mike9903

Hey there guys, I am looking for a torque wrench but have no idea where to find one. I am looking for something on the cheaper side for use on little things (seat post, bars, headset, etc.) on my '09 Orca. Any help would be great.

UnsafeAlpine

Craftsman makes decent torque wrenches, although I'm not sure of the cost. You can get them at Sears or KMart, I think.

operator

Define cheaper.

KasbeKZ

good tools are expensive. i guess you are looking for a smaller one for use on the bike. i recently bought a smaller one (i believe it was around the 1 in/lb. to 2 ft/lb range)with a set of sockets as a set from craftsman, and i believe it was around $150. after i was done with it, i sold it for $75

wmodavis

Sears, Home Depot

ripperj 

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...4955&highlight=

go down midway to find the ebay wrench

bikeman715

park tool makes one, checkout biketoolsect.com

mgold8

Getting a torque wrench might not even be necessary. It really depends what you are going to use it for. I have a auto mechanic friend who says he rarely uses torque wrenches, and so do the mechanics at the dealership he works at don't either. It usually takes to much time for them and it usually isn't necessary for every bolt. If you're doing more delicate work where things need to be more exact then you should get one. If you're unsure of even where to get one then are you doing anything that really requires one?

If you want to get one I would try looking at Harbor Freight. If you aren't planning on using one everyday or a lot then going there should be fine. My local bike co-op's tools mostly come from Harbor Freight and they get used pretty rigorously by lots of people.

https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/retail_stores.taf

DannoXYZ 

You definitely need one on small bike-parts, which tend to be overtightened. Especially if you're clamping carbon seat-posts and handlebars. On the other hand, the crankarm-bolts tend to be undertightened most often. Do a search on "loose crankarm" and you'll find it's a VERY common problem.

Al1943

I don't know but I think the most important place to use a torque wrench is on the stem, and for that you need a small 1/4" drive wrench like the Park TW-1, about $35. I do have a 1/2 drive Sears beam wrench that I use on bottom brackets.

Al

FLYcrash

I can vouch for Park Tools' TW-2, their bigger (3/8" square drive, 0-600 in-lb) torque wrench. That isn't to say that Sears' and others' offerings aren't good; I just haven't used them.

And I do argue for having/using torque wrenches...if you don't have a mechanic-teacher in person to show you how much to torque each part (I haven't had one), you need numbers to translate Barnett's and Sheldon and the forums into good bike work. A torque wrench is probably quite helpful even if you do have a teacher.

Edit: But I will say that it gets into some expense getting the needed sockets...things like Allen sockets and a 7/8" socket for Phil Wood BB tools and a 1" socket for cassette tools...you'll find that the wrench itself is only a small part of the package.

UnsafeAlpine

I use Snap-On. But those aren't inexpensive.

Psydotek

Here's whatcha need:

Torque Wrenches:

https://search.harborfreight.com/cpis...ench&Submit=Go

Metric Hex Bits:

https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=35183

G piny parnas

wow..... I would leave the torque wrenches for the autos---- you could rent one-- but,
your issues with creeking or overtightening can be solved with cleaning and greasing and light oil--
I find even high end bikes are cheap on the quality of their bolts and taps--- it seems to me that
if you find a balance between leaving things just tight enough --- you could tighten later....
lots of variables on a bike--- lots of heat issues with motors, show me a head gasket on a bike....

San Rensho 

Get as beam type torque wrench. They are cheap, $10-20 range at discount auto stores and they never have to be calibrated other than bending the indicator so it points to zero.

Just be sure to get one in the lower range of torque. You don't need to read anything much higher than about 30 ft lbs, but its nice to be able to read down to 2-3 ft lbs.

G piny parnas

I hear much about torque values on bicycles-- this is just great for initial set-up-- out the box assembley( these all have valid tolerances set by the factory-- great) but when we, the consumer get them--- are we required to torque to spek.every time with a 80.00 wrench?--- I want my 2000.00 bike with a warranty-- I want NOT for my ride to shake apart and I want quality machining and hardware for my ride..... I'm all for primo tools and primo bikes; but my new
3000.00 orca should need nothing but some tlc and some promises from the Manuf. or shop......

Psydotek

Um, the ones i linked to in my previous post are only $15-20...

midwest44

One question I have is the issue of torque specs? Where are you going to find what torque to tighten things at? I'm all for doing this, but having worked as a manufacturing engineer, the right torque is not always simple. What is the material, is there more than one material being tightened such as aluminum and titanium? Some hardware could need as little as 6-8 inch ounces or up into inch pounds. It may be useful to use a torque wrench to get uniformity.

Just my POV

midwest44

BTW, for torque wrenches in all sizes, ranges, and type, I go to McMaster-Carr. Just google it :-)

Mondoman

Zinn's book has a useful set of torque values in an appendix.

ripperj 

Go to the group manufacturer's site-I use SRAM and they have a great tech manual that you can download. Stems and seatposts come with specs-some printed right on the stem,some in the paperwork.

rankin116

But if you're using a stem from Ritchey, how do they know what my fork/handle bars can handle? That is something that has never made sense to me.

Mondoman

The torque spec is just for tightening a fastener, so it only applies to a single part, not to part-part interactions. Since steering tube and handlebar diameters are standard, a Ritchey (for example) stem's fasteners only need to be tightened to a certain point to give the desired clamping force. The fork or handlebar should be able to withstand the force needed to properly secure a stem.