www.CantitoeRoad.com
Price:
$185
Source: website, bike shops
Made in: Italy
Includes: 16 bits (2-8 mm hex keys; 3 Torx bits; 5
screwdriver bits); 17x4x4 plastic case
How obtained: sample from company
RBR advertiser: yes
Tested:
2 months (about 125
clicks)
HOT!
-
spot-on
accuracy
-
perfect
size for bike parts
-
covers range of low-torque values
-
nice
feel in hand
-
using
it may save your hide
not!
-
scale
somewhat hard to read
-
must
remember to "zero" dial after each use
-
requires
recalibration at 5,000 clicks (who's gonna count?)
-
is
it still accurate at 3,376 clicks?
After all these years,
this is my first official product review for RBR. It may be my last.
This testing stuff is harder to do than it sounds! I've never had to pay
such close attention to a tool in my life -- counting and recording
clicks, reading instructions in 15 languages, trying not to drop it on
the steel plate at the base of the repair stand. Sheeesh!
The Effetto Mariposa GF
(GiustaForza) torque wrench has been reviewed by several other websites
and magazines, but has it been tested in a real shop in busy working
conditions? It has now. The GF is designed and marketed mainly for
personal use in a home shop, but I figured that if it can do the job in
my Cascade Bicycles repair dept., it can do the job in your garage or
basement.
It can. After putting
this torque wrench through everyday shop punishment for 2 months, I
decided it's one of the coolest tools I've ever used. My goal in
evaluating it was to be even more strict than the tool's claimed +/-4%
accuracy.
Truth in Torqueing
For years in the shop
I've used the extremely accurate Snap-On Torq-o-meter. It has a precise
dial gauge (no clicks) for measuring the specific torque values required
for many component installations. To say it's a bit unwieldy -- being a
foot long and 3 inches wide at the dial -- is true. But its accuracy has
been unbeatable. Until now.
The GF torque wrench is
a brilliantly designed tool that should be in every serious home
mechanic's shop. Even if you don't actually assemble your own bikes, the
admittedly pricey ($185) GiustaForza -- Italian for "correct force" -- is a great way to make sure
critical parts -- including handlebars, stems, seat binder bolts,
chainring fixing bolts -- are sufficiently tight but not too
tight. Feeling confident that a stem bolt is not falling out or about to
shear off while you're hitting 45 mph on that big descent is, well,
priceless.
Since about 4-5 years
ago, virtually all components with critical torque values have
those values screened or stickered on them. These values are almost
always shown in Newton meters (Nm). Considering all the carbon, aluminum
and titanium bits and pieces on our bikes these days, it's important to
know without doubt that everything is accurately tightened. The GF
wrench verifies it and lets you ride with confidence.
Torque Values
If you don't know the
correct torque value for a part, don't guess. Virtually every
manufacturer of quality components lists the proper Nm in their website
tech manuals. Torques vary so much now that there are no reliable "rules
of thumb" to go by. Take the time to research the parts on your bike.
If
you can't find torque specs for older components, politely ask the folks
at your LBS to look them up in their copy of Sutherland's Handbook
for Bicycle Mechanics or the Shimano service handbook. Of course, it
helps if they know you as a regular customer.
A complete home mechanical kit would include
a big torque wrench to handle foot-pound values associated with
crankarms, bottom bracket cups and cassette lockrings. (A capable tool
such as the Park TW-2 costs about $60.) The GF doesn't work on these big
parts, but you can get by without a beastly wrench if you learn what
"tight enough" feels like. For all practical purposes, the GF can handle
the bike values we really need to be concerned with.
Note:
There's an argument about how much torque values should vary on a dry
bolt vs. a bolt with greased threads. I figure every bolt needs to be
lubed to give an accurate torque reading. And I always go with the
lowest suggested torque value.
How It Works
The GF is a "click"
torque wrench with a range of 2-16 Nm. It comes in a square plastic case
that also contains 16 bits for just about every size and type of bolt or
screw you'll find on a bike. The wrench is about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm)
long. It has a knurled handle with a diameter that makes it very
comfortable in a mechanic's hand.
Once you know the
tightening value for a bolt, you rotate the rod at the bottom of the
handle to that setting on the scale. (My tired eyes found the small
numbers and hash marks a bit hard to read.) Then when you reach that
value during tightening, the wrench lets go with 3 degrees of free play
past the click. The wrench is only designed to tighten, not to remove
parts.
Important:
When you are done using the GF for the day, you must return the
adjuster to its minimum torque setting (2 Nm) so its accuracy isn't
degraded.
I checked the GF
against my Snap-On. Its accuracy was still dead-on at 125 clicks. I do
wonder if this would be true after several thousand clicks. It's
recommended that you send the wrench back to have it recalibrated after
5,000 clicks ($50 + S&H). This may be something your grandkids will have
to do for you. Five-thousand clicks is a whole lot. Based on 2 months of
using the GiustaForza in my shop every time I could, it'd be more than 6
years before recalibration would be necessary. I'd say that you, as a
home mechanic, would never have to worry about recalibration.
Tom Petrie of
CantitoeRoad.com,
the U.S. supplier for this tool, weighed in on the calibration question
by telling me, "Even once you hit 5,000 clicks, it’s not like the wrench
drops off the face of the Earth. It’s guaranteed +/- 4% accuracy for the
first 5,000 clicks, provided that the user remembers to return the
torque setting to the minimum 2 Nm after each use. After 5,000 clicks,
accuracy will progressively deteriorate to a maximum variance of 10%
which, in many cases, is still within the tolerances given by bicycle
parts manufacturers on torque specifications."
Bottom Line
Based on the importance
of correctly torqueing lightweight bike parts, and the GiustaForza's
accuracy and longevity, I highly recommend this gem of a tool. Use
whatever good excuse you can -- Mother's/Father's Day, birthday,
anniversary, Christmas, Halloween -- or just plain old
self-preservation. The peace of mind can only help you ride better,
right?
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