Question about Torque Wrenches

[Yamahonian]

Torque Wrenches specifically made for bikes tend to be pricey. Is there anything wrong with getting one of these wrenches from Home Depot for general purpose use on a non-carbon bike? I'm not familiar with these tools, might be missing something. Thank you.

Capri Tools 1/4 in. Drive 50 in. to 245 in. lbs. Torque Wrench CP31007 - The Home Depot

Use this Capri Tools Torque Wrench to work on your cars, truck, ATVs and bike with this powerful professional torque wrench.

www.homedepot.com

TEKTON 1/4 in. Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench (10-150 in./lb.) TRQ21101 - The Home Depot

TEKTON Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench eliminates guessing and the common tendency to overtighten fasteners. Offers durability.

www.homedepot.com

 

[fooferdoggie]

As long as it is in the same range and has the drivers you need

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Torque Wrenches specifically made for bikes tend to be pricey. Is there anything wrong with getting one of these wrenches from Home Depot for general purpose use on a non-carbon bike? I'm not familiar with these tools, might be missing something. Thank you.

Capri Tools 1/4 in. Drive 50 in. to 245 in. lbs. Torque Wrench CP31007 - The Home Depot

Use this Capri Tools Torque Wrench to work on your cars, truck, ATVs and bike with this powerful professional torque wrench.

www.homedepot.com

TEKTON 1/4 in. Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench (10-150 in./lb.) TRQ21101 - The Home Depot

TEKTON Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench eliminates guessing and the common tendency to overtighten fasteners. Offers durability.

www.homedepot.com

I don't think you are saving yourself very much money. Something like this will likely cost you about $40-$50 more when you include the actual sockets:

Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit | REI Co-op

A multi-configurable shop-quality ratchet in waxed canvas case, the Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit includes a titanium torque extension to ensure perfect tightening for all of your high-end gear.

www.rei.com

As an added benefit most bicycle torque settings are very low, from 2 to 8 nm, so having a tool with a super-high capacity (like 245 in-lbs, or something north of 27 newton-meters) is just a good way to ruin your bike or parts. And even if you don't have a carbon fiber frame you can still ruin an aluminum-framed bike pretty efficiently by over-tightening bolts -- which if you have a steel-aluminum joint can be shockingly easy to do.

My own personal feeling is saving yourself $50 at the risk of wrecking a $2000 bike is pretty damned silly.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

As an added benefit most bicycle torque settings are very low, from 2 to 8 nm, so having a tool with a super-high capacity (like 245 in-lbs, or something north of 27 newton-meters) is just a good way to ruin your bike or parts. And even if you don't have a carbon fiber frame you can still ruin an aluminum-framed bike pretty efficiently by over-tightening bolts -- which if you have a steel-aluminum joint can be shockingly easy to do.

My own personal feeling is saving yourself $50 at the risk of wrecking a $2000 bike is pretty damned silly.

The Tekton wrench looks pretty good. You will need sockets, etc., of course, but you may already have them.

The idea that anyone with a torque wrench would choose to crank a bolt down to 245 in lbs when the specs call for 8 nm (80 in lbs) seems kind of silly to me. But yeah, anything over about 20 nm is probably not needed on a bike.

TT

 

[Jimbo08]

Some bikes I have worked on require some really, really small torque settings. You can get a wrench that will measure it, but unless your using it a lot, it's hard to justify the expense of a good wrench you will see very rarely. I try to tweak those one by hand. But the common ones on a lot of bikes (4, 5, 8 Nm) I use a properly calibrated torque wrench, if for no other reason than to preserve/protect warranties. And if you buy a discount torque wrench you can always get it calibrated at a facility that tests scales, etc. just to be sure the settings are accurate. It can be a real bummer stripping threads and snapping of screw heads from over-torquing.

 

[Yamahonian]

I don't think you are saving yourself very much money. Something like this will likely cost you about $40-$50 more when you include the actual sockets:

Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit | REI Co-op

A multi-configurable shop-quality ratchet in waxed canvas case, the Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit includes a titanium torque extension to ensure perfect tightening for all of your high-end gear.

www.rei.com

As an added benefit most bicycle torque settings are very low, from 2 to 8 nm, so having a tool with a super-high capacity (like 245 in-lbs, or something north of 27 newton-meters) is just a good way to ruin your bike or parts. And even if you don't have a carbon fiber frame you can still ruin an aluminum-framed bike pretty efficiently by over-tightening bolts -- which if you have a steel-aluminum joint can be shockingly easy to do.

My own personal feeling is saving yourself $50 at the risk of wrecking a $2000 bike is pretty damned silly.

How about this one?

Lezyne Torque Drive Tool [1-MT-TTDR-V104T12]

Machined aluminum construction with removable handle and integrated magnet to hold tool bits in place. 2Nm – 9Nm torque capacity. Includes soft shell carrying case with storage cutouts.

www.biketiresdirect.com

 

[rich c]

You can get a torque wrench for $10 at Harbor Freight. You'll just have to ask Siri for the metric to imperial conversion.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

How about this one?

Lezyne Torque Drive Tool [1-MT-TTDR-V104T12]

Machined aluminum construction with removable handle and integrated magnet to hold tool bits in place. 2Nm – 9Nm torque capacity. Includes soft shell carrying case with storage cutouts.

www.biketiresdirect.com

Lezyne makes great tools and I suspect you'd be very happy with it. I don't have personal experience with that particular tool though.

I personally like the Silca because it does have the ratchet which saves you a lot of time and skinned knuckles when trying to work on a hard-to-reach bolt. Which my bikes seem to have in abundance.

 

[Explorer-1]

I use this one, pretty inexpensive, but larger than some others so best for shop use, and not on the go use if you really need a torque wrench for that. Looks like it is unavailable right now, but I'm sure it will be back. I don't often need a torque wrench though so I was not as picky as I am with my other tools.

AKM 1/4-inch Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench Set High Precision Wrench with Buckle (20-180in.-lb / 2-20Nm) - - Amazon.com

AKM 1/4-inch Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench Set High Precision Wrench with Buckle (20-180in.-lb / 2-20Nm) - - Amazon.com

amazon.com

Here is the same wrench, but without the bits if you already have those and is currently in stock: https://www.amazon.com/AKM-4-inch-Dual-Direction-Precision-20-180in-lb/dp/B07MVMZ3J3

 

[pelman]

I have been happy with this one. Decently priced and well made.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[pelman]

Let’s try the link again:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/us/en/lifeline-x-tools-essential-torque-wrench-set/rp-prod155414?gs=1&sku=sku567738&istCompanyId=64a3dd19-9b5e-411d-a4f3-46f21c06bfee&istFeedId=504a9a46-d791-4ab6-bde1-bd49b4b78bc6&istItemId=iwxxpiwlw&istBid=t&pgrid=47992999650&ptaid=pla-418596774661&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PLA+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid%7CsMWVhNRKA_dm%7Cpcrid%7C253685278709%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cprd%7C567738US&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7aPyBRChARIsAJfWCgL26OEu_AzhuSCz-JPbX5MmpyAOsZICzhHTVS2AFhH04w-OEHt71_IaAhBmEALw_wcB

 

[Yamahonian]

I use this one, pretty inexpensive, but larger than some others so best for shop use, and not on the go use if you really need a torque wrench for that. Looks like it is unavailable right now, but I'm sure it will be back. I don't often need a torque wrench though so I was not as picky as I am with my other tools.

AKM 1/4-inch Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench Set High Precision Wrench with Buckle (20-180in.-lb / 2-20Nm) - - Amazon.com

AKM 1/4-inch Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench Set High Precision Wrench with Buckle (20-180in.-lb / 2-20Nm) - - Amazon.com

amazon.com

Here is the same wrench, but without the bits if you already have those and is currently in stock: https://www.amazon.com/AKM-4-inch-Dual-Direction-Precision-20-180in-lb/dp/B07MVMZ3J3

That wrench looks nice, which bits should I order? I have a home depot gift card.

 

[Explorer-1]

That wrench looks nice, which bits should I order? I have a home depot gift card.

You need to check your specific bike to see what size Hex keys you need for the critical steering and seat related bolts. I use 5mm the most, but I find if a specific torque is really needed on a bike it tends to be the larger ones 5 and 8, and depending on the bike or your components an couple sockets for the wheels might be a good idea. Hopefully a real bike mechanic will chime in and help you there, but definitely take a look at your bike and see what it uses.

 

[steve marino]

I would be careful using a torque wrench on a bike (retired dealership and race car mechanic here). Bikes have fasteners of varying quality and materials, mostly because things don't need to be torqued to anywhere near the same tightness as cars and motorcycles for obvious reasons. If you're tightening a steel bolt into aluminum, well......, you need to be very careful. Low end bikes and accessory makers (even eBikes) use cheaper bolts, screws and nuts, so there isn't a one size fits all manner of torquing down anything on any part of a bike, no matter who the manufacturer is.

I have never used a torque wrench on a bike and doubt I ever would need to. Don't think I have ever seen a bike mechanic use one either, but I do everything myself, and it's been a while since I was in a shop. If you're a total newbie to mechanics, then it might keep you from stripping something, but most people who ride bikes and make their own repairs understand what they're doing. In this regard, an eBike is no different than a non eBike.

Nothing needs to be tightened like it does on anything w/ an internal combustion engine, and if you did try to put a lot of torque onto anything on a bike it would just strip or break. Any competent mechanic can feel when things are "tight enough". The important thing is to put a small bit of oil on all threads, keep them clean, and torque things down in the proper sequence, especially w/ the bolts holding a hub motor together. A bolt or nut that has a bit of grit on the threads or otherwise binds up a little will give a false torque reading anyway. It's also very important to go over your bike at regular intervals and make sure that every thing is still snug on all the bolts and nuts, especially if it's a steel bolt going through soft aluminum because aluminum will compress, and what was once tight may not be tight later. Always be aware of your materials, especially with carbon fiber and titanium.

 

[Explorer-1]

If you are tightening the fastener to the specified torque then I don't see any problem using a torque wrench and may be a big help to some people who are know to put a little too much force into things. A lot of bike components have the recommended torque settings stamped right on them. If you don't know the correct torque setting for the fastener then torque wrench or not you'll have to use your own judgement.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

That wrench looks nice, which bits should I order? I have a home depot gift card.

If it were me this is what the shopping list would be:

• Allen keys: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, and maybe (see below) 8mm
• Torx bits: T25 and T30
• Phillips-head and flathead screwdriver bits

You might need an 8mm for your pedals, and you can either buy one or get one of the funky adapter things that turns a 6mm into an 8mm.

But the above should cover most everything on your bike. Sometimes accessory brackets will use tiny 1mm allen keys, and it is best in those cases to just tape a little 1mm allen wrench into your toolbag with a length of duct tape.

 

[Explorer-1]

If it were me this is what the shopping list would be:
....

Great set! I think he was asking about which bits/sockets for the torque wrench though, so I was trying to think about what I've need for that. For general bike use though I pretty much agree with your set for bits.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Great set! I think he was asking about which bits/sockets for the torque wrench though, so I was trying to think about what I've need for that. For general bike use though I pretty much agree with your set for bits.

These are the ones that come with my Silca:



I hardly use the smaller torx bits and have a T30 on my multi-tool.

For sure I would recommend the hex keys and probably the 8mm for the torque wrench. You might skip the screwdriver heads although they are small and not grossly expensive.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I have never used a torque wrench on a bike and doubt I ever would need to. Don't think I have ever seen a bike mechanic use one either, but I do everything myself, and it's been a while since I was in a shop. If you're a total newbie to mechanics, then it might keep you from stripping something, but most people who ride bikes and make their own repairs understand what they're doing. In this regard, an eBike is no different than a non eBike.

Nothing needs to be tightened like it does on anything w/ an internal combustion engine, and if you did try to put a lot of torque onto anything on a bike it would just strip or break. Any competent mechanic can feel when things are "tight enough".

Kind of early on, back when auto-darkening welding helmets were relatively new I was in a welding shop checking one out. I'd been welding a long time and was good at flipping my helmet down and I could still see so I didn't think I could rationalize the expense of one of those new things. I told the store owner they seemed like the kind of thing pros would really like. He said, "Yeah, but it's the amateurs who really need them. That just clicked, so I got one and have been glad about it ever since.

I've been in your camp about them for a long time about torque wrenches. No one I knew ever used to use a torque wrench unless maybe they were torquing a head down. I don't know exactly how or when, but it seems to me now more pros care about getting torque set correctly and have at least a couple of torque wrenches in their shops.

Torque wrenches are not just about tightening bolts; they're probably more often about not over-tightening them. To me it's still a little incredible setting a wrench to 3 nm, and I don't recall the last time I over tightened anything with or without a torque wrench, but I now prefer hearing the click of the wrench to guessing, especially on the low-torque situations..

TT

 

[Jimbo08]

The Lezyne is a good one and comes with a useable assortment of bits. Been tested to be pretty accurate. If it's not accurate, no point in using it. Great at preventing over-torquing whether your working with carbon or aluminum. Silca makes great stuff too.
Back in the 70's when working on Honda cars I ran into my first torx fastener and didn't have the Internet to look up what it was. Several Torx fasteners now appear on bicycle components with regularity.