Shadco 

I am good from 15nm and up but would like a decent small adjustable torque wrench for say 4 to 15nm.

Any suggestions..

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fooferdoggie 

been happy with this guy. the only thing missing is a 20 torx bit
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

70sSanO

Park, CDI, and others make adjustable T handle torque wrenches. I have an older Proto micrometer 1/4” drive wrench, but would probably go with CDI.

Most have plastic handles, but people spend $10 on preset wrenches for their $500 Ping or Taylormade drivers and have no issues, so I don’t see an issue with low torque bike components.

John

FBinNY 

I know I'm a dinosaur, but I don't see a need for a torque wrench in these applications.

At some point anyone who wants to consider him, or herself a mechanic has to learn to trust their hands.

FWIW - I see far too many posts here on the forum by people who've broken stuff blindly relying on torque specs.

veganbikes

This is what I have used for quite a while and does the job nicely:
https://www.effettomariposa.eu/en-us...-torque-wrench

Schweinhund

I watch small engine repair videos sometimes, and there's this one guy who insists on torqueing everything right down to the airbox bolts and the heat shield bolts.
He's like "60 inch pounds" I'm like 5 foot pounds and 10 won't make a difference. Here, gimmie a wrench.

maddog34

I bought a Mac 1/4 drive torque wrench when i was in the M/C field... Clutch spring bolts call for low torques and we did Warranty work, so....

and it sits in my rollaway in the garage, nearly unused. SOME CF parts will have me using it... stems, seat clamps...

Lombard

This is the one I have and I like it. Better quality than the Park Tool one. Though I notice they are out of stock in this link.

This may work for pro bike mechanics who work on bikes in a shop every day. The hands become calibrated. For the rest of us DIY mechanics, the muscle memory isn't there.

smd4

Exactly. Although I have zero experience with carbon fiber, so I might use a torque wrench in those applications.

FBinNY 

I guess it's a question of philosophy. I prefer developing knowledge and skill over buying more tools.

It's sort of like the difference between navigating by a GPS app, vs. by map, sense of direction, and/or landmarks, etc. GPS will get you there, but even after repeated trips, you'll still have no sense of the area. Without GPS you might get lost but after a few trips you'll know the area and be able to get anywhere within it.

BTW it's not about specific muscle memory, it's more like riding a bike in that you learn to read how screws feel a they come to correct tightness. I feel that this is a valuable skill, not only because you'll know when a screw is tight, but also when something isn't right.

Shadco 

Don’t need it for the Steel Horse I ride but a new CF bike is in my near future, don’t want to take chances there.

This is what I went with.

https://etork.com/product/c1200/

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veganbikes

Never heard of them but hopefully it is not going to do any damage. I am always skeptical of precision products at such a low price. At least if in the U.S. they are semi local for warranty issues or calibration.

t2p

I have the CDI adjustable torque tool - works well

(it includes a certificate of calibration - if that means anything ?)

I believe they are still available on eBay for around $25 - good deal

Camilo

You can find a perfectly accurate and inexpensive 1/4" drive beam type torque wrench in the range you need.

70sSanO

You can always check the calibration with a digital luggage scale. It is pretty simple to do and there are Youtube videos.

Some micrometer/click wrenches can be calibrated by the individual and some have to be sent in. I have index cards in each case so I know how close each range is.

If you need to torque at 8nm you want to make sure it is not really 16nm. For non-critical old school stuff it is easy to get a feel over the years, especially with all the non-bicycle nuts, bolts and screws that get tightened. I find high torque components tend to be under torqued.

I think it is more difficult to get that feel with CF, when not done daily, and it is more critical to get it right.

John

Trakhak

Another factor that is too often ignored is that the lengths of the handles of Allen wrenches and open/box wrenches give a clue to the appropriate torque range for the corresponding fasteners. The graduated lengths of your wrenches aren't done that way just to look pretty when displayed on a pegboard.

Some years into my career as a head mechanic in bike shops, I met someone's grandfather who had been a master mechanic most of his working life. We chatted a bit about work, and then he asked me what I thought was the single most important thing to learn to be a good mechanic. I'd never thought about it, but I must have read his mind when I said, "Respect for materials." He grinned approvingly.

grumpus

I tend to agree, but I bought a cheap 1/4" digital torque adapter a while ago so I can be sure I'm getting it about right on the parts that require low torque settings.