"Pete Biggs" <pLime{remove_fruit}@biggs.tc> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Suzy Jackson wrote:
>
> >> Seems like 3-chaining road bikes are making the fad,
> >
> > They're to cater for the mountain bike crowd who can't cope unless they have gears where they'd
> > walk faster.
> >
> > If you're overweight (either through obesity or luggage) get a triple, otherwise a normal double
> > is quite adequate.
>
> Bollocks. Triples can be great for normal road cycling in hilly areas whether you're
> overweight or not.
I say "bollocks" as well (not exactly sure what it means, but I guess it's a firm disagreement). The
popularity of triples may come from MTB cross overs, I don't know. I think a lot of the anti-triple
attitudes are dated, and reflect the limitations of old equipment. These days a triple really has no
significant downside or compromise. I hardly ever use mine, never needing it for rolling hills where
I ride weekly, but it's there when I do need it, like those mountainous double centuries where I
have to spin on climbs to keep my exhausted legs from cramping. A triple costs very little to equip
a new bike with, yet is a pretty expensive retro-fit. I think it's a case of "better to have and not
need, than need and not have".