You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
After a torque wrench for occasional fettling but don't want to spend a fortune on one.
Any deals / recommendations out there?
About the cheapest I could find was the Topeak Combo jobbie, but no idea if it's any good:
Torque or Torq?
Torque is for tightening to the correct "tightness". LBS/ft or Nm (Newton metres)
Torq is a star headed bolt or fastener.
?????
Sorry to state the obvious.
Torq is a star headed bolt or fastener.
That's torx, it's just a misspelling on the linked site.
I'm not speaking from experience and I normally like their stuff but that Topeak job looks horrible to use.
Personally I use a regular torque wrench for higher torqued stuff (e.g. crank bolts, pivot bolts). It's only marked down to 24nm on the handle but can adjust down to 12-14nm using the markings on the twisiting grip. For stem bolts etc. I use a torque key since almost everything alse is rated at 5nm.
Been using these [url= http://www.screwfix.com/p/teng-tools-drive-torque-wrench/44700 ]Teng Torque wrenches[/url] for a while and they appear to be in line with the torque set by a friends much much more expensive and regularly calibrated ones.
Start with the 1/4" drive one as its perfect for bikes
Lidl have some just now
100% with almighty dutch
Got that same wrench( and the 3/8 25-100 )Dont worry about sub 5nm as imee anythin with a torque of less than 5nm will either come loose or not provide sufficient clamping force..... Ritchey wc carbon seat pos an your 4nm clamp in looking at you!
I believe the Sealey is the go-to budget wrench.
2-24NM and comes with calibration cert.
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-8-inch-2-24nm-1-47-17-70lb-ft-Micrometer/dp/B000RO1ZCG?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=camelalertsizer-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B000RO1ZCG ]Amazon Linky.[/url]
That Sealey looks good. Any idea on range/price for the Lidl ones? Page has been removed from their site.
PSA: Don't forget to wind off the torque wrench after use 😀
The Teng and Sealey are great looking torque wrenches. I went with a BBB generic jobbie which came with a calibration certificate for about £40. Seems to work well and tie up well with the LBS wrenches.
Dont worry about sub 5nm as imee anythin with a torque of less than 5nm will either come loose or not provide sufficient clamping force..... Ritchey wc carbon seat pos an your 4nm clamp in looking at you!
I hope you don't have any CF or light parts 😉 4Nm is the normal max on light/ weightweenie stuff with attaching controls to bars much lower at around 1.5-2Nm. Low torque recommendations and CF assembly paste/ Loctite go hand in hand 😉 I'm not convinced that even the calibrated wrenches are ideal for picking off 2Nm but I'd want to know 4-6Nm with some confidence.
PSA: Don't forget to wind off the torque wrench after use
.. and don't make a habit of dropping it!
My LBS has a [url= http://www.summittosea.co.uk/torque-wrench-by-mpart.ir?cName=cycling-cycle-components-accessories-tools-worshop-tools-workstands-workshop-tools ]Madison torque wrench[/url] for £35.49, felt nicer in use than the park version I've borrowed from my mate in the past.
Meanwhile in the real world none of my carbon mtb race bikes , tt bike , road bikes have given me issue for the last - 10 years maybe ??? using 5nm as a base line. How ever ive been racing and riding with folks who i know to be torque wrench junkies following all the instructions to the t and had their bikes fall apart mid ride- tend to be the same lads that are for ever stripping their bike down to clean them meticulously after every ride.......
I do laugh at some of the designers torque settings , using your example , carbon bars with torque ratings. Thats a torque rating for morons , the clamp force is a function of surface area as well as torque ( and many other things) to blindly give a torque rating without specifying what surface area thats for is just stupid. The only reason it has a rating is so that people who have monkeys paws for hands can be told to jeff off when they over tighten it.
If you are ham fisted either with or without a torque wrench you are likely to have issues. Most people tend to ignore the fact the torque rating on components are the max allowable torque (presumably a worst case rather than a number picked out of the air), certainly not a suggested value. Agreed it is a torque rating for morons and to avoid over tightening, but there no harm in using a properly calibrated tool to supplement, but not over-ride, common sense.
I also laugh at people who tell me the can feel exactly how tight to do fasteners by hand, have never had issues with carbon components, are engineers, work in F1, blah blah... then sell me a cracked frame or component damaged through over tightening that they hadn't even noticed... but that is a different story 🙄 (not directed at Trail Rat by the way)
Basically common sense is key, but then I'm sure everyone already knew that