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Fixed a creaky bottom bracket after three tries with a new torque wrench

I mean, this old Trek 520 came in with a noise you could hear a block away. I cleaned and greased the threads twice, but it still sounded awful after a few rides. Finally grabbed my buddy's Park Tool TW-5.2, torqued it to exactly 35 Nm, and the creak was just gone. Has anyone else found that a specific number on the wrench makes the difference with those square taper ones?
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3 Comments
iris_rivera44
Hold on, regular wrench as in just tightening until it feels tight? I'm genuinely shocked anyone would risk cracking a crank arm like that. Square tapers are surprisingly fussy about exact torque, and a few Nm difference can make or break that interface.
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blake302
blake3021mo ago
Wait, are we really out here using torque wrenches on square taper cranks now? I've been slapping them together with a regular wrench for years and they're fine. Sounds like you just needed to crank it down harder the first time.
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robin489
robin4891mo ago
My old Trek needed 35 foot-pounds with a torque wrench to stay put, @blake302.
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