Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Why you should own a torque wrench

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1. Yes, I'm an idiot.
2. Yes, it's crushed/cracked.
3. See #1.
4. Yes, I already ordered a Park Tool TW-1 Torque Wrench and bits.
5. See #1 and #3
6. LBS said "No offense, but I think you already know that at your size, that could fail pretty badly on you. That is not rideable even for me." LBS guy is maybe 145 lbs soaking wet. :)

This is what happens when you think you can estimate how tight 5-7 N-m is by hand. You can't. Well, I can't, anyway.

Should be around a $100 lesson I just learned, plus the $50-odd bucks for the torque wrench & bits. All to save the $50 in the first place. What;s that old saying? Penny wise, pound foolish? Hi. That's me today.

Should be around a $100 lesson I just learned, plus the $50-odd bucks for the torque wrench & bits. All to save the $50 in the first place. What;s that old saying? Penny wise, pound foolish? Hi. That's me today.

Experience is the teacher of all things.
-Julius Caesar

LOL, I've been there, many, many times. Another thing to keep in mind about that $50 wrench - money spent on good tools is never, ever wasted.

Looking up the specs on that post, the Giant Round CF Composite Seatpost is 350mm and 225g.

A 27.2 x 330mm Thompson Elite is only 16g heavier and you'd need a hydraulic bench vise to squish it. Also, only $100.

I strongly believe that nobody who is posting on the clyde forum should be riding with a carbon post or bars. I'm sure that someone will come along and try to say how safe it is, but don't do it.

Looking up the specs on that post, the Giant Round CF Composite Seatpost is 350mm and 225g.

A 27.2 x 330mm Thompson Elite is only 16g heavier and you'd need a hydraulic bench vise to squish it. Also, only $100.


I strongly believe that nobody who is posting on the clyde forum should be riding with a carbon post or bars. I'm sure that someone will come along and try to say how safe it is, but don't do it.

:thumb:

I strongly believe that nobody who is posting on the clyde forum should be riding with a carbon post or bars. I'm sure that someone will come along and try to say how safe it is, but don't do it.

I'll be that someone. The components are plenty strong enough; it's the assembly which is the tricky part. Tighter tolerances, etc. make things like a pricey torque wrench a necessity. This isn't the first CF post I've heard of having issues from installation. A sub-150 friend of mine had hers crack and the shop replaced it (since they were the last ones to wrench on her bike.) An LBS owner up here is a Clyde (230-ish) and I was riding with him yesterday; he was on his Tarmac D-A with Kysrium SL wheels. He's never had a problem with anything on it.

For me, it isn't that I don't trust CF bits... The weight trade between the few items I would consider replacing isn't worth the hassle of the maintenance.

I strongly believe that nobody who is posting on the clyde forum should be riding with a carbon post or bars. I'm sure that someone will come along and try to say how safe it is, but don't do it.

I'll do it too. ;) If you have a good quality carbon seat post it is just as strong, if not stronger than a steel or aluminum part. Having said that, there really is no advantage/disadvantage to having a carbon seat post on your bike. It's just not that critical of a part. If you are worried about it put a metal on on there. It's not a big deal. All my bikes are %100 carbon and I ride 10,000+miles/year. Not only that but on my randoneuring bike I use a seatpost mounted rack (and have for almost 10 years). There is absolutely nothing wrong with a good quality carbon part! Carbon can be made as strong and/or stronger than a steel or aluminum part. It's as simple as that.

Update: Got the call...LBS is going to replace it for $70 with a stock Giant CF part. Weight isn't my concern, but dampening vibration on some of these chipseal roads is definitely part of why I prefer the CF post. And like cod.peace said, a good tool is not money wasted, right? Having a good torque wrench will serve me well in the future.

If it fails on me again, I will *absolutely* swap it for a good solid Thompson. For now I'm gonna work on making the engine lighter. :D

stark -
What saddle are you using, and what shorts do you wear? Just asking because the randos pick some farking atrocious roads here-and-there to keep us on our toes, and my alu seatpost and Brooks saddle combo with mid-priced PI shorts has always served me well. Even over 30 miles of large caliber chip seal (Daffodil Classic century) or pitted, barely paved Jeep trails that count as a road (Keystone Ave/Byrd Dr on our latest 200k is essentially a roadway of 2' wide potholes and packed lime with some bigger gravel thrown on top.)

The problem is that sooner or later something will happen where it will get adjusted by someone without a torque wrench.

An aluminum post weighs just about the same and is much more forgiving.

I busted the threads on my stem from too much torque. I need to get a new stem and a torque wrench. :(

Update: Got the call...LBS is going to replace it for $70 with a stock Giant CF part. Weight isn't my concern, but dampening vibration on some of these chipseal roads is definitely part of why I prefer the CF post. And like cod.peace said, a good tool is not money wasted, right? Having a good torque wrench will serve me well in the future.

If it fails on me again, I will *absolutely* swap it for a good solid Thompson. For now I'm gonna work on making the engine lighter. :D

Hmm, I don't know how I managed over some Gawd-awful roads and trails on tours without a carbon fiber seatpost. ;) I suspect you are being sold a bill of goods here.