They left it at the door of an apartment I haven’t lived in for 8 years. REI sent me a return label in the event that both show up some how.
I know little to nothing about bike maintenance, and most of my work is done at the shop… which I’m generally OK with. However, in the spirit of constantly learning new things, and being able to do more for myself, I’d like to buy a torque wrench/kit so I can do simpler things like tighten/adjust my handlebars without risk of damaging a very expensive bike.
I prefer to buy quality (buy once) and take good care of my stuff, though my tools do get very little use. Which would be a better choice for me?
- Park Tool ATD-1.2 Adjustable Torque Driver for $71.95
- Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit for $62.49
- Park Tool TW-5.2 Ratcheting Click-Type Torque Wrench for $101.95
Or should I buy something else? The “click” and torque-limiting of the larger wrenches are VERY attractive versus watching tiny markings when I’m very much a newbie at this… but I get the impression that I should ideally have a portable kit for traveling and long rides. And I worry that a bunch of reviews say the Park Tool wrenches are “nothing but rebranded cheap Taiwanese made Neiko wrenches you can get at Sears or Amazon for about $30-35”.
So I’m a little at a loss as to choosing here. Any pointers much appreciated!
My go-to bike torque wrench:
I might get the Silca as a travel one due to the great deal currently. Silca and Park both generally make great stuff, but the Pro Bike Tool torque wrench is tough to beat for the price with it’s range and assortment of bits.
Normally, I would say buy a cheap full sized one off Amazon like Chris posted. You’re going to do 99% of your wrenching from home, and for travel, I would bring the Silca one with me because it’s small, but not actually on the bike. I’d just bring a small lightweight multi tool on the bike. If you’re taking flights with your bike and want a lightweight one for your bag, the Silca one is great, but at home, I prefer the bigger handle of a “normal sized” one. Having said all that, the Silca one is on sale for the same price as a full sized one, so if you like it, and are ok with it being a little small, and assuming you’re still not planning to do much wrenching in your life, I say go for it.
I use this one for 99% of my torquing and it’s easy to take with you.
I only need to bring out the big guns if I’m putting on a new cassette, or pedals, but I’ve done them enough times I can do it by feel.
I’d say for small nm torque specs it’s actually nice to have a shorter handle so you don’t accidentally over torque it.
The PRO Bike Tool torque wrench is available under a number of brands….mine is labeled Vibrelli, IIRC.
25% off Fizik saddles, use code TDF23 at checkout
The Silca one only does a pretty small torque range 2-8 Nm. There’s parts on the bike (and other things in your life) that will need more torque than that. So the Silca tool gives you portability but is much worse for at home use than a normal torque wrench that can do 2-28 Nm or so.
That said, I trust my subjective feel for close enough torque at the higher end (10+ Nm). But I have done lots of tightening with a torque wrench at work. And I’ll eventually buy a proper torque wrench. So for me, the Silca is going to give me peace of mind getting those more fragile bolts properly torqued, which I’m just as inclined to be messing with on the road as at home. (I like to tweak my cockpit mid ride to dial in my fit).
Thank you all! 
SAVE20 at Jenson will get you 20% off. Just got a great deal on an ergon saddle. I also scooped up the Silca travel torque wrench at REI (thanks for sharing).
Mine were hidden inside the packaging very well. Almost threw them away on accident.
Double check all the small paper envelope/bags inside the box.
I did. The seller is adamant that they are not included. And he’s being kind of an a$$ about it too. Thanks.
Edit: Stay away from thehouseofcogs on eBay. Guess that’s what I get for trying to save some money on eBay.
If the road RD is like the MTB one, it should have a mark on the back of the RD cage, but you can also just measure DM-RARD010-03-ENG.pdf (shimano.com)
The guide was actually the least thing I wanted. I really wanted the tool and little wire cover.
Is the tool different to the 11 speed di2 tool? If not they should be easy to pick up.
holy power meter batman
50% off - is this a misprint??
Rockshox Reverb AXS XPLR 50% off.
The wires are much smaller so I would imagine it’s different. And that’s the only reason I was wanting it. The new wires feel a lot more fragile (although they are probably durable). They also seem to be harder to get in and out.
Not a misprint. REI has done some 50% off for Wahoo trainers in the recent past too.