The moment I stopped chasing torque specs on old frames

Used to be a stickler for the exact numbers, torque wrench on every bolt, even on a 1972 Raleigh I was rebuilding. Last spring I pulled a seized seatpost out of a frame in Portland and realized the old steel just flexes differently, the numbers don't translate. Now I go by feel and a few taps of the wrench, only torque the critical stuff like stems and cranks. Anyone else loosen up their approach on vintage bikes, or am I asking for trouble down the line?

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the_richard22d ago

Friend of mine snapped a bolt clean off his old Peugeot fork crown doing the exact same thing, torque wrench and all. He just goes by feel now and hasn't had an issue since. Maybe it's the flex, like you said, but those old threads just seem to have their own rules.