Unanswered Bike torque wrench recommendations

[Adam]

Hi all,

Anyone got any recommendations or opinions good or bad on the bike torque wrenches on the market from the likes of Amazon or chainreaction/wiggle?

Any you guys have and would vouch for?
Any you've had and think should be avoided?

Example 1
Example 2

Cheers all for any replies.
Adam.

 

[Doomanic]

If you have the budget get a Norbar torque wrench. However, that Lifeline wrench you linked to will do the job fine. I’ve got a Jobsworth torque wrench from Planet X. It’s been calibrated at the same time as my work tools and it’s more accurate.

 

[steve_sordy]

The LIfeline one is cheaper but has fewer gadgets and tools and a slightly smaller torque range. Until I read the reviews, I would have gone for the Thinkwork wrench. The reviews criticise the quality feel of the Thinkwork wrench, and that is important. I have owned one of the Lifeline sets for several years now and it is very good. I have zero criticism of the quality. Therefore, of the two wrenches you propose, I would recommend the Lifeline wrench. Whenever I have needed a torque wrench, the Lifeline has done the job. I don't need a torque wrench for cassettes and bottom brackets - I'm OK with 25-45Nm, it's the smaller values with tiny threads into soft alloy or larger ones clamping carbon fibre components that I'm not too comfy with.

Note: Torque wrenches in this category only apply tightening torque on right hand threads. You must not use them for untightening (maybe to see what torque they were tightened to - mistake!). And you must not use them to tighten a left-hand thread, like on one of your pedals! If you do use them incorrectly, they will break. If you know what you are doing, they can be fixed, maybe. But be ready for two tiny springs to hurl themselves to the furthest reaches of your garage, never to be seen again. The local ironmongers do not carry spares.

 

[Doomanic]

Note: Torque wrenches in this category only apply tightening torque on right hand threads. You must not use them for untightening (maybe to see what torque they were tightened to - mistake!). And you must not use them to tighten a left-hand thread, like on one of your pedals! If you do use them incorrectly, they will break. If you know what you are doing, they can be fixed, maybe. But be ready for two tiny springs to hurl themselves to the furthest reaches of your garage, never to be seen again. The local ironmongers do not carry spares.

This information is incorrect.

 

[steve_sordy]

This information is incorrect.

Tell me which bit is incorrect please.
I need to know for two reasons: 1) It will extend the use of my torque wrench 2) It will help me to pass on better quality info.

 

[Doomanic]

A torque wrench is not necessarily one way only. Some are, but to claim all are is erroneous.

 

[emtbPhil]

I bought the lifeline one in the sale.

It works brilliantly.
As Steve said it does have a limited range but I found 2-24nm is perfect for all the bars, stems, bearings, seat clamp etc.. etc.. and I only really care about using a torque wrench on the gentler stuff, especially with a carbon frame.
When I'm doing up motorbolts or crank arms I tend to prefer FT

 

[2WheelsNot4]

Dont buy cheap, nothing good is ever cheap.

Seem a bit daft to spend £5k on a bike, £100-200 on a part and opt for the cheapest torque wrench you can find when with modern parts torque is critical.
Norbar has lots of very good reviews in mtbing. Costs about £80

Torque wrenches in this category only apply tightening torque on right hand threads

My effetto wrench 2-16nm will do right or left threads.

 

[Akiwi]

I have had the Lifeline one in my bike tool kit for years, and it does what it should. Never had any problems with it. For the price is well worth it. And it is small enough to fit in your tool box. I have a bigger one for the car that wouldn't fit in. Also would be a pain to use on those small screws.

 

[steve_sordy]

A torque wrench is not necessarily one way only. Some are, but to claim all are is erroneous.

I know that not all torque wrenches are one way as I have used them when I was an apprentice engineer around 50 years ago. That is why I said "torque wrenches in this category". OK, I could have been clearer, but I was trying to sound a warning and be brief at the same time. Failed again!

EDIT: I am fairly sure (but not 100%) that if the torque wrench was good for both directions then it would say so in the technical description at the least.

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

I have the Park Tools one which works a treat. Expensive but does a great job and for the heavy weight stuff I have a cheaper Halfords one but as someone said earlier over 24nm just tighten as tight as you can.

 

[Doomanic]

I’ve never used a torque wrench that won’t do left hand threads. The low torque wrenches like the Jobsworth and my work issue wrenches have a simple switch like a conventional ratchet spanner and the high torque wrenches have an insert that can be swapped for left or right hand threads.

We do have one that has a dial gauge on it that you read the torque value that will only do right hand threads but it has “Property of Moses” scratched on it…

 

[RustyIron]

a dial gauge on it that you read the torque value that will only do right hand threads but it has “Property of Moses” scratched on it…

If Moses had gone out and got a job, rather than bumming around in the desert for forty years, he would have been able to afford a proper torque wrench. His brother, the accountant, had torque wrenches marked in both Foot-Pounds and Newton-Meters... that went BOTH WAYS! Actually, the brother went both ways, but he was still a good accountant.

Off the top of my head, I can count five torque wrenches down in my garage. There are two large Craftsman clickers, from the long-ago when Craftsman products were made here. There's another mid-size Craftsman clicker, and a small Utica clicker, suitable for small things like bikes. There's also a Snap-On dial-type that is very accurate, but isn't as quick and easy to use as the others. I also had one or two beam-style torque wrenches. They're more accurate than clickers but I never liked using them, so I gave them away. I should probably give the Snap-On away, too. None of my torque wrenches are mono directional, and I can't say for sure if I've ever seen one.

Anyway, the original question is what to get. I just checked Amazon UK. The one that caught my eye is a Wera 1/4" drive. They make nice stuff. If you want something that will last the rest of your life, stick to European, American, or Japanese. If cost is the greater consideration, there are some Chinese brands that aren't awful. Husky is a brand that I've seen here; they're ok, and they're cheap. Clickers are fine, unless maybe you're assembling Ariane 6 rockets. Stay away from digital displays. They might not last the next forty years in a garage environment, and you never know how fast they'll drain that little battery when just sitting there on the shelf. There's nothing worse than having to fix your tools before you can fix what you really want to be fixing.

Two torque wrench tips:
1. On a clicker, always back off the adjustment to zero before putting the tool away. Storing it with the spring under tension can adversely affect the accuracy over time.
2. I'm an SAE Dinosaur. If you start talking to me in Whitworth, joules, newtons, and meters, my brain has to go into overdrive to do the math so I understand what you're talking about. Seriously, around here, the only people who have any idea what a newton-meter is, are bike riders, rock climbers, and rocket scientists. There are HomePods all over my house and in the garage, but I suspect Alexa and Echo are just as capable. When I'm in the garage working, jams blasting out the speakers and destroying what's left of my hearing, and I run across a unit of measurement that would otherwise force me to use my brain, I just ask, "Hey Siri, convert six newton meters to inch pounds!" And she does the math for me. Handy stuff.

 

[steve_sordy]

My first torque wrench (as a bike owner) said one direction only. But despite that it had one of those little levers on the head that is used on ordinary ratchet wrenches to swap the direction of travel. So of course, one day I forgot when working on my pedals and broke the wrench. I bought another wrench and although this one did not say one direction only, and it had the little lever I decided not to try it (because I didn't need to). Until one day when working on my pedals I forgot and broke it. I'm not talking a lot of torque here, less than 8-10 Nm. I had used it in the normal right hand thread direction to over 20Nm without problem and many times up to 14Nm.

My third torque wrench is the one I mentioned above and I am happy with it. Because the only left-hand thread I have on my bike is the one on the pedals, I can live with not using it in left-hand mode.

 

[cappuccino34]

I have three torque wrenches to cover the range of torques found on bikes, from little screws found on bar clamps, to crank arms and rear cassettes.

All of them are Norbar because I appreciate the importance of quality in this area. Buying cheap torque wrenches always costs more in the long run.

 

[Don_Singer]

A torque wrench is not necessarily one way only. Some are, but to claim all are is erroneous.

....and do not use as a breaker bar just because it is longer than your wrench.

 

[TPEHAK]

I use CDI mechanical torque wrenches and they work very good, they can tighten the fasteners both ways, left and right. I do not know if this is a good recommendation for bicycle only because of CDI torque wrenches are quite pricey, I bought CDI because of I need trusty torque wrenches not only for bicycle, but also for my car and for my motorcycle. I had a few cheap torque wrenches prior CDI wrenches and they worked OK for some time but then was broken so I can't trust them anymore. The cheap torque wrenches I had also worked only one way for right hand threads.

 

[Calsun]

I took the time to read the reviews on Amazon and for any given wrench I could find where they had issues and whether it was relevant for my needs. If that takes too much effort then just buy the Park Tool torque wrench.

 

[Manc44]

I don't trust any of the adjustable ones at lower torques like 4Nm and 5Nm so I use one of those Richey 5Nm torque keys for anything needing it, or better yet that Park Tool ATD-1.2 that has 4/4.5/5/5.5 and 6Nm on it but that thing is about £70 and I've never bought one due to the price. Maybe at higher torques like 12Nm+ the adjustable ones are accurate and I do use one (a cheap Cyclo one that was about £40) for stuff like the rear mech bolt and anything else needing 12Nm to 18Nm.

 

[EMTBNewbie]

I have used this one the last couple years and it has been great for me. Get a 1/4hex to 1/4square adapter to use regular 1/4 wrench sockets. I use it on all my precision needs from my emtb to my enduro motorcycle, so far it's been superb and easy to use.

 

[Morton027]

I don’t know specifically about torque wrenches (not got the budget for one and I don’t do that much maintenance), but I’ve been buying Wera tools for my tool kit for years now and love the quality.