I finally had a customer argue with me about torque specs on a carbon seatpost

A guy named Mark came into my shop in Boise last month for a basic tune up on his new road bike. When I told him I'd be using a torque wrench set to 5 Newton-meters for his carbon seatpost clamp, he got really upset and said, 'Just crank it down tight, I don't want it slipping!' I had to explain why over tightening could crush the frame. Has anyone else had to talk a customer down from over tightening their own gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

tyler6142mo agoMost Upvoted

Just crank it down tight"? That's a scary thing to hear from someone with a carbon frame.

daniel5112mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah, that's solid advice. My torque wrench is basically just for feeling fancy. Usually just go until I hear a crack, then back off a quarter turn. Works on everything.

the_claire2mo ago

Honestly, Mark has a point about wanting it tight. I've seen more seatposts slip from being under-torqued than frames crack from being over-tightened. A little extra force gives real peace of mind on a climb.