Who wants to laugh at me???

[Scot]

Over the weekend I was getting my mountain bike ready for the season. Had to change the tires, get the studded ones off, and replace some stripped (rounded out) allens holding my front brake disc on. I won't go in to why they were rounded but I picked up some new ones that took a 3mm instead of the 4.5mm of the originals. On the face of the disc was printed "tq 55 in/lbs". I immediatley translated that into ft/lbs for some reason grabbed the smaller of my 2 clicker style tq wrenches and tried to tighten a 3mm allen to 55 ft/lbs. (For anyone as dense as me, It's impossible! the allen will round out or the tool will break long before you hit 55) All the time in the back of my head I'm thinking this can't be right, but tried anyway and of course never got the click from the wrench. Yesterday I stopped by my bike shop for something else and noticed the mechanic doing the same thing I was but with a tiny rod style tq wrench. I asked him how he gets them to 55 ft/lbs without problems. He of course schooled me on the in/ft difference. I always thought it was just metric or standard--- period! I had no clue there were differing degrees of each.

There is a reason I make my living with wood and not metals.

 

[bushpilot]

that seems vaguely familiar

so do i understand you to be saying some easy-outs are
in your future or were you able to slot the head of the
bolt w/ a wizzer wheel/dremil tool

 

[F350DRW1]

Well, if you ever have to properly torque the fuel bowls on a Holley 750 double pumper, I can say from experience its 7 INCH pounds. Been there, stripped that.

 

[Scot]

that seems vaguely familiar

so do i understand you to be saying some easy-outs are
in your future or were you able to slot the head of the
bolt w/ a wizzer wheel/dremil tool

When the time comes, I was thinking of slotting with the dremmell. To make things worse, since they became loose after only 300 miles I dabbed a smidge of blue locktight on there too. For now they are in good and staying there until the disc NEEDS to come off.

 

[big_rooster]

nah the blue lock tight is the removable one. What i wanna see is what you had holding the bike while trying to apply 55 lbs of force.

 

[JLDickmon]

Well, if you ever have to properly torque the fuel bowls on a Holley 750 double pumper, I can say from experience its 7 INCH pounds. Been there, stripped that.

ME ME ME!
I worked my way through a year of college at a speed shop rebuilding Holley & Carter carbs..

I replaced lots of base plates & heli-coiled lots of metering plates because of the "tighter is better" mentality

 

[Crumm]

in - ft bla bla bla it is all relative

Studded tires on your bike

 

[acjjkamp]

sounds like "Spinal Tap"

I meant 18', not 18"

 

[Scot]

in - ft bla bla bla it is all relative

Studded tires on your bike

It's the only way to stay on it through the winter. Without them I would break many many bones. I think there is 198 on each tire & they're carbide points.

You could use some up there! But they wouldn't stop the steel parts from getting brittle at those temps.