Thanks for tuning in today we're going
to be reviewing the Topeak Torq Stick.
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Having a torque wrench when you're
working your bike is essential and that
ensures that you don't over tighten
something or leave it loose and have it
come loose when you're riding.
Bicycle specific torque wrenches are
designed for lower ranges
which matches what you typically find on
your stem crank or other bike components.
So what we have today is the Topeak
Torq stick designed between 2 to 10
Netwon meters and very compact sleek design.
Packaging wise very simple you have the
iconic white and yellow for Topeak.
Really small box cardboard box with a
nice transparent window that actually
lets you see the
torque wrench and the attached bit
holder.
On the sides you'll find information
about the torque wrench
how you use it and some of the specs.
Let's go ahead and take it out of the
box and while I do that
we'll go over the specs. Retail price
on this
is $110, it's a click style torque wrench
so once you feel and hear the click
you simply stop. It's rated for 2 to 10
Netwon meters which should cover most
maintenance items on your bicycle. It
also features aluminum
and steel construction with a reversible
and ratcheting head.
They also include an attached bit holder
with 5 bits.
You get three Allen and then two
Torx bits.
Inside the box you get the
instruction manual as well as the
certification
of calibration in there and then the
torque wrench itself so quite small and
the attached bit
holder attached to it already. Now lets take a
look at the weight of the Torq Stick.
Construction feels really nice with the
aluminum design and steel bit
so should be fairly light.
The torque wrench itself comes in at
128
and then we'll try the attached a
plastic holder for the bits
with the bits inside
that comes in at 42 grams.
Now let's take a look at the fit and
finish of the Topeak Torq Stick.
Now what is clever about this it's very
compact something you can easily put in
your backpack
or your jersey pocket or even your
saddlebag if you have a larger one.
Now it has two components you have the
bits which is a little plastic holder
and then the steel bits on the inside.
Then you have the torque wrench
itself,
it's really nicely finished it has a
semi-gloss
finish with little fingerprints on here
to indicate where to hold it.
A very clear gauge that shows the 2 to
10 Newton meter range.
It has a nice knurled handle on the bottom
you also have the ratcheting head which
makes a nice sound and it's reversible
so
simply rotate it to tighten or loosen
that's loosen and then to tighten.
So really well done and I really like
the black finish in particular,
makes it stand out from the typical
polished designs.
Let's go look at the bits it has a
little plastic holder and
it's nice it just snaps on so easy to
keep them together.
Now to operate this you can see the
little window there's five bits inside
you slide the top cover off to the right
and that exposes the five bits. You have
five total: three of them are allen bits
so you have a 3/4/5
millimeter
and then a T20 and a T25 Torx bit.
Now these are all magnetically held in
place so you see they don't actually
fall.
Taking them out is a little bit
difficult, the easiest thing I found
is to push
down on them on the head and then they
pop out.
So pretty standard bits you can probably
swap this into most tools
and then like I said magnetically drops
in some of them are harder to take out.
You really have to slide them out but
once they're out these are hardened
steel
and they feel pretty nicely made with
knurling on them as well.
I like the little plastic bit holder as
well as it keeps everything together and
you don't lose the bits.
Now back to the torque wrench you can
see to operate this
you pull up away from the torque wrench
and then rotate it to
either make it tighter so higher value.
You can see
as I rotate to the right I'm increasing
the
torque value from the minimum of two all
the way to ten.
It has a nice yellow line here that really
indicates where you're at
and then when you have the value you
want you want to line up the
line here and then compress this
in. So you see really easy to operate and
the graphics are really nice and crisp.
As there's a lot of Topeak products they
feel really premium and they look
premium.
Also these little fingerprint graphics
are a nice indicator of where to hold it
as you want to hold it from the bottom
to get the most leverage
and the knurling here is also really
nicely done. As with any torque wrench
especially these click style when you
store them you want to take it all the
way to a loose setting
the lowest setting and stored in that
setting.
It can actually be damaged by storing it
at a higher torque value
and the other note is don't use these
as a breaker bar.
So if you have a really stuck bit don't
use this as you can damage it if you go
beyond the 10 Nm.
Now let's do a little demo of the
Torq Stick in action.
The great thing about a bike is
everything is either a three four or
five
allen bit and most repairs are simply
handle bars stem seat posts little
things you adjust and they all have
usually low torque values so the Torq
Stick is perfect for this.
My Easton stem here says 5 Nm
so let's see if that's up to torque. So I
have
the bit in there and then you can see
so nice solid click. The great thing
about this is it's designed for lower
ranges so if you use a
torque wrench to design for say five to
fifty
the lower values are less accurate so
it's important to
have a torque wrench with the lower
values still being accurate. So the
smaller range means it's more accurate.
Lets try the other side and again so nice
positive click.
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What I have here is an Amazon bestseller,
this is the Pro Bike Tool
this is actually a pretty slick one.
It retails for seventy dollars
includes this plastic carrying case
and it's a much larger. That's a big
thing with the Topeak it's rarely the
cheapest offering but the
premium construction and compact size is
something you're paying for.
With the pro bike tool version you
get an extension
and you get more bits, everything
from the 2 to 10 Allen bits and then
T10 / T25 and a T30.
Obviously these are larger bits with
the holders as well.
So you can see they're designed to
actually be one unit
so putting the torque wrenches side by
side
you can see obviously the Pro Bike Tool
one is quite a bit larger
and like as I mentioned the black finish
on the Topeak really makes it look a
lot slicker than the polished finish.
This also has a ratcheting head that's
reversible which is something you'd find
but again this construction is
not quite as nice a lot more play here.
This one's a lot tighter and then
with the Pro Bike Tool there's actually
an initial calibration you're supposed
to do
which I only found out by looking at the
videos several months later.
This has a longer knurled handle and this also
goes up to
20 newton meters versus the 10 on the
Topeak
but otherwise really same design.
Usability wise you have to hold the handle
and then spin it until you get to the
desired point
so same thing, line up the lines and with
the higher torque values here
you can actually do a little fractional
values while the Topeak only lets you do
increments of one.
I think the big takeaway here is this is
a better value
but larger obviously not something you
can just take with you.
This is actually something you could
travel with you could put in your
saddlebag and carry a very compact and
simple design.
Now let's go over the pros and cons for
the Topeak Torq Stick.
What we like about it is the compact
design, it fits in your pocket and with the
attached
tool bit holder keeps everything
together.
Also the premium build quality and
finish is really nice to see the
semi-gloss black
makes it look like a very high-end piece
of equipment.
Also it has a very strong click when you
reach the torque value so that's very
good feedback
and you won't over torque any bolts when
you're working on things.
Some of the cons are the premium price
you're definitely paying
a higher price for the compact size and
build quality.
Also the torque increments are only
whole numbers so if you have a 5.5 or
any fractional torque value you won't be
able to easily do that with this
Torq Stick. It also can be difficult to
remove the bits from the holder since
they're magnetically held in place
with no cut out on the backside. You
really have to push down fairly hard.
Taking everything to account we'd give
the torque stick an 8.7 out of 10.
If you're looking for a very premium and
compact torque
wrench the torque stick is definitely a
great option.
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