Spent $60 on a torque wrench, saved my fork from certain doom

Back in 2015 I used to just crank bolts by feel, you know, 'tight enough' and all that, but after I stripped an old steerer tube on a buddy's bike I finally bought a proper click-type torque wrench. That thing paid for itself the first time I did a carbon stem install, because the manual said 5 Nm and my arm would have happily gone to 8. Anyone else have a tool they resisted buying for years that turned out to be worth every penny?

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thomas.piper21d ago

The "tight enough" method got me too, but my wake-up call was way dumber. I used to rebuild my old Shimano hubs with just a cone wrench and sheer vibes, then wondered why the bearings felt like gravel after a month. Finally bought a cheap beam-style torque wrench for like 25 bucks and it screamed at me when I hit the proper 17 Nm. That thing now lives in my toolbox drawer like a tiny guardian angel, and I still get a little thrill every time I hear that sweet click. My only regret is all the bottom brackets I probably wrecked before I got smart about it.