Torque wrenches

Paul Davis

I'm a keen cyclist but very much the beginner in terms of maintainence. I'm
keen to start learning though and am beginning to collect together various
tools. I already have a fairly cheap Draper torque wrench with a range of
20-80Nm which should make it usable for crank arms (40-50Nm) although
apparently cheap torque wrenches go out of calibration quickly and are
inaccurate towards the ends of their range. Another problem with it is that
it will only measure torque on right hand threads which isn't very helpful
for bottom brackets.

How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
for crank arms is pretty important.

Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?

I apologise if this is a basic question but as I say, I'm new the the
mechanics side of cycling and therefore lacking somewhat in the confidence
department.

Thanks for any thoughts,
With Kind Regards,
Paul.

Harris

Paul Davis <pjay.davis@btopenworld.com> wrote:
> Another problem with it is that
> it will only measure torque on right hand threads which isn't very helpful
> for bottom brackets.

That's ok for Italian thread BBs.

> How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
> damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
> for crank arms is pretty important.

You're more likely to under-torque a crank bolt than over-torque it
without a torqge wrench.

> Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
> shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?

Why is that? Sears sells a beam type for around $20 that covers 0-75
ft-lb. That would be fine for crank arms and cassette locknuts.

http://tinyurl.com/2wz8l

Art Harris

jeffbonny

So "Paul Davis" <pjay.davis@btopenworld.com> says:

>I apologise if this is a basic question but as I say, I'm new to the
>mechanics side of cycling and therefore lacking somewhat in the confidence
>department.
>

If you can accurately estimate how much weight you are lifting at any
given time you can learn to accurately apply torque. If you're a
chronic wimp or strongarm gorilla maybe a torque wrench is an idea but
most mechanics I know don't use one very often. Understanding what a
foot pound is and the dynamics of how threads engage is helpful.

jeffb

(Pete Cresswell)

RE/
>How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
>damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
>for crank arms is pretty important.

I'd say it has something to do with the sensitivities of the worker.

I'm like Magilla The Gorilla without a torque wrench. In fact I bought one
after frying a number of fittings/screws. To me, the most needful are those
little alu screws/sleevs that hold the chainrings in place.

Now that I have a couple of them, I wouldn't tighten many bolts without one.

Others have probably worked day-in-and-day-out for years without ever needing
one.
--
PeteCresswell

Ed

In article <c4uv1m$hro$1@titan.btinternet.com>, Paul Davis says...
>
>Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
>shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?
>
Beam torque wrenches work just fine, do not go out of calibration,
measure both left and right handed torque and are cheap. When
used on cars sometime the nut or bolt is in a position that makes
it impossible to read the scale. Doesn't happen on bikes.

--
Ed

Bruce Graham

In article <c4uv1m$hro$1@titan.btinternet.com>,
pjay.davis@btopenworld.com says...
> I'm a keen cyclist but very much the beginner in terms of maintainence. I'm
> keen to start learning though and am beginning to collect together various
> tools. I already have a fairly cheap Draper torque wrench with a range of
> 20-80Nm which should make it usable for crank arms (40-50Nm) although
> apparently cheap torque wrenches go out of calibration quickly and are
> inaccurate towards the ends of their range. Another problem with it is that
> it will only measure torque on right hand threads which isn't very helpful
> for bottom brackets.
>
> How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
> damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
> for crank arms is pretty important.
>
> Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
> shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?
>
> I apologise if this is a basic question but as I say, I'm new the the
> mechanics side of cycling and therefore lacking somewhat in the confidence
> department.
>
> Thanks for any thoughts,
> With Kind Regards,
> Paul.
>
The experts at the LBS rarely if ever use a torque wrench because they
have calibrated hands. They know what torque to apply to each size and
type of fastener from years of experience. Myself, I don't have that
experience so I use a torque wrench on any critical fastener (especially
aluminium threads).

Bruce Graham

VCopelan

>"Paul Davis" pjay.davis@btopenworld.com Writes:


>I'm a keen cyclist but very much the beginner in terms of maintainence. I'm
>keen to start learning though and am beginning to collect together various
>tools. I already have a fairly cheap Draper torque wrench with a range of
>20-80Nm which should make it usable for crank arms (40-50Nm) although
>apparently cheap torque wrenches go out of calibration quickly and are
>inaccurate towards the ends of their range. Another problem with it is that
>it will only measure torque on right hand threads which isn't very helpful
>for bottom brackets.
>
>How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
>damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
>for crank arms is pretty important.
>
>Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
>shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?

There is nothing wrong with a beam type torque wrench as long as it has a pivot
in it's handle. Why has your local bike shop warned you off a beam wrench?
Any beam type torque wrench will work with either left or right hand threaded
fasteners and they don't need much in the way of recalibration..

However, my personal favorite type of torque wrench are the Snap On
Torqometers. These have a dial readout, 1% to 2% accuracy down to 20% of their
range. They can easily be recalibrated. They are expensive from Snap On but
you can find them new or nearly new on ebay for very good prices ($35 - $65).
A 0 to 600 inch pound wrench will cover many applications. And a 0 to 150 inch
pound wrench is great for those low torque applications like the newer Campy
Record hubs.

Q.

"Harris" <aharris@bookworm.suffolk.lib.ny.us> wrote in message
news:kNDcc.454$Fo.13399@dfw-read.news.verio.net...
<snip>
> > Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local
bike
> > shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?
>
> Why is that? Sears sells a beam type for around $20 that covers 0-75
> ft-lb. That would be fine for crank arms and cassette locknuts.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2wz8l

I've rebuilt V8 engines with a Sears Craftsman's torque wrench and have used
it for many other things as well. They work just fine. All the engines
have outlasted the cars BTW (c:

C.Q.C.

Ken

Ed <Ed_member@newsguy.com> wrote in news:c4vlvq013t2@drn.newsguy.com:
>>Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
>>shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?
>>
> Beam torque wrenches work just fine, do not go out of calibration,
> measure both left and right handed torque and are cheap. When
> used on cars sometime the nut or bolt is in a position that makes
> it impossible to read the scale. Doesn't happen on bikes.

Beam torque wrenches are $20 at Sears. They are perhaps not as accurate as
the clicker type, but they are fine for bikes.

Alex Rodriguez

In article <c4uv1m$hro$1@titan.btinternet.com>, pjay.davis@btopenworld.com
says...
>
>
>I'm a keen cyclist but very much the beginner in terms of maintainence. I'm
>keen to start learning though and am beginning to collect together various
>tools. I already have a fairly cheap Draper torque wrench with a range of
>20-80Nm which should make it usable for crank arms (40-50Nm) although
>apparently cheap torque wrenches go out of calibration quickly and are
>inaccurate towards the ends of their range. Another problem with it is that
>it will only measure torque on right hand threads which isn't very helpful
>for bottom brackets.
>
>How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
>damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
>for crank arms is pretty important.
>
>Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
>shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?

Get a beam type wrench. They are inexpensive and don't go out of calibration
like the click type do.
-------------
Alex

VCopelan

>Ken no@spam.no Writes:

>Beam torque wrenches are $20 at Sears. They are perhaps not as accurate as
>the clicker type, but they are fine for bikes.

The "clicker type" torque wrenches go out of calibration easily. They are
seldom accurate unless recently calibrated because of spring pressure changes.
They operate by overcoming spring pressure in their mechanism. You should
always store your clicker type wrench set at the lowest torque setting. I
prefer either the beam type torque wrench which are simple to calibrate (just
center the needle) or the dial type torque wrenches (which have an internal
beam).

Paul Davis

Hi,

I'm not certain why beam wrenches were frowned upon, they just were. I was
particularly asking about the Park beam wrenches.

As I've said, this is all new to me and I lack confidence so feel the need
to be sure I'm starting off on the right foot; I feel that a torque wrench
would help with this. I don't have a problem using a beam wrench but have
always tended to take the LBS's advice, I'd be more than happy to hear
other's views.

Thanks,
Paul

ML

Paul:

I'll add my 2cents. The beam wrench is better than the clicker in 99%
of circumstances - 100% of circumstances when working on a bike. Why?
As mentioned before, calibration is easy. You bend the beam until it
reads 0 with no torque applied. It works on both left & right threads
also, which certainly helps. I would highly recommend you start with a
3/8" beam torque wrench. Craftsman is good, but I think you could do
just as well with a wrench from Parts Plus, Auto Zone, whatever. Also
get a 1/2" torque wrench if you have spare money. It'll come in handy
every once in awhile, especially if you work on your own bikes.

Here are the only advantages I see for clickers:

1) They work in places where you can't necessary see the display. For
example, working underneath your car inside the engine compartment.
Here you just set it and go until it clicks.
2) If you do a LOT of torque wrench work, it gets old looking at the
display. It's the same advantage for a different reason. You set the
torque and go. Example: changing tires at the end of winter.

I purchased a couple clickers at a "Cheap Tool Sale". I didn't know if
I could trust them so I've compared them a few times against my beams.
So far so good, and they cost me a grand total of $22 for both a 1/2"
and a 3/8" torque wrench. I still don't trust them as much (and I'm
sure their lifetime will be limited) but they make my life easier so I
just periodically do a comparison against the beam.

BTW, I use only the beam wrenches on my bikes.

MOO,
Matt


Paul Davis wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm not certain why beam wrenches were frowned upon, they just were. I was
> particularly asking about the Park beam wrenches.
>
> As I've said, this is all new to me and I lack confidence so feel the need
> to be sure I'm starting off on the right foot; I feel that a torque wrench
> would help with this. I don't have a problem using a beam wrench but have
> always tended to take the LBS's advice, I'd be more than happy to hear
> other's views.
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>
>

H. M. Leary

In article <c4uv1m$hro$1@titan.btinternet.com>,
"Paul Davis" <pjay.davis@btopenworld.com> wrote:

> I'm a keen cyclist but very much the beginner in terms of maintainence. I'm
> keen to start learning though and am beginning to collect together various
> tools. I already have a fairly cheap Draper torque wrench with a range of
> 20-80Nm which should make it usable for crank arms (40-50Nm) although
> apparently cheap torque wrenches go out of calibration quickly and are
> inaccurate towards the ends of their range. Another problem with it is that
> it will only measure torque on right hand threads which isn't very helpful
> for bottom brackets.
>
> How essential are torque wrenches for home maintainence and what sort of
> damage can one do without one? I understand that having the correct torque
> for crank arms is pretty important.
>
> Could anyone recommend a good torque wrench for a beginner (the local bike
> shop has warned me off of beam type torque wrenches)?
>
> I apologise if this is a basic question but as I say, I'm new the the
> mechanics side of cycling and therefore lacking somewhat in the confidence
> department.
>
> Thanks for any thoughts,
> With Kind Regards,
> Paul.
>
>

Go to Sheldon Brown¹s site:

http:/www.sheldonbrown.com/html

He used to have a great universal torque wrench scaled from

loosey goosey to stripped!...

HAND

--
³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution