[Closed] Torque Wrench - do you use one?

Interesting article about torque wrenches and ranges for various components.

[url= http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/torque-specifications-and-concepts#article-section-4 ]http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/torque-specifications-and-concepts#article-section-4[/url]

Yes, if it has a torque value associated with it then it gets tightened using a torque wrench.

Never had one or used one on any of my bikes.

If they were cheap enough I'd get one though.

wwaswas, I think your definition of interesting needs looking at 😉 🙂

pickle - Member

Never had one or used one on any of my bikes.

If they were cheap enough I'd get one though.

They start at a tenner for a 'good enough' set torque one, 5Nm seems to cover most bases. £50 for a decent adjustable one.

Have got a torque wrench but I don't use it on bicycles

I've got one of the cheap Ritchey torque keys (about £15 IIRC). I use it for tightening stuff onto carbon bars.

Have got several, I use them for everything and get them calibrated when needed - only because I manage several laboratories which have UKAS accreditation for torque (not as fancy as it sounds).

I use them all the time at work when servicing the hire fleet. I also have a couple at home that get brought out occasionally when it's a value/component I'm not familiar with.

I've got a couple of bigger adjustable torque wrenches (left over from my car/Landrover repairing days) which I've used for fitting HT2 bottom brackets.
Never felt the need to use one anywhere else on the bike, but if I bought something with carbon bars I might invest in the right tool.

I'm a bit of an ape who has been known to over-tighten things.

Depends on the bike and component.
One one of my road frames I would potentially kill the frame by either over / under tightening a single bolt. That's would be 2ks worth of damage which would be avoided by using the right tool for the job.

I have a £60 BBB wrench. On a few occasions it hasn't 'clicked' at the correct torque. One particular time when I was tightening a seat collar it went way past the point and cracked the carbon frame. These days I tread very carefully around the 5Nm mark (I still use the wrench) but for tighter stuff I go by feel. My thinking is that a 5Nm key would do the trick.

I didn't have one for years but treated myself 2 a pair of Park Tool wrenches a couple of years ago.
I now use them for all bike stuff that has a torque setting. I am a serial overtightener, though I do not break things I am aware that a thread can stretch and if done multiple times can be damaging to the part.

I very rarely use one, I just have a good feel for when things are tight enough. The ones I have are the Park bending-beam type, because they don't need calibration and you get more of a visual indication than with the click-over type.

Yes but they are only good if they are calibrated.

Though FT and RFT are the only 2 torque settings you need...... 😈

On a few occasions it hasn't 'clicked' at the correct torque. One particular time when I was tightening a seat collar it went way past the point and cracked the carbon frame

Yes, often...

Rarely on cycles though

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I bought the Lifeline one from Wiggle (£30) as I got a set of carbon bars. I forget to use it most of the time but feel better about doing it properly when I remember!!

Bought one half price, it stayed in a drawer for a couple of years so I sold it for what I'd paid.

I just have a good feel for when things are tight enough.

So this, I suppose.

Never felt the need on a bike but I don't have much exotic or carbon stuff. Just do it up carefully by hand and learn to get a feel for it IMO.

This is because you shouldn't use a torque wrench as a ratchet. The nut or bolt etc should be first tightened and finished off with your torque wrench

Yes, I bought one when I bought a carbon bike as I was conscious of damaging it. Before then I too thought I had "A good feel for when things are tight enough". Turns out that, based on the manufacturers recommended torques and my Norbar torque wrench I didn't have good feel at all and was not even close for a lot of things.

Yes. If there's a marked or published torque figure I will use it with a torque wrench that doesn't get used as a regular ratchet although it's never been calibrated since leaving the factory.

IMO, apart from over tightening, the biggest hamfist problem in mountain bike spannering is not evenly tightening things- ragging up one corner then moving to the next etc rather than gradually building up tension across the component. If everyone did this I reckon there would be far fewer 'squeak from where?' type problems. Especially handlebars and stems.

The more adaptors - angle drives, wobbly bars you put into the mix with the torque wrench the more likely you are to overstep from tight enough to "F***ed" it. another classic problem at low torque is not lockuing the handle and tweaking the torque up as you work the wrench.
A torque wrnech is not the only solution - not being a tool when holding the tool is a good idea

bencooper - Member

because they don't need calibration

How would you know unless you calibrate it?

yeh, have a few torque wrenches in the shed, 2 of them are for the motorbike but these didnt go low enough for the 'wee' bike. am a bit cack fisted when i get going so use them for piece of mind (in the past i have been known to have to drill out bodged bolts, so now use a torque as its the easier option)

Almost never, on the bike. Cranks, unfamiliar torques, and other people's bikes really. I have highly calibrated torquefingers so that does the job.

(and let's be honest here, manufacturer torques don't always work, I think my stem is supposed to be 5 or 6nm, it takes at least twice that before the bars stop spinning)

Yes, I've got a Giant Toolshed one that I got when I got my first carbon frame. These days I use it for anything that has a setting printed on it, but that said if I end up doing something with a multitool when I'm out and about I don't worry too much about the torque.

I've got a cheap (£30) Sealey 2-24nm torque wrench which I bought off Amazon a few years ago and I use it on any part that has a torque rating. It gets calibrated for free through a friend's work. Its a really useful tool.

How would you know unless you calibrate it?

Well, you calibrate it by checking it's at zero before you start.

Can I re-write the OP:

"torque wrenches - if you use one you are competent, if you don't you are either too poor to buy one (and by extension own a cheap bike) or are incompetent."

I think my stem is supposed to be 5 or 6nm, it takes at least twice that before the bars stop spinning)

Your doing something wrong or something is poorly manufactured. Start by using grip compound.....and a torque wrench.

Are torque recommendations based on lubed threads or not?

And where do we stand on handlebars having a torque value.,.,,

Waderider - Member

Your doing something wrong or something is poorly manufactured.

Nah, it's very commonplace, you can find super-low torques on a lot of bike parts that just don't survive contact with the real world. Seatclamps are another favourite- I fitted a seatclamp that says MAX 5NM on it, if you torque it to 5nm you can rotate the seatpost with one hand. In large part it's just something that can happen when you spec torque on one part without having any control of the other parts. (though I suspect it's also sometimes just that they've specced an 8.8 m5 bolt and gone "ah crap, standard torque limit for this is 6nm...")

Speaking of torque, why on earth do centre lock and cassette lockrings need 40Nm - it's not so much the doing up, it's the undoing that's unpleasant.

I use a Bontager 5nm torque tool on every 4mm bolt I ever tighten. I've got one at work and 2 at home (bought 2, got one with a bike)
Since becoming an LBS mechanic I now tighten EVERY HT2 crank pinch bolt with a torque wrench. It's cheaper than new left hand cranks. I've calibrated my 'internal torque wrench' on cassettes but anything expensive or with an XD driver fit, now gets done with a torque wrench. Again, it's cheaper than even one SRAM 10-42+ 11sp cassette that's become as one with a DT Swiss freehub body. I've had that destruct in my own hands, although I wasn't the one who tightened it thankfully. Also anything carbon gets torqued, as does any pedal with a power meter in it. It's all about experience, and IME it's worth having torque wrenches for certain things and getting into the habit of always using them.

I don't use one, but having destroyed an X9 shifter and a magura mt6 brake lever through hamfusted over torquing, I think a really should

I have one but have yet to use it. Keep forgetting.

Got a really nice wera 3-6 nm one, I keep looking for things to use it on

Yes. Essential when rebuilding engines etc, also for spendy bike parts 🙂

I'm surprised at how 'tight' 5nm actually is. Santa brought me a Ritchey 5nm torque key so I compared it to my internal torque key (copyright, PeterPoddy) and found that I needed re-calibrating. Still, rather a tad loose than a stripped thread.

There's been a few issues with max torque settings esp on seat post clamps on carbon bikes.

For example It will say max torque 7 so people set it to 7 but 5 was probably fine and what you would have set using an Allen key. 7 usually ends with a crack.

Words of advice in relation to this topic:
Axle bolts on most fox forks are only 2nm
Use a torq wrench when possible! Or at least to get the idea of how much 2nm is.

There's only about 2 threads holding it, any over tightening WILL strip it. Trust me haha

I use a Bontager 5nm torque tool on every 4mm bolt I ever tighten

Even ones that quote a max torque lower than that?

I always torque set nuts and bolts to manufacturers specs. They wouldn't do torque settings for the fun of it. HALFORDS do a low cost torque wrench, only about £12-15, looks flimsy ,but their not. As long as you don't try to undo nuts and bolts with them their pretty good. I always say if you look after your bike your bike will look after you.