At 05:30 PM 11/6/06 +0000, freesound@comcast.net wrote:
>A few years ago I had some surprising and aggravating bolt breakage on
stems and seatpost binder bolts. I found torque specs in Zinn's manual and
a few places on-line, bought a torque wrench, and an oil can, and now I
have a bike that is tight but not too tight.
>
>A torque wrench can be your friend.
Note that most torque specs are for no lubrication, even though most of us always use oil, grease or anti-seize compounds. If you apply the same torque to a lubed fastener, you will likely stretch it past its elastic limit.
Also, the torque required to loosen a fastener may not be the same as what was used to tighten it, especially if it hasn't been touched for years. On bikes damage can be done trying to unscrew something that has a LH thread if you don't know. Another case, where I have to admit I've screwed up, is loosening a Campag seat post clamp bolt because both sides look about the same. However, the "nut" side has a knurl that anchors it in the seat lug and if you strip the lug you'll have to use a second allen key to hold it. That's where a educated wrist can tell you you're trying to loosen the wrong side.
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada