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My old boss told me to never use a torque wrench on a bottom bracket, and I just found out he was totally wrong.
He said it was a 'feel' thing and the spec was just a guide, so for years I just cranked them down. Last month, I cracked a carbon frame in Portland because I overtightened a BB86 by about 10 Newton meters. Now I torque every single one to spec. Anyone else have a shop myth they believed that cost them money?
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terryk2826d ago
Wait, you cracked a carbon frame? I mean, that's a whole new level of oops.
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joel_butler23d ago
Yeah, that "feel" thing is such a trap. It works okay on old steel frames where you can get away with a lot, but modern stuff is so different. Carbon and aluminum don't give you the same feedback, they just fail. It's not about being strong enough to feel it, it's about the material having zero forgiveness. You go past spec and it doesn't bend, it just breaks.
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morgan89826d ago
So you were just out here trying to feel up bottom brackets? That's a pricey lesson.
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