A pox on you all.

Guy from work has bought a 2nd hand bike wants me to check it over – whoever owned it before has done up the wheel axles so tight that I can’t shift either the front or the rear with the tools that you should be able to use, (i.e. a regular hex key) I’ll need to go and get a breaker bar from home. The seat post was done up so tightly it was effecting the dropper. Christ knows what he’s done to all the rest…

why do folks do this?

They’ve done you a favour. Why on earth would you want to get involved with this guy’s bike? No good can possibly come of it. Tell him the bolts are seized and run far, far away 🤣

why do folks do this?

Offer to look at a pal’s 2nd hand bike?

Dunno, but they’ll learn not to.

Remember to put some penetrator into the threads before smacking it with a breaker bar.

@argee, yes I will, thanks for the reminder. 👍

nothing shouts incompetence louder than overtightened bolts

We all look at others peoples and other to help….because we are Daft 😉

Like moths for some bizarre reason.

why do folks do this?

Torque is cheap?

Tightness or lack of any kind of copperslip/grease and corrosion of the bolts? I’d have thought alu thru axles would strip before they got that tight.

Anyway, either way, not much help to you – good luck!

LOL at @kayak23

…wants me to check it over

This is where you went wrong.

are you sure you just don’t have the hands of dainty lace maker and arms like wet spaghetti?
Someone’s gorilla tight can be another persons, just “nipped up”

some folks are just hamfistedspannermonkeys though

Might not be be how they were tightened, just a bit of corrosion and getting sticky. Pretty common on axles, seatposts and pedals.

Guy from work has bought a 2nd hand bike wants me to check it over

If the bolts are tight and it works why are you messing with it? Unless something is actually wrong when you ride it then hand it back and tell him it’s fine.

Torque is cheap?

Haha!

@tazzymtb, oh absolutely, but the guy from work most certainly isn’t like me (I have got arms of spaghetti) and he can’t get anywhere near them either.

Also, when I say I’m checking ti over, I’m pointing at things going, “you’ll need to..” we’re looking at the axles as it’s his first “proper” bike and he’s come from a world of QR levers and bolts…

Torque is cheap?

very good!

At least nothing will fall off on the first ride 😉