolts?

[dave thompson]

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you need a Park for the small fasteners and either the other Park or a Craftsman for the larger bolts?
You can use any good torque wrench that has the torque values you need to do your jobs, whether it be Park, Craftsman or Snap-On. But to answer your question; yes you should have both the 0-60 inch-pound wrench and whatever larger value wrench you choose for the larger fasteners. I chose the Craftsman, instead of the Park, because one was $20, the other $50. They are virtually the same accuracy and looked to be made by the same maker.

[Needs Help]

Thanks.

[JackL]

An earlier poster mentioned greasing the threads before torquing down bolts. This is controversial advice.

Some engineer-types say this results in overtightening, which can lead to failure. The reason? Reduced friction between the mating threads makes it easier to tighten a bolt, which allows a given torque setting to impose a higher tensile load (to pull harder) on the bolt. A properly torqued bolt is tight enough to be close to its elastic limit without exceeding it. A greased bolt can exceed this limit and either permanently deform or break.

Does this mean we should or should not grease bolts? Probably depends on the application. If it's a critical area, like ultralight stems, probably best to consult the manufacturer.

JackL

[dgauthier]

Another note, torque wrenches do need to be calibrated regularly.

The beam-type torque wrenches - such as the bike specific Park ones - do not need to be recalibrated (other than to re-center the pointer by bending it to read "zero"). The click type should typically be calibrated once a year for light use.

[Tony Prioli]

Not only does it do inch lbs, foot lbs, and newton meters, at a push of a button. Or just torque. But It reads current torque. Example, if you come in to my service dept with a stripped bolt, I will check the current torque on the other bolts to see how tight they are. I find more bolts under torque, but This way if a stem needs 7nm or torque, and it is sitting at 10nm, maybe deda is not the problem??? It is digital, auto ranging.. Way cool. 300.00 us dollars.

Tony