The "attachable" torque-meters sound like something every gadget freak should know about. Do you have a URL? The only ones I found in a cursory search of the net cost thousands...
Tools catch my eye and things come in at the holiday season that aren't available at other times, so I noticed these.
The first was at Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-torue-adapter-68283.html$30 and they have weekly 20% off coupons that can be stacked, so that puts it down to $24. Good only for higher torque loads, but a nice-looking unit, against all expectations. I rang a friend who says his checks out against his freshly calibrated click-type torque wrench.
The second I saw was an Eastwood someone I know bought for a gift:
http://www.eastwood.com/electronic-torque-adapter.htmlEastwood is a great place for automotive-related tools, and I've gotten some of my unusual bodywork supplies from them. Their panel hammer-and-dolly sets are nice for expanding/shrinking sheet metal. It is really nice to take a sheet of steel and cold-form it to shape at will in your own hands. Nothing more satisfying. On the other hand, it is probably a good part of the reason my handwriting is now illegible.
Amazon has a similar looking unit:
http://www.amazon.com/Alltrade-940759-Powerbuilt-Digital-Adaptor/dp/B0031QPJZGThis is the most likely type you would want for most bicycle work (1/4" drive):
http://www.pneutrend.com.tw/product.aspx?productid=2217#aaaBasically, these are all strain gauges; if you get a good one with steel innards, it will hold up and remain accurate. The strain causes a change in electrical resistance which is then converted to a torque reading. Most spin with the fastener/socket.
These are either cool or hot, depending on your age cohort.
These things seem to also be the hot gift of the season, showing up at auto parts stores, DIY shops, online,
everywhere in several case variations and (I suspect) very similar internals.
Haven't tried one myself. I find myself still relying on my high-end beam-type torque wrenches. I've always found even the high-end (sometimes
really high-end) click-types have gone "off" unexpectedly even though I took great care to always release tension prior to storage.
Andre, more and more fastener torque settings are incorporating an angle component in the form of a removable torque degree wheel ("torque to angle" settings) used after the bolts are equalized at a lower level using standard methods. This is established automotive practice (I just finished torquing-to-angle some cylinder head bolts and rod end-caps), and is now appearing in other settings and applications. I expect they will appear on bicycle components soon, as it compensated for surface friction when an accurate measure of bolt tension is needed. It makes a good deal of sense with higher-torque applications like bottom brackets or things that are fastener tension-sensitive, like carbon fiber. See:
http://www.extremetoolshack.com/2010/08/torquetoangle/Oh! Just before the stores closed, Santa added a high-contour, body-mapped low-profile automotive creeper to his bag for me. It is a wonderful thing, skimming just above the pavement and gaining an inch or so of needed clearance for a transaxle removal I have on my to-do list. It is 90% of a complete street luge. I can't help looking at it and thinking, "This needs to go down Green Hill's 16%+ slopes...". About 35 years ago, I would have added "...with me on it", and admit the thought still crossed my mind, but only in passing. Still....
All the best,
Dan. (...who knows torque er, tension is sometimes just a matter of degree)
