ITA: Le procedure di verifica di taratura delle chiavi dinamometriche vengono effettuate in condizioni ben precise. Conoscerle aiuta anche ad utilizzare sempre la chiave dinamometrica nelle migliori condizioni.

Procedura di test
Secondo la norma UNI EN ISO 6789:2004, la tolleranza di +- 4% rispetto al valore nominale per le chiavi a scatto viene valutata come segue:

1) portare la chiave al 100% della sua capacità (16 Nm nel caso della Giustaforza) ed effettuare 5 'click', per permettere agli attriti interni, massimi dopo l'inattività della chiave, di regolarizzarsi;
2) 5 letture al 20% della capacità (3 Nm nel caso della Giustaforza);
3) 5 letture al 60% della capacità (9,5 Nm nel caso della Giustaforza);
4) 5 letture al 100% della capacità (16 Nm nel caso della Giustaforza);
5) se i valori misurati non rientrano nella tolleranza di +-4% rispetto al valore nominale (+-6% per coppie al di sotto di 10 Nm), si interviene sulla chiave e si ripete la procedura dal punto 1) fino a quando il risultato non è soddisfacente.

Procedura di preparazione all'uso della chiave
Quanto indicato al punto 1 (5 click alla massima coppia) è consigliato anche per l'uso pratico della chiave: soprattutto se si intende utilizzare Giustaforza (od ogni altra chiave dinamometrica a scatto) vicino ai massimi della sua capacità (16 Nm), è consigliabile effettuare alcuni scatti a vuoto con  la chiave impostata al massimo, prima di impiegarla sulla vite che si intende serrare.
L'obbiettivo di questa procedura è di evitare picchi di coppia, che potrebbero essere causati dagli attriti interni ai primi scatti. I picchi di coppia sono trascurabili a basse coppie di serraggio, anche se la procedura descritta è sempre consigliabile.

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EN: Torque wrench testing procedures have very precise operative conditions: knowing them  can help to always use a torque wrench at its best.

Testing procedure
Following UNI EN ISO 6789:2004 norm, the +- 4% tolerance on nominal value for click-type torque wrenches is measured as follows:

1) have the wrench make 5 'clicks' at 100% of its torque capacity (16 Nm for Giustaforza), to allow internal friction, at its maximum after the wrench has not been used, to decrease;
2) 5 readings are done at 20% of torque capacity (3 Nm for Giustaforza);
3) 5 readings are done at 60%  of torque capacity (9,5 Nm for Giustaforza);
4) 5 readings are done at 100% of torque capacity (16 Nm for Giustaforza);
5) if the measured values are not within the +- 4% tolerance on nominal value (+-6% for torques below 10 Nm), the wrench is revised and adjusted, then the procedure is repeated from 1), until the results are positive.

Warm-up procedure
What described at #1 (5 free clicks at max torque setting) is good to release  torque wrench internal friction also in the daily use: especially if planning to use  Giustaforza (or any other click-type torque wrench) close to the upper limits of its capacity (16 Nm), it's good practice to do some free clicks  with the torque wrench set at  16 Nm before using it on the bolt.
The purpose of the "warm-up" is to avoid the torque peak that could be generated by internal friction on the few first clicks. Torque peak on first clicks is neglectable for low torque settings, although the procedure described is always advisable.

I wasn't feeling 100% sunday morning, but the idea of a long ride with Icio and Gian was attractive enough, so I got up at 7:30 and by 8:30 I was pedaling to our first check point.
Icio was already there, waiting for me at la Moglia, and together we headed to Dogliani.
Icio is currently without a bike computer and never used an heart-rate monitor... this is the reason why sometimes he doesn't know, but just goes too fast. An example is what happened on the small climb where the 'Fondovalle' road meets the road for Vergne: I was leading easy at 30 something km/h on the flat, then Icio took his pull and, without an apparent reason, went up to 40 km/h as the road steepened. The combination of slope and speed were hurting badly my 'un-warmed up' legs, my HR at 170 bpm. So I did an all-out effort and passed him again to take my pull, staying there until the road went down on the other side. As we were both panting, I looked at him with an interrogative face asked him "Ma che cazz.." (you can translate it with "What the fu**...") and he explained me he wanted to do the climb as fast as he could, so that it lasted less and the pain was shorter. I liked the explanation.

We met Gian, who had loaded his bike for two days at the beach (cycling back and forth), and we took the 'Lovera' climb to Murazzano, enjoying every moment of it. This is a 'violent' climb if done fast, for several years it was the scene of a cycling hill-climb race where, the legend says, a local hero beat a recently retired Maurizio Fondriest.
From Murazzano to Montezemolo the road is a motorbiker's dream, with good asphalt, turns, ups and downs: in some cases it has unfortunatly been their 'last' dream (judging by the memorial crosses you can see close to several turns, and from what you can read on local newspapers), but the police is currently paying more attention, they're often there effectively slowing down someone's fastest lap. Once in Montezemolo we stopped at the motorbikers bar. All sort of impressive bikes were lined in front of it, from Harleys to Ducati to 'barely legal' japanese ones. Carbon parts, massive disks, super-soft tyres: the passion for nice parts and exotic bits is something also cyclists know well.
We enjoyed our coffee, then Gian took the road down to Liguria and the sea, while we went back home. Around 108 km in total (you can see it below).

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

My testing place is not exactly like a 'cleanroom'

Yesterday, my younger brother Federico and I went trail running. I had had my easy week after the long distance triathlon, so my hunger for 'suffering' was fully restored as I run to our meeting point. We ran across a sleepy town (it was 9 a.m. on a sunday morning, after all) and we went up San Michele climb to get to the trails.

My bro is 8 years younger than me and we have this ongoing 'family' challange, so every training with him becomes a race, at a certain point. He's a much faster runner and has a better technique, but he doesn't do distance as much as I do... so my plan is very simple: I keep his pace for 1 hour or so, trying not to fry my legs, then I just have to get him over 1h 30' and enjoy the rest of the run controlling. That's exactly what happened yesterday, although not so much in an intentional way: it was just so enjoyable to be out in the woods, running under the shadow of trees on twisty trails, that I basically took him too far from home, and our 1h30' run turned into a 2h+ adventure. He might not have enjoyed it so much all the time, but we talked a lot and I realised our 'challange' is a good way to spend time with each other, now that we are grown-ups and have different interests and lifes.