# Tightening without torque wrench



## giant_in_a_trance (Nov 14, 2011)

I removed my old stem and now wish to put the new one on, the new stem says max 9.0nm.

i dont have a torque wrench so how tight is 9nm? how much force on a 4 inch hex key would be equal to this? i know its not much force but dont want to over do it.

i was thinking of turning till finger tight and 1/4-1/2 turn by hex key with loctight added for security.

any thoughts please.


----------



## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

Finger tip pressure with your fingers extended, on the long end of the allen wrench (hex key). 

That's the best way I can describe it, it's not as much as you'd think.


----------



## mmmtnbkr1 (Oct 22, 2011)

torque is measured in nm or ftlb. Here, convert 9Nm to 6.6 Lb/ft. This means that if you had a one foot long wrench, you would push on the very end of it with 6.6 lbs of force. Your key is 4 inches? 12 inches/4 = 3. So, 6.6x3=20. So push on the end of the key with 20 pounds of force. Hopefully you can estimate how much that is. I usually grab it with my hand and pull the key towards me like I am lifting something, because I know about how much 20lbs feels to lift. (2-3 gallons of water). Of course, you will not be able to pull exactly on the tip of the wrench, so apply slightly more force based on how far down you are actually pushing. Ex: pushing at 3 inches will need 26.5 lbs. Hope that helped


----------



## Spec7 (May 3, 2000)

Bike parts have always had recommendations of how many ft/lbs or N/Ms to tighten them. Until I started dealing with carbon AND aluminum fasteners, I never had a torque wrench. I've always been able to safely tighten bolts without overdoing it until. It's mainly via tighten a little then check for movement. 

Do you have any idea how painful and startling it is to get shot in the eye with shrapnel from an over tightened aluminum nut that suddenly explodes into 4 pieces a few minutes after you've tightened it? Trust me, it sucks.

If you try to tighten a part all in one series of turns, then yeah get a torque wrench. If you frequently strip bolts, get a torque wrench. If you are dealing with carbon components or aluminum fasteners, don't risk it; get a torque wrench.


----------



## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Get a torque wrench. The 1/4" one on Harbor Freight works well and is under $20.


----------



## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Feels right torque works well for me, I can't think of anything on a bike i would use a torque wrench on.


----------



## David C (May 25, 2011)

I would like to get a torque wrench, but so far I didn't had a use for it after building and working on a few bikes. I find that doing it till it feels right is already a good way to go. I'm not working with carbon or aluminum fastener either.

For the stem, I usually finger tighten the first bolt, then the second, then make sure the stem is align with the wheel, then by using the long side of the hex, I start tightening the first bolt till it get a bit harder, then do the same on the second one, then again on the first one, then on the second one, then on the first one, etc, till it feels like it's all the way and you get a good resistance on the wrench. Then I tighten a bit again the top cap to be sure it won't move anymore.This is on alu or steel stem. Never tried my hand on carbon yet. But I find stem with opposite clamp bolts to be easier to tighten on a linear torque setting then cheaper one with both bolts in the same direction.



















David


----------



## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

This works well for a large majority of stems/carbon bars etc.
Ritchey Logic - Accessories - Tools & Lube - Ritchey Tool Torque Key M4 5Nm


----------



## giant_in_a_trance (Nov 14, 2011)

ive now tightened said bolts so they are tight enough not to allow movement, everything looks and feels good. ill look for a torque wrench next before buying more new parts, just for self confidence more then any thing else.


----------



## ziglaf (Dec 12, 2010)

Yeah, unless you're dealing with carbon you don't really need one. I just tighten to where they are pretty "snug". You definitely don't want to under tighten, but don't try and be superman tightening either and you'll be fine.


----------



## KAZU (Aug 10, 2011)

I bought a smaller torque wrench since the ones I have only go down to 20 ft lbs.

I payed $80 for it.

Rebuilt 2 bikes the new torque wrench is still in the package unopened.

I use the German torque specs...... Goodandtight.


----------



## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

Shark said:


> This works well for a large majority of stems/carbon bars etc.
> Ritchey Logic - Accessories - Tools & Lube - Ritchey Tool Torque Key M4 5Nm


Bontrager makes a tool with the same guts and a handle that is 10 times better than the ritchey. But neither is going to work for the OP because his stem is 9nm no the preset of 5nm that these tools work for. His stem probably has 5mm allen heads as well given the torque value is almost double what is common.


----------

