Sometimes you find the best tools because they are not for bikes.

[fooferdoggie]

I had all my tools taken out of my bike bag and I needed to replace them. I don't use tools much when riding as I can work on my bike at home or my shop. so I bought the blackborn mini ratchet. but at 49.00 it does not have a much-needed extension though I just found out you take the pin out of the chain tool put it in the wrench like a bit and the end of the wrench will hold a bit. but you're not going to get a lot of leverage that way but it would work. I bought a prestcycle set for only 25.00 and it has an extension that can make it into a t handle too. but it's a lot easier to use. But then I found this guy a wiha set that has a ton of bits an extension and feels far nicer in use than either one. it weighs more as it has a metal box it has a nice extension with a locking bit holder too. so for 29.00 it's a much better deal if you can handle a little more weight. it's a metal box so will hold up to everything. but these tools are good for use when working on your bike too where mutitools really are not that great for the job.

 

[indianajo]

Where was it made?
In the class of ****ese garbage, I bought a 70 piece 1/4 socket set 6 mm to 1/2" US & metric for $7 at the flea market. Has a 2" extension. As the ratchets of these toys fail the first use, i bought a USA 1/4" Proto breaker bar for $21 from mcmaster.com https://www.mcmaster.com/5521A13 I do not carry these on the bike but have some at each end of my commute. The rachet handles out at the summer camp are Sears Craftsman, since nobody stole everything out there yet. Craftsman went through a cycle of being ****ese garbage for the same price as real tools since the oh-ohs. Reason Sears is now defunct.
I carry a USA metric eklind ball end hex wrench set on the bike. 7 keys, $14 www.grainger.com/4CR59 Leaving out 8 mm & 10mm. I don't need to carry those, but have some in town & at summer camp. Bonrus are equivalent quality. Any torx fasteners on the bike, i remove them and replace with hex slotted or phillips head so I do not have to carry torx bits. Many hub motors have torx fasteners on the cover.
Rather than carry a separate short phillips & flat blade screwdriver, I bought this racheting shorty from Milwaukee via mcmaster $22 https://www.mcmaster.com/52725A41 Has #1 & #2 phillips, 1/4" and 5/16" flat bits all stored in the handle. Made in TWN where real tools can also be sourced. The mounts for motor drive and battery I build often require shorty screwdriver to access behind the seat.
I found a metal cash box at the flea market for $11 which keeps the rain out nicely. The tops of my panniers often gap open.

 

[fooferdoggie]

it does not say but they are made in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Vietnam so who knows but they have always been high quality tools.

 

[indianajo]

I respect 3 of the four sources. W7ha is not stocked in my flyover city, so I have never run into them. You are not allowed to know where anything you order on the internet or by phone comes from until you receive it and open the box. In general 99.999999% of tools sold on the internet are ****ese garbage. Park & Pedro tools from moderncycle.com have turned out okay, TWN.

 

[m@Robertson]

I am amazed a Wiha toolset is only $29. Thats some pretty high end stuff, usually.

Prestacycle is a USA company that I am sure outsources manufacture to China. I just bought a small torque wrench from them recently that is now my bit ratchet in my tool kit. An ingenious little device. Effective but not cheap at US$60 for the wrench and a suite of all the hex bits (plus some Torx and a Phillips) you would need on a bike.

I try to only use the tools I carry with me on a bike no matter whether I am roadside or in my garage. That way, roadside, I am working with tools I am used to wielding rather than some half-ass compromise.

You can get quality tools from Chinese manufacturers so long as they are made for quality and not for cheap. The trick is to know when that is, but if all you do is not get greedy and try and buy a $50 tool for $3 on Temu or Ali, you're likely to guess right most of the time.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I am amazed a Wiha toolset is only $29. Thats some pretty high end stuff, usually.

Prestacycle is a USA company that I am sure outsources manufacture to China. I just bought a small torque wrench from them recently that is now my bit ratchet in my tool kit. An ingenious little device. Effective but not cheap at US$60 for the wrench and a suite of all the hex bits (plus some Torx and a Phillips) you would need on a bike.

View attachment 185888
I try to only use the tools I carry with me on a bike no matter whether I am roadside or in my garage. That way, roadside, I am working with tools I am used to wielding rather than some half-ass compromise.

You can get quality tools from Chinese manufacturers so long as they are made for quality and not for cheap. The trick is to know when that is, but if all you do is not get greedy and try and buy a $50 tool for $3 on Temu or Ali, you're likely to guess right most of the time.

I had one but it was too hard for me to read. that was the old version though. but there are several socket types that are compact now.

 

[m@Robertson]

I had one but it was too hard for me to read. that was the old version though. but there are several socket types that are compact now.

I have a beam style torque wrench in 3/8" and that was my problem as well. The scale on this little thing seems to be no issue for me. Works fine. Plus I can use it as a simple bit driver.

 

[PCeBiker]

Has anyone tried this style of torque wrench?
I'm liking this,..

It is made on Taiwan.

Adjustable Torque Adapter | CNC Machine Torque Wrench Supplier - Sloky

Sloky is one of the prime Adjustable Torque Adapter | torque wrench suppliers since 1979. 0.1~6mm torque screwdriver & torque driver set designed for CNC cutting tools of machining, lathing, turning, and milling parts. ISO9000 and ISO14001 authentication and QC080000 RoHS certificate from ECCB...

www.sloky.com.tw

 

[PCeBiker]

I had one but it was too hard for me to read.

I have a beam style torque wrench in 3/8" and that was my problem as well.

I have a 1/4" and a 3/8" beam style torque wrenches but I can't use them upside down because they don't have double sided square drives.
They're hard to use at an angle too because you need to look at the scale squarely or you'll misread the pointer.

The handles can get in the way too, and they don't ratchet, so you have to keep reseating the bit in the bolt head.

This torque wrench will be 50 years old next year. (1975)

 

[spokewrench]

Has anyone tried this style of torque wrench?
I'm liking this,..



It is made on Taiwan.

Adjustable Torque Adapter | CNC Machine Torque Wrench Supplier - Sloky

Sloky is one of the prime Adjustable Torque Adapter | torque wrench suppliers since 1979. 0.1~6mm torque screwdriver & torque driver set designed for CNC cutting tools of machining, lathing, turning, and milling parts. ISO9000 and ISO14001 authentication and QC080000 RoHS certificate from ECCB...

www.sloky.com.tw

I believe it's made to limit, not measure, torque. When I bought tires for my car, the mechanic used his pneumatic impact wrench to tighten the nuts to 250 foot pounds. They're supposed to be 65. He was supposed to insert a stick like that is springy enough to absorb impacts once a certain torque is reached. Normally, the torque limit of a stick is identified by color. I haven't seen an adjustable one.

I would have been stranded if I stopped to change a tire. I knew the nuts or studs had been deformed because the feel had changed when I torqued them down. They were more likely to work loose as I drove.

 

[PCeBiker]

I believe it's made to limit, not measure, torque.

I'm pretty sure it's a spring dial gauge like the Prestacycle torque wrench that @m@Robertson posted.

It says this about it,..

"Visually determine the torque value during the locking process."

It also says "Do Not exceed 65 in/lb" so it breaks if you apply any torque past its maximum setting.

That's what I like about it. I would trust a spring dial more than something that's supposed to click or ratchet when they get to the torque setting.

I figure that a spring is less inclined to go out of spec or fail than a clicking or ratcheting type if you don't over stretch or compress the spring.

It's cylindrical shape would help to keep the scale visible at probably any angle, and would probably allow it to fit into places where my beam style handles get in the way.
I could use extention bits and a screwdriver handle on it to get it to reach.

A beam style torque wrench gets all wobbly and unstable when you load it up with extentions and bit adapters, and it's hard to keep it pushing squarely on a screw or bolt with the long handle off to the side.

 

[nutdriver]

For a torque wrench, I went with this unit. It is only calibrated in in lbs so a conversion is required to torque fasteners in Nm. I have been happy with the quality of this tool. This company has generally had a good reputation on the BITOG forum. I did look at several bike specific torque wrench options offered by various companies. In the end, I was not convinced of the quality.

eTork About Us

 

[PCeBiker]

I just know that if I buy a torque wrench I need to spend the money and get a good one.

With any other tool I can think of, you can tell when the tool is junk or not working properly.
I suck trying to guesstimate torque so I would need to trust the tool.

I figure that the only way a beam style torque wrench goes outta spec is if you use it as a breaker bar.
Even then the pointer won't point to zero afterwards, so you know it's not accurate.

 

[spokewrench]

I'm pretty sure it's a spring dial gauge like the Prestacycle torque wrench that @m@Robertson posted.

It says this about it,..

"Visually determine the torque value during the locking process."

It also says "Do Not exceed 65 in/lb" so it breaks if you apply any torque past its maximum setting.



That's what I like about it. I would trust a spring dial more than something that's supposed to click or ratchet when they get to the torque setting.

I figure that a spring is less inclined to go out of spec or fail than a clicking or ratcheting type if you don't over stretch or compress the spring.

It's cylindrical shape would help to keep the scale visible at probably any angle, and would probably allow it to fit into places where my beam style handles get in the way.
I could use extention bits and a screwdriver handle on it to get it to reach.

A beam style torque wrench gets all wobbly and unstable when you load it up with extentions and bit adapters, and it's hard to keep it pushing squarely on a screw or bolt with the long handle off to the side.

Adjustable Torque Adapter | CNC Machine Torque Wrench Supplier - Sloky

Sloky is one of the prime Adjustable Torque Adapter | torque wrench suppliers since 1979. 0.1~6mm torque screwdriver & torque driver set designed for CNC cutting tools of machining, lathing, turning, and milling parts. ISO9000 and ISO14001 authentication and QC080000 RoHS certificate from ECCB...

www.sloky.com.tw

The videos on the page show fixed adaptors, identified by color, that slip when the specified torque is reached. The users seem to work in repair shops. The page says the adjustable model opens up possibilities in hunting, shooting, and construction. In the field, one wouldn't want to carry a set of adaptors and a manual of torque specs in case a screw loosened. The adjustable model would let you estimate and adjust.
The page says it's for 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 Nm. That would be 17 to 52 inch pounds. Perhaps adjusting past 65 inch pounds would deform the spring out of calibration.

 

[PCeBiker]

The videos on the page show fixed adaptors, identified by color, that slip when the specified torque is reached.

Yeah, I saw that too, and I'm pretty sure that's a set of individual torque wrenches that ratchet at a specific torque ??

I think that the one I linked to is a spring dial gauge ??

It's too bad that they don't show that one actually being used.

So the dial is either set to a certain torque then it ratchets, or the dial shows real-time torque as you apply it (like a beam wrench)

I think it's like a beam wrench?

 

[spokewrench]

Yeah, I saw that too, and I'm pretty sure that's a set of individual torque wrenches that ratchet at a specific torque ??




I think that the one I linked to is a spring dial gauge ??

It's too bad that they don't show that one actually being used.

So the dial is either set to a certain torque then it ratchets, or the dial shows real-time torque as you apply it (like a beam wrench)

I think it's like a beam wrench?

It looks as if it could be hard to read while torquing a screw. Amazon has a 1/4" beam wrench for $20.

 

[mschwett]

for bikes with very low torque fastener specs (carbon etc) the beam type really isn’t appropriate. way too long a lever arm on most of them and you typically go waaaaay past the spec with even the slightest push.

i have a couple lexivon torque wrench socket handles, 1/4 and 3/8, for larger specs like pedals, axles, cranks, etc. they’ve worked well but i don’t love the adjusting mechanism.

for low spec parts like stems and seat clamps and the like, i have a subset of the prestacycle torqkeys - absolutely perfect for bike use. they can screw AND unscrew, you just grab the right color, zero chance of over-torquing a small fastener. also very compact and light in the tool box.

Prestacycle Pro TorqKeys - T-Handle Torque Tool - 4Nm, 5Nm, 6Nm, 7Nm,

FEATURES Simply Accurate – Maintenance-free, Reliable and Affordable Our torque tools use intelligent design for accuracy without the need for expensive calibration. An industrial-grade internal spring manufactured within extremely tight tolerances pre-determines torque setting. The tool does...

prestacycle.com

 

[PCeBiker]

It looks as if it could be hard to read while torquing a screw.

I think that it would be easy to see with a regular screwdriver handle driving it?
The scale might rotate out of view, but you just reset it in the hex bolt.

Amazon has a 1/4" beam wrench for $20.

I bought my ¼" drive in/lb beam wrench on Amazon for $23.
It's kinda junky, but I figure it's better thannothing.

,.. i have a subset of the prestacycle torqkeys -

Ouch $209 plus tax and shipping.

I'm just gunna keep wingin it for now.

 

[PCeBiker]

i have a couple lexivon torque wrench socket handles, 1/4 and 3/8,

I've got a Lexivon bit set that I use with my torque wrenches and socket wrenches.

 

[spokewrench]

I think that it would be easy to see with a regular screwdriver handle driving it?
The scale might rotate out of view, but you just reset it in the hex bolt.

Amazon.com

January 24, EnduroDriver, the fifth reviewer, posted a review saying your read the gauge as you turn.

If I had any class at all, I'd admit I was wrong. Instead, I'll accuse: Nice try, EnduroDriver!