Had a shop owner yell at me about using a torque wrench on carbon stems

I was working at a shop in Portland a few years ago and this older mechanic saw me torque a carbon stem to spec. He laughed and said I was wasting time, that his 'feel' was better than any torque wrench. I shrugged it off until I had a customer come back with a cracked steerer tube from another shop that didn't use a torque wrench. That repair cost the customer $400 and he was pissed. I still get teased for being slow but I haven't had a single warranty claim from my work since. Do you guys trust your hands or do you actually check torque specs on carbon parts?

2 comments

2 Comments

violafox2d ago

Glad you stuck to your guns, that cracked steerer story proves why specs matter.

miabennett2d ago

Did you ever see that video of a pro mechanic who just hammered a headset in without a press? It's wild how different shop cultures can be with precision.