[FlyingCookie]

What's up with this...

I didn't ride for 20 years, and now when I look to do some work on my bicycle I keep seeing info about how much force I need to use with torque wrench...

I wanna change stem and handlebar and I should buy torque wrench?

If I buy cheap torque wrench it's the same crap like if I wouldn't use any. But if I buy good one I need to spend bunch of money.

Bear in mind I have stumpjumper from 2001 I think...

Further more, my old man did general repair, total breakdown and assembly of his motorcycle honda 750 without torque wrench and he did it twice.

I'm not talking here about carbon bike or something...

So, what's up with this? Do I need a Torque wrench if I wanna make babies now? -.-

 

[Battery]

Ask Picard this question.

 

[tweeder82o]

What's up with this...

I didn't ride for 20 years, and now when I look to do some work on my bicycle I keep seeing info about how much force I need to use with torque wrench...

I wanna change stem and handlebar and I should buy torque wrench?

If I buy cheap torque wrench it's the same crap like if I wouldn't use any. But if I buy good one I need to spend bunch of money.

Bear in mind I have stumpjumper from 2001 I think...

Further more, my old man did general repair, total breakdown and assembly of his motorcycle honda 750 without torque wrench and he did it twice.

I'm not talking here about carbon bike or something...

So, what's up with this? Do I need a Torque wrench if I wanna make babies now? -.-

well since you're not working on other people's bikes, do what you want...

scenario one: you under tighten the bolts, your handlebar shifts when you ride. you stop and you tighten them

scenario two: you over tighten them to compensate:

2a. everything is super tight, might warp the components. rides fine but need to buy new ones next time

2b. rip the head off the bolt or strip the bolt. need to buy new bolts or new components

scenario 3: you have some super strong components, steel maybe? you over tighten but nothing gets damaged. happily ever after.

 

[sturge]

Depends on the person doing the work. If you've done a fair amount of wrenching (any wrenching) and have a good understanding of materials in use, specifically what the fastener is required to do, and apply some common sense for the smaller fasteners used on a bike you can probably get by without one but it's obviously good to have. If you have not done much mechanical work I would say it's a must have.

For example, some just don't have the knowledge that a SS fastener threaded into alu means the alu is the weak link. Many motorcycle oil pan drains have been stripped from this. The user focuses on 'I don't want this to leak' and torques the hell out of it.

 

[Mr Pig]

It depends. If you have what is called mechanical sympathy you can live without one, especially if you are not working on carbon. If you need to google 'mechanical sympathy', maybe not.

 

[toadmeister]

If I pay money at a bike shop to get quality work done, I expect them to use torque wrenches.

If I’m doing some work myself, I do what I can with the tools I got lying around and limited knowlege or time and live with the result.


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[One Pivot]

A CDI torqkey is $20 shipped. The 4nm one is perfect for bars, stems, posts.

I didnt use one for ~20 years, until I got carbon bars. Im sure it would have been fine, but they're expensive.

Just for the sake of it, I guessed on my carbon bars anyway, then double checked with a torque wrench. I've been running my bars looser than I should.

 

[Harold]

A bunch of stuff got lighter, more exotic materials, and/or tighter tolerances.

MOST of the time, I don't use a torque wrench on my bikes. But there are a few scenarios where I do.

1. anything clamped to carbon
2. stem face plates (unless there's carbon, I'm not too worked up about the absolute tightness of the bolts, rather, I care that all of them are tightened the same)
3. seatpost collars with carbon or dropper posts
4. high torque crank bolts. My Race Face cranks call for about 50Nm give or take on the fixing bolt. That's hard to achieve on something that rotates when you try to tighten it. This is something that hasn't changed over the years, tbh. I had square taper cranks fall off 20yrs ago because the crank bolt wasn't sufficiently tight. I think a lot of people got lazy about crank bolt torque when shimano came out with cranks that attached differently and didn't require massive torque.

 

[cmg]

without torque wrench and he did it twice.

mmmmmmm.....maybe because

 

[FlyingCookie]

A CDI torqkey is $20 shipped. The 4nm one is perfect for bars, stems, posts.

If my understanding is correct, torque wrenches have some tolerance +/- . And I wonder what kinda tolerance is on those wrenches for 20 bucks shipped?

I can get cheapest ones like for 40 bucks, but the ones which are more ''serious'' ones start at 100 bucks.

Further more those wrenches lose their calibration after some use-for example I was checking one which is rated for 5000 uses.

And I read somewhere today, that those wrenches need to be stored on temperature which is recommended. Don't pull my nuts over this, I just read somewhere today. Don't remember where.

Sooooo, if half of those statements which I wrote up is true, what the hell is torque which you guys use? Cause it sure isn't the one you guys are setting on that wrench...

 

[FlyingCookie]

mmmmmmm.....maybe because

bike is old like 30 or more years and he rebuild machine twice...

 

[cmg]

bike is old like 30 or more years and he rebuild machine twice...

mmmmmmm.....maybe because

 

[MCHB]

Being a home bike mechanic I use the "HNNGHHH....verbal click!" technique and have never had parts fail (disclaimer I have no experience with carbon parts!) If you're selling bikes on the other hand for liability reasons you're gonna want a torque wrench!

 

[FlyingCookie]

mmmmmmm.....maybe because

it's old bike and he drives it a lot for god sake...

I mean seriously dude

 

[One Pivot]

If my understanding is correct, torque wrenches have some tolerance +/- . And I wonder what kinda tolerance is on those wrenches for 20 bucks shipped?

I can get cheapest ones like for 40 bucks, but the ones which are more ''serious'' ones start at 100 bucks.

Further more those wrenches lose their calibration after some use-for example I was checking one which is rated for 5000 uses.

And I read somewhere today, that those wrenches need to be stored on temperature which is recommended. Don't pull my nuts over this, I just read somewhere today. Don't remember where.

Sooooo, if half of those statements which I wrote up is true, what the hell is torque which you guys use? Cause it sure isn't the one you guys are setting on that wrench...

CDI is a premium torque tool brand. Torqkeys are just very simple tools with no adjustments. Not much goes into them.

I would absolutely trust a CDI torqkey for $20 over a park adjustable torque wrench for $100! They actually come with calibration certificates.

 

[FlyingCookie]

CDI is a premium torque tool brand. Torqkeys are just very simple tools with no adjustments. Not much goes into them.

I would absolutely trust a CDI torqkey for $20 over a park adjustable torque wrench for $100! They actually come with calibration certificates.

maybe they are 20 bucks for america, I'm from europe so it's not 20 bucks in my case. But I am googling now for torque keys and I found bunch of stuff.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Ritchey-Torqkey

 

[One Pivot]

maybe they are 20 bucks for america, I'm from europe so it's not 20 bucks in my case. But I am googling now for torque keys and I found bunch of stuff.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Ritchey-Torqkey

My ritchey 5nm has a weird handle and its not really easy to turn. I work with my hands for a living and have quite a grip, but its a tiny tool and its awkward. Mine also clicks at about 5.6nm, so I use it as a "6nm" torqkey. If the CDI is available to you, Its more ergonomic... but otherwise the ritchey is totally usable for clicking on a stem every now and then.

 

[Harold]

CDI torqkeys for the win.

 

[PuddleDuck]

FlyingCookie,

I can definitively state that you need a torque wrench to make babies. Allow my to explain.

To make babies you need:

1. stiffness
2. lube
3. pistoning

Let's consider the handlebar. If some of your stem bolts loosen off, your bar will slide right out, you can slide it in again, but it'll slide right out. A torque wrench is required to give a firm basis from which to piston (using your legs).

Legs?

Legs. Let's consider the seatpost. If your seatpost clamp is under torqued, your post will slide to full insertion, and will stay there. You can't efficiently pedal (piston) if your seat is too low because your post is fully inserted. No babies for you.

What about lubrication? Too much and your e.g.: bar/post and crank will slide right out/in, and you won't have the aforementioned stiff platform from which to piston. No babies for you.

I haven't even started on cranks. If you're crank keeps flying off, you most certainly can't piston. No babies for you.

Q.E.D. a torque wrench is required to make babies.

N.B.: PowerThirst also helps

 

[life behind bars]

Babies are overrated, just wing it.