Review: Ritchey TorqKey preset torque driver

Not too long ago, I got the Minoura Vergo-TF2-WH in-vehicle bicycle transport system to ferry my bike Hyro inside my car, a GD-chassis Honda Jazz. While Hyro fits inside it when hooked up to the Vergo-TF2, his stem has to be loosened and turned about 100 degrees to the left for the Jazz’s hatch to close all the way.

Stem bolts are a classic example of tightening torque being rather critical on a bike, especially so if either your stem or your handlebars are made of carbon fiber. While Hyro currently runs an all-aluminum cockpit, it’s still important to tighten bolts to correct torque, and it’s not always practical to carry a full torque wrench and bit set around.

That’s where this comes in. It’s a preset torque driver from bicycle frame and component manufacturer Ritchey.

This particular TorqKey is calibrated to 5 Nm, which is a very common torque spec for things like stem bolts, cleat bolts, and cable anchor bolts for brakes and derailleurs.

Shorn of its plastic packaging, Ritchey’s TorqKey is an impressively small package. The torque driver itself has a handle shaped like a twist knob. Along its shaft slides on its carrier for the other bits, which are 3/4/5 mm hex keys, a #1 Philips screwdriver bit, and T20 and T25 Torx keys.

The business end of the TorqKey accepts any of these six bits in its shaft. Not only does the shaft have a rather tight, secure hold on the bits, it’s also got a magnet at the base for even better bit security when active.

The TorqKey is a joy to use. With nothing to adjust, all you have to do is swap in the relevant tool bit and twist away until its internal clutch clicks and slips, indicating 5 Nm of torque has been applied to your fastener of choice. The only downside I see is that the internal clutch is a one-way affair. I don’t think you’ll be able to torque a reverse-thread bolt with this.

It certainly beats lugging this full-size torque wrench around for low-torque applications.

The TorqKey and its tool bits now live in the emergency/EDC bag in my Jazz, alongside my second, shorter set of metric hex keys. This way, the Jazz always ready to accommodate Hyro in his cargo hold.

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