Originally Posted by
Bekologist
need some coffee to take the edge off or something sstorkel?
I believe carbonfiberboy was suggesting there's no bolts on a bike that would cause damage if overtightened.
having a stripped WB eyelet is a bummer, and people do it. it's considered a bike in need of repair when that happens.
sorry for not being clear about how bikes sustain damage, how mechanics should use a torque wrench for some assemblies, and how overtightening things can lead to problems on a bike, esp. a carbon fiber bike.
although the nuances of bike fasteners and torque have begun to degrade into pedantic ranting, i'm going to consistently suggest if a person has been taking their carbon bike to a bike shop and the mechanic scoffs at using a torque wrench with rationale similar to sstorkels', find another shop.
yes, your mechanic and you should both be able to attach a water bottle without a torque wrench. that doesn't mean that overtightening them isn't possible or not considered frame damage.
Incorrect. Carbonfiberboy was suggesting that there are no bolts peculiar to a carbon fiber frame for which overtightening would damage the frame itself. Obviously one can strip out an insert, such as for a waterbottle, but that's exactly the same problem one would have on a frame of any material. All the smoke thrown up about carbon bars, seatposts, stems, and forks has nothing to do with a carbon frame. Such parts are common on bikes of any material.
I've spent a fair bit of time in bike shops and have never seen a torque wrench in use, even in the best shops in town. My little anecdote about "tighten your own cassette lock ring with a torque wrench" is because IME mechanics never use a torque wrench and thus
undertighten key parts, particularly including said lock ring and cable binder bolts. I do use a torque wrench to prevent undertightening. I've never overtightened anything because it's pretty hard to do if you have any experience with metal fasteners.