Torque Wrench Recommendations

Adrian

Adrian

New Member
I'm trying to get into the habit of doing maintenance on my bike and was wondering if anybody had any recommendations. I know Park Tools is the go to maker of bike tools but from what I saw, they carry 3 different torque wrenches. What am I suppose to be looking for in a torque wrench? What sort of range in Newton-Meters am I looking for with regards to bikes?

Any advise is appreciated!

Thanks!
 
Adrian said:
I'm trying to get into the habit of doing maintenance on my bike and was wondering if anybody had any recommendations. I know Park Tools is the go to maker of bike tools but from what I saw, they carry 3 different torque wrenches. What am I suppose to be looking for in a torque wrench? What sort of range in Newton-Meters am I looking for with regards to bikes?

Any advise is appreciated!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

There are two types, as you may already know. The "beam" which works by showing you the deflection of a long bar against a scale printed near the handle, and the "click" kind which is definitely the preferred tool for mechanics of all sorts. If you enjoy working with tools, you'll want the click version. I have a couple of each and never touch the beam type.

With that said, I have this one in my bike toolbox and its been awesome. Relatively inexpensive, strong quality brand (obviously), and has never failed me; http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10...ipment&cName=Hand+Tools&keyword=torque+wrench

Can't remember the newton meter rating on it, but it does have NM as well as in.lbs. marked on the shaft. It goes from 25 to 250in.lbs. which, in the world of bikes is the perfect range. Anything more than that could basically include "crank it hard as you can" next to tightening specs. And anything less than 25 in.lbs. is basically finger tight.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
ellbiddy said:
I prefer the dial indicator beam torque wrenches. Accurate and easy to use 🙂
Click to expand...

fair enough...plus it IS about 1/3 the price. though one minor annoyance is that you have to make sure the scale is always straight in your line of sight. plus they take up a lot of room in the tool box. even still, a very worthy option. its all good.
 
Thanks for the advice, I picked up the Craftsman Mircotork for the in-lbs last night. If I need something for the ft-lbs range I'll probably get a beam type.
 
with any torque wrench, its important to verify its calibration by sending it into the manufacturer every 6mo-1yr. Ususally its a small fee for a test and recal.

If you go to Sears and buy it, some of them can do it on the spot and some of them send it to Craftsman or local craftsman certified dealers.
 
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