Probably a well known tool here, but just got the Park Tool Adjustable Torque Drive (ATD-1). An excellent tool, decided to upgrade to a real bike torque wrench.

Tom

What's the difference between a "bike" torque wrench and a "normal" torque wrench?

I'm no expert, but the Park tools are more bike specific and IMHO lend themselves to fitting your hand in ways that are more ergonomically easier for working on a bike.

The adjustable torque wrench is nice, it has the common bike torque values.

I don't know about their adjustable torque wrench. But any of their tools that I have that have functional equivalents by normal tool suppliers, are just normal tools with the blue Park label on them. Nothing special ergonomically. I'm thinking of the stuff I have like various types of hex key wrenches, beam type torque wrenches, etc. They're just normal tools with ergonomic equivalents abounding. Maybe there are others I just haven't worked with.

On the other hand, a lot of their tools are specific to bike maintenance and repair and don't have functional equivalents among "normal" mechanic's tools (dishing tool, truing stand, bottom bracket tools, repair stand, etc.) But that's function, not ergonomics. I don't think that's what you were referring to.

Most normal torque wrenches are for significantly higher torque than the 4-6Nm required for carbon bike parts. Generally, you want to use a torque wrench in the 20%-80% of it's maximum torque for best accuracy.

Small bike torque wrenches are optimized for easy use in tight spaces and at the correct torque range.

That's a good point about their tools that are specific to bike maintenance, and you're right I was thinking more that the Park Tools I've used (which is not a lot really) all seem well made, fit in the hand very well and are comfortable. That said though, I'm sure there is a lot being paid for the name. Sort of like Snap-On tools for bikes. Definitely true that you could buy an equivalent tool from someone else.

All that said though, I do think their adjustable torque wrench is well designed and very functional for what I need for adjusting handlebars and getting my bike packed and ready for shipping places.

Bull.
You buy one in the range you need. Ergonomics vary by brand.
You think there aren't tight places in the industrial world? Bikes are pretty accessible compared to a LOT of machinery.

They make a lot of tools that are bike specific. Several different bottom bracket tools, a cassette holder, cassette nut remover, plus many others. Snap on tools are high because of their quality, Park tools are high because of the name and hardly anyone else makes them. Personally I've never used a torque wrench on a bicycle, but I used them all the time on my motorcycles.

I also was going to call bull. I tried searching for low torque 1/4" torque wrenches with no luck, then I found that even the low torque wrenches use 3/8" drive.

Here's a craftsman torque wrench that measures 25-250 in lbs, plenty for many of the "low torque" fasteners on bikes.

Sears.com

You'd need a normal torque wrench for things like crank bolts.

Besides, "beam type" torque wrenches are awful... Yeah sure I'm going to carefully look at the scale at a angle perpendicular to its surface while I'm holding the crank in place and trying to tighten it ridiculously tight. Sounds like a great idea.

All I gather from your whining is a genuine lack of experience.
How is a 3/8" drive going to limit you? Torque is torque. A 1/8" thicker drive isn't going to make a difference.

I have a 1/4" drive torque wrench, they are not uncommon.

I actually have that exact torque wrench. And it's terrible for working on bikes.
The handle is 14in long, and it weighs several pounds. It constantly gets in the way since it crashes into brake levers while tightening the stem bolts for example.

As a bonus, the bottom end is 2Nm which means that a 5Nm is only marginally accurate.

For those people who say that low-range torque wrenches are readily available.
Find a small compact 1/4in drive torque wrench for <$100, that's not a bike specific tool...

I wasn't complaining, I was agreeing with you.

I was just noting that it was hard for me to find low torque value torque wrenches in 1/4 drive size. Not that that matters in any way.

I have 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" torque wrenches at home, not that I bother to use them on bikes...

Torque wrenches should not be used for general tightening of bolts, just to get the bolt to the final torque. Most good torque wrenches are RATCHETING, meaning if it's running into something, you simple pull it back the other way... that's the point...

I can't think of any bolts on a bike that would be difficult for a normal torque wrench to access. MAYBE integrated brake nuts, but the one you mentioned sure as hell isn't getting back there either.

https://www.amazon.com/VENZO-Bicycle.../dp/B00811WQT8

To be fair, Park tools don't hold a candle to SnapOn tools. They are not even in the same league.

If you want a high end torque wrench made specifically for bicycle repair then look into the Giustaforza by Effetto Mariposa. It is on par with or superior to SnapOn.

My guess is that the ATD-1 doesn't come with an 8mm bit because it doesn't go high enough to torque a crank bolt. There are excellent torque wrenches for a lot less which cover a broader range. I think these are a better all around value than is the ATD-1 at $65.

The Park ATD-1 is nice for what it is and I'm sure it will give you many years of service. 10 years and many bolts from now neither of us will care how much we paid for it. One thing I like about it is the size - seems like it is easy to pack in a gear bag.



-Tim-

Ugh... don't tempt me... Nice tools is a vice for me... after buying more bikes.

I don't see the reason to take a torque wrench on a bike ride. Tour? Maybe, but why have a small annoying torque wrench if you're not touring?

I never said anything about taking a torque wrench on a ride.

I said " easy to pack in a gear bag."

A gear bag is what you pack your helmet, shoes, gels and HRM sensor into when you drive to the ride start. Gear bag, transition bag, race bag... whatever anyone wants to call it. Everyone has one, right?






-Tim-

Ah sorry, I didn't mean you implied that. I was remembering back to another thread a while back where someone said they stuck one of those torque wrenches in his saddle bag.

A good beam or dial type torque wrench from a quality tool provider like Proto, CDI, Precision Instruments, Snap-on, etc. is invaluable in the shop.

The bicycle industry offerings are toys best understood to be docket wrenches or hex drivers not actual quality torque wrenches. Everything from the Park, Tooeak, Pedro's, Ritchey, and Effetto Mariposa are all better than guessing but they aren't quality tools and really shouldn't be used on expensive carbon components.

When you're working on a $500 crank you don't want a cheap torque wrench.

Anyone impressed with their bicycle industry torque toy send it in to a torque wrench calibration lab and get it adjusted, and get the report on its accuracy over its range. You'll be shocked.

You can have the nicest torque wrench in the world and it's still subject to the quality of the threads

Yeah, you want to use torque grease, and even then torque is only a fair approximation of bolt tension.

For the home mechanic, a $50 torque wrench is another tool to keep track of, and you can get perfect torque by hooking your scale to a wrench and pulling to a calculated force value.

If you're a mechanic doing bikes all day long, they make sense. If you're a car guy doing lots of bolts in contorted spaces, they make sense. For a guy working on a bike who does a few bolts here and there, they're clutter.

Park Tools is decent, average-quality stuff. Not junk, but not top-notch, either.

LOLing at the posts saying it isn't worth owning a torque wrench because figuring out where to store it is too much work or that thread quality is somehow a reason not to.

Also LOLing at generalizations, misinformation and misstatements in this thread.

A +/- spec on a measurement device is not a "Fair approximation" but a specification.

Torque wrenches don't measure tension. Tension meters measure tension. Torque wrenches measure torque.

The claim that beam or dial torque wrenches are always good and that click type torque wrenches are nothing more than toys is just silly. Click type torque wrenches are used throughout industry to build engines, aircraft, etc. An entry level tool in the hands of a good mechanic is better than a high end tool in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing.


-Tim-

Do you own a bike with carbon handlebars/stem? I ask, because I never needed a torque on my aluminum bike, but once I upgraded the bars to carbon along with the stem, it feels like a MUST to use a torque wrench. Not optional at all, in my opinion. It is simply too easy to either crush the carbon bars while you're tightening the 4 stem bolts, or undertighten them and dangerously leave your handlebars prone to sudden rotation when your leaning hard on them.

For the carbon handlebars+stem combo, the torque wrench isn't just a matter of 'doing it better' - it's a matter of critical safety and maintaining integrity of the parts.