How tight should screws on handlebar stem be?

I switched my bontrager handlebar stem for a longer one from my spare bike (a Cinelli) - gives me a better fit on the bike.

wondering how tight the screws should be, especially the ones that hold the handlebars to the front end of the stem.

am riding a pretty big race tomorrow in Belgium, and I don't want it to come loose on the cobblestones. alternatively, I don't want it so tight that it cracks the handlebar, if this is possible....

any tips?

 

Go to the hardware store and buy a torque wrench - most stems will indicate in newton meters how tight the bolts should be (I think its generally 5Nm. Tighten all the bolts down a little at a time (so not one all at once, then the next, but each one a little bit at a time to keep the pressures even) until they are all finger tight, then use the torque wrench to put them at exactly the right spot. With carbon handlebars or even some of the superlight aluminium ones I wouldn't want to tighten without a torque wrench. If you get them too tight the handlebars can break.

 

excellent advice, but it's 1930 here. and leaving tomorroiw at dawn, so no time for hardware store.....i'll jusdt have to try common sense. I'm guessing "tight enough so I can easily lloosen them, but they shouldn't come loose by themselves" will be fine.

 

If you tighten them up enough to where the bars can't rotate you should be good to go. You could always add a dab of threadlocker if you're completely paranoid about leaving your teeth on the cobbles....

Good luck with the races.