Bicycle Mechanics - tightening bolts

I've been doing some incremental adjusting on my bike, culminating in flipping the stem to bring the bars up and closer in. In the process, I've loosened and removed a bunch of bolts. How tight do I need to tighten them, and how do I know if I have them the right tightness? Are there guidelines for all the major bolts, or would this be in my owners manual?

I worry a bit that every bolt I've ever messed with myself (and there are quite a few) are tightened incorrectly. A guy at my LBS just helped me move my saddle a little, and said the bolt was loose and the saddle probably moved back beacuse of it. He tightened it up so tight when he was done I can't budge it with my cheap L shaped allen wrenches.

You need to put more torque on bigger bolts. That is why they are all different lengths in a wrench set. So use the right size wrench and tighten firmly without creating pain in your hand. Dont use cheap allen wrenches as they will quickly lose their shape and mess the bolts.

So what kind of wrenches should I use?

So what kind of wrenches should I use? www.sheldonbrown.com/tork-grip

The stem binding bolts are some of the most critical; be careful, especially if your fork has a carbon fiber steer tube.

Al

Just remember, righty tighty, lefty loosey.

Just remember, righty tighty, lefty loosey.Unless it's reverse threaded.