Torque Wrenches

In article , MSeries
wrote:
Opinions please.

I have a torque wrench and I even have and have read the instructions
:-(

I have always been of the belief that if it feels right it probably
will be. I have sheared a few bolts during my working life - always
when loosening ones which are rusted solid.

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

In article , Simonb
wrote:
There must be something similar for bikes otherwise the
manufacturers wouldn't specify tensions, unless they do it for
legal reasons.

A spanner of known length and a spring balance will work if you have
enough time !

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

Opinions please.

A torque wrench should be unneccessary if you have a decent set of spanners.
Spanners are designed to administer an appropriate torque without inflicting
pain on the user...stop and think about it, small diameter bolts with small
heads use small short spanners gripped by a few fingers and the thumb, if
you feel pain/discomfort when tightening a bolt then you are probably using
too much force this applies equally to the use of allen keys. There are
very few instances where a high torque is needed on a bike, the crank being
one of them . Even then I reckon the lack of a torque wrench is a
'survivable' situation.

Adjustable spanners should be avoided on two counts...

a poor fit for the nuts/bolt heads
easy to administer too much force on smaller sized bolts

I'd spend my money on something that gets more use.

Vernon in Leeds

MSeries wrote:
Maybe I should ask this in rec.bicycles.tech, they are keen on
torque-ing there. Who uses a torque wrench for their bikes ? What
sort is it ? For years I haven't and had only few problems, my cranks
came loose once ! but I know I should do things in accordance with
the manuals especially on my best bike. Also I read on r.b.t that
some one was getting a proper tool for the Shimano self extracting
crankset bolt cap, has anyone seen these for sale in the UK ? How
would one manage to tighten the cap to the correct torque (3-7 Nm)
with what I imagine is simply a small pin spanner ? I reckon it
wouldn't really matter for this as it takes no stress in normal
usage.

Opinions please.

Thanks to everyone who responded, pretty much what I expected to honest.
Thanks.

John Hearns posted ...

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 17:51:26 +0000, Andy Dingley wrote:


What sees more use on the bike is a torque screwdriver - 1/4" drive,
but a screwdriver handle. Just like a torque wrench, but for the
extra low torques.
Oooohhhh.... what an interesting thing.
Reference please? Probably can't justify one to myself though.

http://www.torqueleader.com/screwdrivers.htm

A tad expensive for home use though .. especially if you add on any sensing
devices and other 'stuff' .. Maybe a good club purchase with a loan-out
facility ..

Others available from Cromwell Tools .
http://www.cromwell.co.uk/

Look for part numbers

KEN-555-5010K
KEN-555-5020K
KEN-555-8050K
KEN-555-8100K

All at about £120 ish ...


--
Paul

On Mon, 16 Feb 2004 18:11:28 +0000, John Hearns
wrote:

Reference please? Probably can't justify one to myself though.

RS part 547-379
http://rswww.com
(it's an unbookmarkable and generally ugly site)

NB - I paid a _lot_ less than that - more like a tenner on eBay