Re: Measured Torque versus Thread Tension

Peter Chishom said:

capt-<< I can't imagine using a beam type torque wrench on a left crank, 'cause

I don't see how I could get it tight enough while being in a position to
read the scale. >><BR><BR>

Go to left side of bici, grasp torque wrench in right hand, grasp crank arm in
left hand, ensure crankarm and torque wrench are opposite one another, pull
both down whilst reading the scale...pretty easy...

Hmmm... you must be a lot shorter than I am, or must have a much taller
workstand. I was taught at an early age to pull on wrenches, not push
on them, and I don't see how I could do that. with any convenient
working position.

Maybe I should rethink my position on 185 mm cranks, because I find
that, while I can get as long a wrench as I need, the length of the
crank limits how tight I can get the left side.

Indeed, one of the reasons I don't believe I need a torque wrench is
that I basically just get it as tight as my spindly arms can manage.

Sheldon "Ummmmmffff!" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------+
| What is good for you is what is good for you. |
| --Peter Chisholm |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Capt-<< Hmmm... you must be a lot shorter than I am, or must have a much taller

workstand. >><BR><BR>

Rotate the bike so that the rear wheel is up, crank nearly at eye level.
getting 30 ft-lbs just a lot of effort, particularly when using something as
log as a torque wrench.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Capt-<< Hmmm... you must be a lot shorter than I am, or must have a much taller

workstand. >><BR><BR>

Rotate the bike so that the rear wheel is up, crank nearly at eye level.
getting 30 ft-lbs just a lot of effort, particularly when using something as
log as a torque wrench.

That wouldn't work for me, no way I'd be able to hold the crank with my
left arm bent and get the bolt tight enough.

Sheldon "Thanks Anyway" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------+
| I'll be appearing as Preposteros in |
| Gilbert & Sullivan's Thespis at M.I.T. |
| April 9-10,15-17 http://web.mit.edu/gsp/www |
+-----------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon:

It's easy. You rest the crank on your thigh while sitting next to the
bike. Use a glove (or whatever) as a pad. It's easy - I do it whenever
I take off the cranks. The nice thing is, I KNOW that my cranks are set
to the manufacturers specified torque.

MOO,
Matt

Sheldon Brown said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Capt-<< Hmmm... you must be a lot shorter than I am, or must have a
much taller

workstand. >><BR><BR>

Rotate the bike so that the rear wheel is up, crank nearly at eye level.
getting 30 ft-lbs just a lot of effort, particularly when using
something as
log as a torque wrench.

That wouldn't work for me, no way I'd be able to hold the crank with my
left arm bent and get the bolt tight enough.

Sheldon "Thanks Anyway" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------+
| I'll be appearing as Preposteros in |
| Gilbert & Sullivan's Thespis at M.I.T. |
| April 9-10,15-17 http://web.mit.edu/gsp/www |
+-----------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

[snip racy discussions of wrenching positions]

Quoted message said:

I was taught at an early age to pull on wrenches, not push
on them . . .

Sheldon "Ummmmmffff!" Brown

Dear Sheldon,

Why?

Carl Fogel

Carl Fogel said:

Sheldon Brown <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

[snip racy discussions of wrenching positions]

Quoted message said:

I was taught at an early age to pull on wrenches, not push
on them . . .

Sheldon "Ummmmmffff!" Brown

Dear Sheldon,

Why?

Dear Carl,

In my experience, it is best to apply force to a tool in such a manner
that if the tool slips on the fastener one's hand does not crash into
hard and/or sharp objects.

--
Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

Sheldon Brown said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Capt-<< Hmmm... you must be a lot shorter than I am, or must have a much taller

workstand. >><BR><BR>

Rotate the bike so that the rear wheel is up, crank nearly at eye level.
getting 30 ft-lbs just a lot of effort, particularly when using something as
log as a torque wrench.

That wouldn't work for me, no way I'd be able to hold the crank with my
left arm bent and get the bolt tight enough.

Okay, here's another way; the one that works for me.

Stand the bike next to a step or other raised platform. I use the
front steps of my house. Turn the cranks until one of the arms rests
on the step. (I use a small carpet remnant between the concrete and
the crank to protect the finish.) In the case of the left crank this
has the crank sort of parallel to the chain stay. Leaning over the
saddle from the right side of the bike I insert the torque wrench
(beam type). I steady the bike with my left hand and tighten with my
right. As I apply torque the bike wants to lift off the ground, which
I counteract by leaning on the saddle. As the wrench arm comes up to
near vertical it's easy to read the needle/scale values.

This probably sounds more complicated than it is. Wish I had a picture
I could post.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

Sheldon said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was taught at an early age to pull on wrenches, not push
on them . . .

Tom Sherman said:

In my experience, it is best to apply force to a tool in such a manner
that if the tool slips on the fastener one's hand does not crash into
hard and/or sharp objects.

How does pulling help? If the wrench slips, your hand flies in the
same direction regardless of which side of the wrench it was on. If
you're pushing, you're limited by the length of your arm, and if
you're pulling, you're limited by the geometry of your arm.

I suppose that pulling down, you'll probably whack your elbow on
something before your hand...
--
Rick Onanian