Topeak Torq Stick

The Topeak Torq Stick is compact, very nicely made and easy to adapt to most fastener types with its magnetic 1/4in drive. Running from 2-10Nm, it's a great way to ensure important bolts are tight but not dangerously so – especially important if you run a carbon bar or seatpost. The five supplied bits are basic and disappointing, though, and if portability isn't important you can get much cheaper wrenches.

The Torq Stick adjusts from 2-10Nm in 0.25Nm steps, and is certainly accurate enough for bicycle use. It's also enough torque for most components, such as bars, stems, brake and shifter clamps, drivetrain parts and most bits of disc and rim brakes. It's not enough for cranks, bottom brackets or pedals, though.

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The scale is etched clearly alongside a physical indicator, so it's easy to read and should stay that way. The aluminium casing has a slightly satin anodised finish that's pleasing – and comfy at maximum torque – while the adjuster is grippy and impossible to twist accidentally once set.

While the extensive road.cc testing laboratory was unavailable due to its continued non-existence, I did check the Torq Stick against a bigger (and therefore better) torque wrench I use for motorcycles. Their values agreed, both while tightening and loosening.

The 'storage pen' that clips on the side is a bit of a disappointment, though. It's a fiddly and oversized design, and has windows for spying the bit sizes that are redundant – you have to open the case to get it anyway. It also doesn't hold the Torq Stick particularly firmly and can flop around, though at least it can't slide off completely as it does on the Ratchet Stick.

Worse, however, are the meagre five bits inside – 3, 4 and 5mm hex, T20 and T25 Torx. They're just basic 25mm-long bits and, while made of the same S2 hardened steel, they lack the knurling, etching, colour coding and extra length of the standalone BitKits and the ones included with the Ratchet Stick.

The bits are held in the tool head magnetically, and are really secure, and they're easy to swap for better ones, too.

At £80 the Topeak is quite a bit more than some decent budget options. The Pro Bike Tool 2-20Nm Torque Wrench set is £62.99, for instance, has twice the range, uses arguably better-supported square drive sockets and comes with 11 hex sizes and an extension bar.

Draper's 1/4in Torque Wrench is also square-drive and measures 5-25Nm for £37.20, though it doesn't come with any bits and is bigger and heavier than the Topeak.

If you're just doing bars, stems and seatposts, single-value wrenches work well. The Ritchey Torque Mini Tool Key Set comes in 4 or 5Nm versions for £21.99.

For cycle-specific stuff, however, the Feedback Sports Range Torque and Ratchet matches the Torq Stick at £80 – though it offers a ratchet and far more bits – and the frankly lovely (and certified accurate) Effetto Mariposa Giustaforza torque wrench 2-16Nm, which Shaun reviewed back in 2015, is £119.99.

> Buyer’s Guide: 8 of the best torque wrenches

The Torq Stick is well priced for its quality and ease of use, even with the disappointing bits. It's not the cheapest way to get simple jobs done, and it lacks the extreme accuracy of high-end tools that sticklers may demand, but it sits happily in the middle as a good quality, easy to use and genuinely useful tool at a reasonable price.

Verdict

Neat, accurate and useful tool