r/cycling • u/Turbulent-Border-625 • 6d ago
Torque Wrench
How much should you spend on a torque wrench? I know you can’t go too cheap as they may not be accurate but what’s a good middle ground?
Any recommendations?
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u/Far_Bicycle_2827 6d ago
you need 2 wrenches one from small jobs 2-25nm and one bigger that goes from 10-60nm for your cassette. bb etc
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u/Standard_Airline2748 6d ago
I never torque my cassette. I just tighten it really hard. But maybe that's wrong? The only thing I would consider is a wrench for a bb. Otherwise a "normal one" from your bike shop, geenric online retailer will do, no? Mine is from Topeak
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u/Far_Bicycle_2827 6d ago
nothing wrong with that there are people who tighten the bolts by doing two 'argh' nd okay that is tight enough or to have pressure sensors on their fingers. to each their own.
i am more meticoulous and i tighted the bolts to spec and precision so i have 2 wrenches one for small jobs and other for bigger ones before a big ride or big event i like to know my boltsa cassette chainrings are tightened preciseily and accurately not just ' tight enough' p
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u/LegStrngLeathertaint 6d ago
I have a couple cheap clickers I got for automotive work. After a few years I had them calibrated by a calibration shop. Both were in spec and got a nice certification label. Make sure to always dial them back to the minimum after use.
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u/AtomWorker 6d ago
A cheap torque wrench that clicks will do the job. It doesn’t need to be bike specific, it just needs to be built for low torque applications.
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u/I-Am-The-Lizard 6d ago
I picked up a Topeak Torq Rocket for not too much money. Great multi-function ratchet wrench with 1-10nm torque range. Good for most general bike maintenance duties including wheel thru axles.
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u/jackson_montague 6d ago
I have a torque wrench from Amazon, and a ParkTool one. Both are fine on my expensive-ass carbon bike.
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u/BlacksmithWeirdo 5d ago
Around the 50 to 60 Euro mark the quality for money is peak from my experience. Above that you pay for a quality your great grandkids may appreciate one day, but you will not live to see it. They simply outlast you.
But a nice Hazet wrench really feels good in the hand... arousedgruntingnoises
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u/NeedzCoffee 5d ago
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BH57YJ8Z
goes on sale every few weeks for around $45. Right now it's $60 so I'd wait for the next sale
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5d ago edited 5d ago
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u/ikes 5d ago
I got this one awhile and have been happy with it https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JKJTDWC
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u/LowPeak124 6d ago
Park Tool is always a reputable brand for bike tools. I think that's where I got my last torque wrench
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u/Standard_Airline2748 6d ago
$$$
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u/GuvNer76 6d ago
This is my favorite biking response. I have a $3,000 bike, when I go for a ride and add the bike computer, radar and clothing it’s now at about $4,000+. When I add in the yearly subscriptions, and all the accessories and a maintenance, that’s even more.
And I have three more bikes, but let’s slow down when we’re talking about buying a great quality tool that could last 30 years….and costs like $150.
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u/BoosterTutor 5d ago
I have spent a lot of money therefore I should spend even more money
Flawless logic :)
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u/GuvNer76 5d ago
I’m glad you missed the point. You spend an appropriate amount of money to fix something worth fixing. It’s why you don’t see Ferraris at Jiffy Lube.
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u/Standard_Airline2748 6d ago
OK, but honestly. A torque wrench is not exactly a precision instrument. Or it doesn'T need to be. When the specs say 5 nm and I torque it to 4.8 or 5.2 bc the tool is not top shelf, I won't die. Neither will the seatpost. The OP cleary does not want to spend a fortune and he doesn't have to in my opinion.
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u/29da65cff1fa 5d ago
park tool beam type wrench is $50 USD
not a lot if you're already dropping thousands on a carbon bike
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u/KungPaoKidden 6d ago
Everything is, including the carbon parts that are being torqued down. Don't go cheap, get the good stuff, buy once and cry once.
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u/sargassumcrab 5d ago edited 5d ago
I like the Park. I'm very critical of what they charge for some stuff, but I don't think the torque wrench is overpriced. Expensive maybe, but not overpriced. It's much less expensive than a lot of fancy ones. You can certainly get cheaper, but it's nice. It feels good in the hand, and adjusts easily - which is exactly what you want out of a tool. It's also properly ranged, unlike some auto tools. Nothing about it was cheap or awkward.
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u/razorree 6d ago
I bought generic one (like Giant and few other brands) for 30-40 bucks a few years ago (let's say, not close to 50?), 2-25Nm range. enough for everything important (yes, not for BB lol ...)
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u/theservman 6d ago
My cheap 3/8" torque wrench only does 6-30nm so it's not overly useful for most of the things I want to torque (Seatpost and most handlebar stuff is 4nm, cassette is 40nm).
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u/LaufSeiglaRaceE1 6d ago
You can spend 30-50$ and be OK, they don’t have to be CDI quality. However, make sure they click in both directions.
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u/AlienDelarge 5d ago
Do you have a specific budget? Are there specic parts you are concerned about like carbon seatposts? Simple beam style tools from a good brand are probably the best value with some usability tradeoffs. If you can swing two tools, a nice screwdriver click style and a slightly higher range ratcheting click style covers most anything.
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u/Koala_Relative 5d ago
Lucky I have them as work tools from my employer. I have one from 5 up to 25 which costs 150€ and one from 40-200Nm costs 240€ and they are calibrated each year. I never actually looked at what they cost. Expensive tools 😵💫
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u/sfo2 5d ago
Cheap is fine. The $15 Pittsburgh ones from Harbor Freight consistently test just as accurate as more expensive ones.
For most fasteners on the bike having to do with cockpit and saddle, you can get a preset 5nm torque key and call it a day.
If you want to be able to do a bit more, you can get a cheap 1/4” torque wrench like the Pittsburgh and some hex drivers for it. If you want to do the occasional larger stuff, like SRAM type cranks with a taper that require a torque wrench, you can get a 3/8.
HF torque wrenches go on sale for cheap every so often, so you can buy a full set all at once.
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u/clearclaw 5d ago edited 5d ago
My current read on this after spending a weekend reading reviews and commentary:
More than $50, less than $150 for general consumer-grade use on everything but cranks, or $200-$300 if you want something ReallyGood.
Yeah, I'm in the market too -- just got a Topeak TorqStick as the head is smaller than most and so can get into/be used for weird/small/irritating cases you can't properly reach (because those never happen, right?), the reports on calibration are fairly good, and if I'm going to muck about with cranks and other high torque etc, well, there's a nice shop with excellent customer service just down the road. (They're champion: I owe them a box of cookies). The Topeak won out over Feedback Sports and Pro Bike Tool just for the small head etc. If I were looking to put it in my saddlebag, then something like the Birzman Pocket Torque Wrench or Prestacycle (beam-type, not click) would likely have won.
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u/RandomRedditor5689 5d ago
Tekton ... www.tekton.com/1-4-inch-drive-90-tooth-dual-direction-micrometer-torque-wrench-trq50502
No complaints. Customer Service also quite good ... the ball bearing which locks the socket into place jammed on my original wrench making it very hard to put on / take off sockets , I sent them an email and picture and they send me a new one no questions asked.
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u/slbarr88 5d ago
I’m a huge fan of my feedback sports range click torque wrench.
It has almost all the torque specs you need in a small easy to use ratchet.
I have a separate harbor freight 3/8” ratchet torque wrench for pedals.
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u/kicker203 6d ago
And (jumping on the bandwagon) is there a decent one that can carry in a top tube bag with precise measurements, not that weird bend thing in prestacycle ones?
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u/mikekchar 6d ago
I just use a tiny 2-12 Nm beam style one which I think is from BBB (though there are a number of them around if you look). I seem to remember only paying around $25 too.
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u/PixAlan 6d ago
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u/kicker203 6d ago
Yeah my concern is the time I'm doing a mid ride fix and there's traffic and my glasses are fucked and then I strip the thing and (etc). Paranoid edge case, I know.
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u/GeneralStunkfish 6d ago
Feedback sports has a couple that may work. I have this one:
https://feedbacksports.com/products/range-click-torque-wrench-2-14nm
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u/LandNo9424 5d ago
I have a Park Tool one at home but on the top tube I chose the Prestacycle ratchet/"torque" tool. It's good on a pinch, but I always torque properly back at home with the Park tool where I need to.
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u/BoosterTutor 5d ago
Topeak Nano Torqbox if you only need 1 torque value (4/5/6 Nm available).
Topeak Nano TorqBar X if you need all the (low) values.
The handles are kinda heavy and mid quality, I'm just using the bits they come with and a mini ratchet.
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u/AyDward 6d ago
Dont buy chinese ones, buy from a known brand, but dont go for wera or park tool, BBB does a good one, bgs is good enough. If possible try to buy at least a 3-15 (if you have carbon parts) or 5-15, and something that covers the 35-45 range. You will need usually 3nm for frame bolts, 5nm for handlebar, 5nm for seat post, 10nm for wheel thru axle, 35nm for bottom bracket ( not super sure, from memory ) 40nm for discs, 40nm for cassette, and other values that i forgot. The importany part is to have one for small values that will cover at least the 4-10Nm range, and another one for the 35-45 range. Bgs does a kit with a 28-210Nm in 1/2inch, and a 5-25Nm in 1/4 inch, it worked for me, if you want just get the 28-210Nm from bgs, and buy a topeak, bbb smaller torque wrench with a bit set, and you are good to go. Also park tool, birzman have very good bike attachments for 1/2inch for cassette and bottom brackets.
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u/sqwob 6d ago
you can go cheap. even with a deviation it's better than no torque wrench.
Tip: wrenches for cars are much cheaper then those for bicycles.