Can we talk about shops that refuse to torque stem bolts and just send it by feel

Kelly Torres · 2026-10-08T13:05:03.816252+00:00

Had a guy bring in a bike last Tuesday after a shop in Denver charged him $85 for a stem swap and his bars twisted on the first hard brake. I put a torque wrench on those bolts and they were at maybe 2 Nm, basically finger tight. He's lucky it happened in a parking lot and not bombing a descent. If you're charging shop labor, use a torque wrench and hit the spec on the faceplate, it takes 10 extra seconds. Who else is seeing torque specs ignored on basic repair tickets?

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Can we talk about shops that refuse to torque stem bolts and just send it by feel | Bicycle Mechanics - Thought Shares