Stupid assembly question (Rad City 4)

[kimpops]

Do i really need a torque and pedal wrench to safely assemble the bike?  Just got them today and we are anxious to assemble but didn't realize we might need extra stuff.  I would have it done at a bike shop but the wait is just too long and i want to get riding!  if i have to buy them, i will....was just hoping to hear that they aren't necessary.

[kev12345]

No you don't need it. I never used them. Just tighten them up and have fun.

[TDR]

I agree with kev12345. I assembled mine without a torque wrench, had a pedal wrench.

[fin_rad]

Same. One will learn the right torque after few times. If not enough, it will fall down. If too much, it will get broken. Your wallet size will tell you how fast you will learn.

[Ryan]

I've thought about this a lot recently mainly because I was trying to decide if it is helpful to go through using a torque wrench for people who want to assemble their bike "by the book". I feel like the rear wheel is perhaps the most important bolt to make sure it is tight enough. Beyond that I feel like you will notice anything being too lose before it becomes a problem.

[flhtci2006]

I recommend a torque wrench.  They only cost $20 at Harbor Freight.

[JeffGo]

I bought a bike torque wrench while I waited for the bike. But I have done work on bikes for years without one. You can get a feel for roughly the right amount of torque. Many of the smaller bolts are rated at 6 Nm which is not very tight and about what you can get from the small hex keys before your hand hurts. The adjustable angle quill stem (angle of handle bars) suggested torque is 18 Nm which is pretty tight so crank harder on that - if it gets loose, it won't fall before you realize it since the positions are ratcheted. And you might wind up adjusting that in the first week or so anyway so tighten after you have things like you like them.

As far as the pedal wrench goes, you want pedals to be quite tight, but a normal pedal wrench (cheap) is not a torque wrench. It is long which lets you apply quite a bit of torque as opposed to the wrench they ship. Pedals have threads that are reversed on the left - this is so you are always pedaling in a direction that would tighten a lose pedal, at least in theory. I would get one of those (I had one) - you can use an adjustable wrench which will be longer than the little wrench in the box and will let you apply more torque.