Shoutout to the old timer at the shop who said torque wrenches are for people who don't trust their hands

Nancy Price · 2026-10-01T17:05:04.090086+00:00

I was helping out at a bike co-op in Portland last Saturday and this guy who's been wrenching since the 80s watched me grab a torque wrench for a stem bolt and just shook his head. He said he's never used one on a stem in 40 years and has never had a bar slip. I said that's fine on steel but carbon is a whole different animal. He said carbon is still just material and feel is feel. I told him I've seen a crushed steerer tube from a guy who thought he had feel. He said that guy just didn't know his own strength. Now I'm stuck. Half of me thinks the old guys are right and we're all just covering ourselves with tools. The other half thinks a $60 wrench is way cheaper than a new fork. What do you all actually do when you're torquing a carbon bar or seatpost? Do you trust the click or do you trust your arm?

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Shoutout to the old timer at the shop who said torque wrenches are for people who don't trust their hands | Bicycle Mechanics - Guest Forum