Wera 05004174001 Bicycle set 6, Screwdriver set, 10 pieces

Product Information

The torque wrenches are particularly good, not least because they offer a service to recalibrate them to a very high accuracy after you've used them for a lot of work/time. Many less expensive torque wrenches don't start out as very accurate and can rapidly degrade even more. For low torque applications like those needed for many bicycle bits, an inaccurate torque wrench is no good thing. As a cheapskate, I try to be mindful of how I speak about cost. In all honesty, I wouldn’t fork out the money for many of the things that I wind up reviewing, so it often doesn’t feel right to judge things on absolute cost. When I do judge on cost, it tends to be on a relative basis. Does a product offer more (or less, as it sometimes does) than a comparable product available at a lower price? It’s a much more fair judgment of value when done this way. This can be especially challenging with tools, as it’s hard to judge quality just with a visual inspection, and “value” isn’t often apparent for many years. So, let’s just get it out of the way that you can obviously find similar tools for less money than you will pay for these. None of us should have a problem with that. So, let’s have a look at the MSRP’s for these tools. These are screwdriver-shaped but are good for dealing with the teeny torque-sensitive screws often found on modern bicycle gubbins, particularly gear and brake parts. The two varieties handle torque settings between 0.3 - 3.0 Nm.

The next item is one of those multi-configuration tools that saves you rummaging in the tool box for a tool with just one of its many features - a 1/4" drive Zyklops that can turn any bit (some via adapters) in the above-mentioned set: This Wera set covers all the most common sizes, adds the two most common Torx heads, and gets on with doing the job extremely well. It's not cheap, but if you do a lot of work on your bikes it's a worthwhile investment – so long as you value all the neat little details Wera gets right here. Verdict Bit sets are a lot cheaper than buying each single bit but often have a lot of bits that you never use. Not so with this set. BS 15 seems a poor tool collection compared to the more standard mini-tool collections from Topeak, Lezyne et al, that have more tool functions, are more resilient and cost half as much.For years I used a variety of adjustable spanners, of the standard kind, on bikes and many other things. They've all gone to the charity shop now, replaced by these:

On the other hand, consider Wera's low torque screwdriver torque "wrenches". These are perfek for many of the smaller bolts and nuts to be found on bicycles, such as those blasted bleed cap bolts on hydraulic brake STI levers:

How a tool fits in your hand, how a tool is balanced along its axis, how a tool feels when you twist it, these are all the aspects that Wera tools excel. Wera Werk Hermann Werner GmbH & Co. KG aka Wera Tools, have been changing the way people think about hand tool ergonomics since 1936 and have won numerous awards for their designs. Finally, a couple of accessories that improve the ability to get the abve tools into awkward places:

It costs too much at full price but seems to get discounted by about 25% in by many retailers, if you keep your eyes peeled. I really want to like the Wera stuff, but it seems that most of it is either poorly executed or ridiculously expensive. This is purely down to leverage; I have no doubt the ratchet is strong enough, and then some. It's well designed, with no sharp edges, so applying all the leverage you can is no problem.

Birzman Razor Clam

The things are very well made and ergnomically "right". They come calibrated to a high standard and can be re-calibrated (for a fee) by a Wera agent situated somewhere in Derbyshire, for we Blighters. You can get sets cheaper than the ones I mentioned, but that's where you really start to compromise on quality to the point where the tools become less usable. I've found Wera's HexPlus shaped allen keys can really save a soft bolt that's starting to round out. They're a great product and well worth spending a small premium for IMHO.