To me, a triple is like a double to normal folk.

I'm just waiting for Shimano to make a quintuple....

Reiterating Lokstah on this one.....a "compact" crankset is one with (usually) a smaller diameter spider, and (always) smaller chainrings for the sake of lower gearing and lighter weight mainly aimed at the climbing market and the weight weenies. Also i think that a 50x11 is a big enough gear (it is bigger than 53x12) for almost any purpose except maybe desents at over 90km/h and i think that a 34x23/25 should be almost small enough for everybody as the gears u guys are using on the triples are not much different to this. I have to admit i am a racer/racer wannabe and feel that i would be ridiculed for using a triple (and i dont need one as i never have to go that low on the climbs around here anyway) but i also think that if you are going to the trouble of changing cranks etc. to gain the extra chainring then maybe it is worth exploring the "compact" option.

i rode my bike today set up with a triple for the first time since winter and man triples are awesome. with 52,42,30 up front and a 12-23 cassette theres always the perfect gear.

Guys,

What if someone with a triple arrives faster at the top of a mountain than another guy riding a double ?
Do you think he is an inferior rider ?

Nope. You?

No defintely not inferior, infact probably better (if not smarter)! In most cases though a hill taken at speed will be faster on a double as it forces u to ride a slightly larger gear and thus the speed must be higher (as long as u can keep the gear moving). I am saying that the hills (not really mountains) around here are too short or flat, so a triple would have to be spun at a ridiculous cadence at the speeds these hills are generally ridden up that it is not worth the extra hassle/weight etc..... Im not arguing just making spirited conversation!

Agree with you 100%. You don't use the inner ring for rollers or sprinters hills that you can get over at 10-12 mph or higher.....just put in some muscle power, or jump out of the saddle and sprint up. Having the triple doesn't mean you use it as an excuse to slow down and loaf up every hill.

I use the inner ring for the long climbs, say 6-10% grades than go for a mile or more. It allows me to control the cadence and HR on these long climbs, so I can avoid blowing up and stay strong for the end of the ride. In my double, I had to just stand and grind it out at max HR....it was often a life-or-death struggle to keep turning over the pedals when the hairpins or walls kicked up to 22%.

If you don't have these kinds of grades, or have enough sustained aerobic power-to-weight capability to race up every mountain at 10-12 mph like the pro's, then you certainly don't need a triple.

I recently converted to campy triple (30x42x53) a couple of months ago after riding campy double (39x53) for many years. I am finding that I can cruise at a higher speed up rolling hills using the 42 than I could with the 39. Shifting between the 53 and 42 is much smoother since the jump in gears is not as dramatic as 39. Also, since I use this bike to commute to work as well, I find that it is much more enjoyable to climb the 1.5 mile hill to my work on days I do not want to push hard.

I'd say the guy with the double is in denial and he needs a triple too. If that were me getting beat by a guy with a triple I'd drop major bucks on a compact crank on my way home.

The other option I see frequently recommended is to go XT/XTR derailleur and a 32t big cog. That's a cheaper choice than a new crank for those in triple-denial.

Just more triple-trolling. How come you triple guys are so defensive?

Coz double guys are so offensive?

I think it's come to a don't ask, don't tell policy, folks. We all need to install chainring covers on our road bikes.

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i relish complicating the obvious and trivializing the stupendous

No defensiveness here. But when a younger, stronger guy comes on belittle those of us that need a triple to climb the big mountains, it sounds just a little like bragging.

Understand not everyone needs a triple. One of my riding partners is in his mid-thirties, and weighs 140 lbs at 6'3". His low is the classic 39/23, and he can grind up everything I've seen in it. But, I'm 20 years older and 30 lbs heavier. The 30/25 I run now helps me stay a lot closer to him on the hard climbs than I used to with my double.

If I had LA's steady 500 W output capability, I'd climb the 10% mountain grades in 39/23 just like he does....at 12-15 mph. But, I figure I can only make about half of his sustained power, so that 2/3's of his gear would seem more than enough for me.

Note having a triple doesn't mean you have to slow down and get dropped on every hill. Out with the club on shorter rides, I still like to power over the rollers in the big ring and hang with the pack just as much as ever.

My only suggestion would be to run the gearing you need for what you climb and how you ride. Your overall performance is what matters, not how much your chainrings and cogs resemble those in the pro peleton.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dhk
[B]Having the triple doesn't mean you use it as an excuse to slow down and loaf up every hill.

Why not? I got mine for exactly that reason.

I'm terribly impressed by the amazing strength and speed many of you claim to have, and I hope that if you ever get a triple no one notices. For some, it seems, riding preference and ability is a source of great shame and embarassment. For those people, I highly recommend a double, and nothing biger than 23 in the back, please. Lance doesn't use easier gears; why should you?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by thumbs
[B]My apologies. Should have said "....you don't HAVE to use it as an excuse to slow down and loaf up every hill." I use my triple when I want to take it easy too, like on a recovery ride day. My only point was that just having the triple doesn't mean you have to stop climbing as hard and as fast as you want to.

Thats a great idea

I for one am currently riding a double on an old univega, but my next bike (buying one in the next 2 weeks) is gonna be a triple almost definitely. I don't feel the IMMENSE weight that it adds will outweigh the fact that I get a lower range of gearing AND it makes it easier to find "That perfect gear"

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