Torque Wrench 50nm For Bottom Brackets?

can anyone recommend a torque wrench that works on both sides of the cups (click type torque) on the threaded bottom brackets?

ive got an older one a sealey or draper one, but sadly only does one side (right I think), and with it being pretty old would like a newer one

cheap as possible really I know the park tools tw-6 does both sides, but its also a 100 quid, is there anything cheaper out there?

anyone?

Evans did an FWE one (which I have) – I assume it was re-branded Taiwanese manufacturer, but it’s close enough for my uses.

Not sure if it’s still sold.

ive had a look on the major sites and nobody seems to do a 50nm plus one anymore, all the lower 2-25nm

This type work in either direction:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001K9T24

Just stick “3/8 torque wrench” into ebay, random brands £16-£22 19-110nm, 8-105NM, Draper £30 10-80nm etc, Screwfix used to do one for about £25, Teng 20-100NM £50.

They might not be the best, but will be perfectly adequate for installing a BB.

Norbar etc probably about £80, and half the range, but more accurate.

cheers wwaswas – ive had a look at those sort but – would prefer the longer ones – being picky lol

bigyan – ive got a cheapy one myself similar to all the ones on ebay – but only click one way – so the left hand cup doesn’t click so after a 2 way thread one

Norbar is what you want. Usually £70 > 100. You want one with a push through ratchet to allow it to run CCW. I think they do a 6-60Nm or something like that, but we use a 2-20 and something much bigger as its more convenient that way.

EDIT: Also made in the UK, which is nice.

can’t you just do it up ‘NNNNNNNGGGGGh’ tight? You’re extremely unlikely to strip anything overtightening a bb into a frame as long as you’re not using an extension bar or similar – similarly there’s not much force trying to undo the thing, so if its not quite tight enough it doesn’t really matter either

I have a few Teng ones of different sizes. This would be the one for this job:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/teng-tools-drive-torque-wrench-3-8/49363

This would be the one for this job:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/teng-tools-drive-torque-wrench-3-8/49363

Apart from the fact that it only does right hand threads and the OP wants one to do LH threads as well 🙂

cheers benpinnick – ill take a look at them cheers

5lab – yep kinda which is what I did on the other left hand thread yesterday , but not comfortable doing it – im pretty hamfisted lol…..I know it would be hard to strip it , but getting the bugger back out is the thing that worries me more

I was surprised how little the 50nm felt on the one it clicked on – albeit my torque wrench is pretty old so it may be way out!

does that teng one go both ways daern? I cant see in the blurb anywhere?

thought as much natrix as above need a both way one

benpinnick – which norbar is the one that goes both ways bud?

similarly there’s not much force trying to undo the thing,

LOL

@OW they seem to change their names alot. I think its the TTf range you want now. This one does it though with a range that is what you’re after:

https://www.zoro.co.uk/shop/hand-tools/torque-wrenches/130103-nortorque-100-torque-wrench-dual-scale-push-through-ratchet-1-2-inch-drive-20-100nm/p/ZT1007948X

Looking again I think the 6-60 is one of their non-calibrated ones so that would explain why we have 2 🙂

For most bolts, nuts and stuff I like to use the torque wrench.

For bottom brackets not…

Simply put “a lot of torque” onto these units (where I can I use SAINT threaded BB’s and get a life of roughly two years out of those (lot of mud biking). Which is fine for me.)

Benpinnick – cheers dude so that push thro thing means it’s will do both threads I take it? Rather than just click on a right hand thread? Looks spot on and well made too

Yeah when you push the ratchet through the head it becomes a CCW torque wrench. Cunning huh?

Pretty neat! That’s mint cheers for the help I’m clueless on this sort of stuff

No idea what s CCW is though 🙂

Counter Clock Wise (or left handed threaded)

bigyan – ive got a cheapy one myself similar to all the ones on ebay – but only click one way – so the left hand cup doesn’t click so after a 2 way thread one

My bad, I just read reversible, didnt realise they just meant the ratchet and not the torque wrench!

You could look for a push through head, some Norbars are like that.

Apart from the fact that it only does right hand threads and the OP wants one to do LH threads as well

Very true – just do the right hand thread up with the torque wrench and the left hand thread to the same amount of NGGGGGGG. 🙂

– albeit my torque wrench is pretty old so it may be way out!

And there is the main advantage of the beam type – all torque wrench set will lose accuracy over time but the beam type are easy to recalibrate.  Most click ones are throwaways although the better ones (read expensive) can be reset.

similarly there’s not much force trying to undo the thing,

LOL

did i miss something? Unless you’re backpeddling all the time the forces through the cranks would simply tighten it, and given an alternate fixing is press-fit, I’d estimate there at being pretty marginal rotational force (in either direction) going through there on a normal basis (ie : bb not siezed)

Very true – just do the right hand thread up with the torque wrench and the left hand thread to the same amount of NGGGGGGG.

could you put an extension bar through the inside of the socket (ie backwards) and tighten it up from the other side of the frame with a normal-handed torque wrench?

Norbar are good. Halfords Advanced is good too. But it’s really not a precision job at all, I own nice torque wrenches and I use them when its critical but I’ve never gone near a BB with one. A 20cm-ish spanner and enough muscle to open a fairly tight jam jar.

Apart from the fact that it only does right hand threads and the OP wants one to do LH threads as well

The teng one has a little switch on the back of the head, what does that do?

I have one that looks exactly like that and the switch reverses the ratchets and the torque direction.

The switch on tengs reverses ratchet but not the torque mechanism .It won’t click on left hand .

I have a beam wrench for when I need to torque lefties. – I also need it for applying constant torque to a timing belt tensioner on one of my Cara .

The switch on tengs reverses ratchet but not the torque mechanism .It won’t click on left hand .

Mine clicks both ways, I can’t remember the brand now.

Having got out of bed and ventured to the shed in the frost to find out:

a) it pushes through so it reverses the torque that way.
b) It also has a ratchet reverser, which  does NOT reverse the torque direction….

c) its proxxon about 10 years old, their new ones have a ratchet reverse only and no push through..

I’ve never used a torque wrench on a BB. I’ve never had a problem.

Save your money and put it towards something more useful!

to be fair it depends on the model.

unless it was push through id never assume its going to click on the left hand.

id certainly test it before i tried to torque a  lefty with it .

but then id not be torquing a BB either.

Power meter pedals on the other hand.

Threaded BB, Shimano SAINT:

Plastic spacers to adjust the chain line in the correct manner.

These plastic spacers creep / shrink under load (the torque) and over time.

Means: after 1/2 year or so the nice “prestress” is lost anyway. That’s the reason I don’t take the “torque” not so serious any more.

I assemble with lost of torque / just by “the feel”.

+/- 10 nm or so are not important. Re-checking the BB after some time is more important. These damned plastic spacers shrink!

But: no failures with the SAINT. Two years lifetime of those. Perfect.

I’ve never used a torque wrench on a BB. I’ve never had a problem.

Save your money and put it towards something more useful!

This. Tighten it as lightly as you can, I’ve never had a BB loosen off, but I reckon lots of them fail by over torquing.

“+/- 10 nm or so are not important. Re-checking the BB after some time is more important. These damned plastic spacers shrink”

They dont shrink BUT they do get squashed by people who dont torque their BBs right how ever the fix is to get some spacers that are not plastic.

Been a few cases where folk have ripped the threads out using those plastic spacers.

I reckon lots of them fail by over torquing.

over torquing the cups into the frame? or the cranks onto the bb (which is a problem for shimano, but not sram).

OP : if you can ‘push through’ the socket, I recon your new torque wrench (if you really want one) can be a standard one rather than one that’s got a left-hand mode

They dont shrink BUT they do get squashed by people who dont torque their BBs right how ever the fix is to get some spacers that are not plastic.

Might happen as well.

But made a test run with an borrowed torque wrench. Plastic “creeps” under load.

The plastic rings are not destroyed after 1/2 year biking. They are a bit thinner… – and that takes the wonderful high tolerance preload away…

People cracking the rings: o.k. this might happen as well.