Shoutout to the guy who told me to use a torque wrench on carbon seatposts

I thought it was just shop talk for years, like an extra step for people with too much money. I mean, I've been tightening seatposts by feel since I started at the shop in Boise, and never had one slip or crack. Then last month, a customer brought in a cracked carbon frame right at the clamp. It was a $3000 bike and the repair quote was insane. The guy who sold it to him had SPECIFICALLY told him to use a torque wrench set to 5 newton meters, but he just cranked it down. Seeing that clean split in the carbon, right where the clamp pinched it, was a real wake-up call. I went out and bought a decent torque wrench the next day. How many of you actually use one for every carbon part, or is it just for the high-end stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant7281mo ago

My old shop in Tucson had a wall of shame with broken carbon parts. Every single one was from over tightening. That visual proof made me a torque wrench believer for good.

gray_schmidt81mo ago

No way, a clean split right at the clamp? That's brutal. I guess I always figured carbon was tougher than that. Hearing about @grant728's wall of shame really drives it home though. It's not about being fancy, it's about not destroying crazy expensive gear. My cheap torque wrench feels like an insurance policy now.