The old mechanic in Reno said he never uses a torque wrench on stems, and now I'm second guessing 12 years of habit

Mason Hall · 2026-10-07T08:40:03.288664+00:00

I was in Reno last month picking up a used wheel set and the guy, 30 plus years on the bench, said he's never used a torque wrench on a stem in his life and just goes by feel. Half of me thinks that's reckless on carbon steerers and half of me remembers every stem I've seen crack came from someone cranking way past spec with a wrench. So which is it, are we all just trusting the click or does feel actually work better once you've done a few thousand?

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The old mechanic in Reno said he never uses a torque wrench on stems, and now I'm second guessing 12 years of habit | Bicycle Mechanics - HW Forums