Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
Sorry people but I completely lost it after only about eight posts and came right here to say: I've never owned a torque wrench. I've built bikes and maintained bikes for 50 years and there isn't anything I can't do to or for a bike, and apart from cross-threading a replacement bottom bracket 8 years ago, that had to be re-tapped by my LBS, I've never broken anything, or had anything fail on me on the road. O.p. scenario is making my sides hurt I am laughing so hard. And the ferocity with which follow on posters are suggesting things like overnight delivery of a new wrench ... oy ... enough ... stop. Please. O.p. torque that nut to 8hm and give it a smidge more, or don't. If 8nm isn't enough, you will know because your crankset will explode, mid-race and you will DNF. Lesson learned. Develop 'the touch' that all good mechanics must have to get to the next level.
I generally agree, never used a torque wrench... until the left crank arm on a hollowtech II came loose. I wasn't using enough torque, partly perhaps due to the short lever arm on the allen wrench. But I pulled out the microtorque wrench and bits, did it to spec, way easier because a much larger moment arm. And it hasn't come loose since. Way back in the day, I had to replace a freehub body, big 10mm bolt, and my guess was, that torque was critical. I put the long end of the allen wrench inside the hub, put a pipe on the short end, measured out a lever arm, then did my best to apply the proper load to get the target force, and by pulling and not pushing, pulling is easier to compare to lifting a known weight.