Torque wrenches are a great way to stop you accidentally crushing components or stripping bolts and Topeak offers seven different options from the basic ‘torsion needle on wedge’ Combo Torq Wrench at $23.99 / £17.99 to the digital D-Torq Wrench DX at $299.95 / £255.99. The new Torq Stick 4-20Nm sits in the middle of the family as a top-quality, compact head, analog wrench with a range of easy-fit bits and solid, wider torque range operation. That puts it in a slightly awkward ‘not universal but not portable’ position though and it’s expensive too. We have been carefully torquing all our bike bolts to find out whether the Torq Stick earns a place in our best mountain bike toolkit.
Design and performance
Topeak loses eco points straight away as it’s disappointing to see a single-use plastic tray and cover for a new tool in 2022. Especially as that leaves the wrench unprotected in your kit bag or tool drawer. The tinted cover on the rubber bit holder means I nearly binned it accidentally once when chucking similar-looking plastic spare parts back into the box after building a bike. That’s pretty niche (or dumb) though, and otherwise, the knurled and color-coded 3, 4, 5, 6mm hex key heads are a cut above the normal pieces. There are larger 8mm and 10mm heads and you get T20, 25, 30 Torx keys as well. Because it’s specifically designed for bikes, not a general-use tool, they mount straight into the magnetic head without an adaptor too. The tiny head means you can get the tools into most awkward places, but you’ll have to add an extender for some recessed jobs.
The reverse action dial is very light in action, which isn’t an issue in itself but it contrasts with the torque change collar which has a very solid detent and strong return spring action. You have to turn it a full rotation while pulling against that spring for every 1Nm change. While it allows 0.5Nm settings we’ve never seen a component that needs one. It also slows down the shift from tightening up something like a stem or seat clamp bolt to snugging up your Shimano crank arms.
A quick scan through various bolts on the bikes I’ve got in the workshop shows that’s about the only bolt on a bike that requires between 8Nm and 50Nm. That potentially makes the $119.95 / £89.99 Topeak Torq Stick the more cost-effective option for most jobs. While the anodized alloy build makes it light for a workshop tool, it’s still too long and heavy to come along for a ride.
Verdict
With a lot of torque wrench options available now it’s easy to pick holes in the cost-effectiveness and design/operation detail of the Topeak Torq Stick 4-20Nm. If you’re not being professionally picky though it’s a great quality, obviously bike-optimized tool that works well on most bike fastenings, feels great in the hand and looks awesome on your workbench too.
Tech Specs: Topeak Torq Stick 4-20Nm
- Price: $119.95 / £89.99
- Weight: 188g
- Tools: 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 8 / 10 hex bits, T20 / T25 / T30 Torx
- Torque range: 4 - 20 Nm (Accuracy: +/- 4%)
- Color: Black with color coded bits
