I used to think torque wrenches on bikes were overkill, now I get it

Last week I snapped a derailleur bolt on a customer's gravel bike because I just did it by feel. I felt terrible and had to buy him a new hanger out of my own pocket. An older mechanic in Portland showed me how a $40 beam torque wrench saved him from the same mistake 10 years ago. I bought one that night and now I use it on every shift cable pinch bolt. Has anyone else had a moment where going by feel just bit them in the wallet?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_stone226d ago

I was working on an old Schwinn back in 2018 and tightened a stem bolt too much, cracked the whole faceplate. Cost me $60 to replace it plus I looked like a complete amateur in front of the customer. That same Portland mechanic you mentioned probably knows my guy Jim, he runs a little shop on Alberta Street. A beam torque wrench changed everything for me too, especially on carbon parts where you have almost no room for error. I keep one in my main tool drawer and one in my bike bag for when I do road side fixes.

elizabeththomas26d agoMost Upvoted

And that's exactly why I own three torque wrenches now because apparently I can't be trusted to feel out tightness by hand. The first time I torqued a carbon handlebar correctly it felt terrifyingly loose, like I was gonna lose the whole front end going over a speed bump. Guess that's better than that satisfying crunch sound of over-torqued aluminum though, right?