Double or Triple?

I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple or
stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured 10,000
feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand doubles shift
better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road bikes. Am I just
being retro and should go for the triple?

Steve Gerdemann

 

Hi,

I just bought a Trek 5200 with a triple, and it shifts just fine. I rarely use the bottom ring, but
there are times when I'm tired and just need the low gear. Sometimes if knee pain begins the low
gear is a good thing to have. Also it depend on how old you are. If you're over 40 get it...

"Steve Gerdemann" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple or
> stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured
> 10,000 feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand
> doubles shift better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road
> bikes. Am I just being retro and should go for the triple?
>
>
> Steve Gerdemann

 

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I just bought a Trek 5200 with a triple, and it shifts just fine. I rarely use the bottom ring,
> but there are times when I'm tired and just need the low gear. Sometimes if knee pain begins the
> low gear is a good thing to have. Also it depend on how old you are. If you're over 40 get it...

Bullshit. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which ain't exactly midwestern
regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27 (which would be
considered a bailout, pussy gear by most in here). If ya wanna stay weak, get a triple. Or, if
you're over 80 get it...

Rick (who's beginning to think top-posting is reaching pandemic proportions)

> "Steve Gerdemann" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple
> > or stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured
> > 10,000 feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand
> > doubles shift better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road
> > bikes. Am I just being retro and should go for the triple?

> > Steve Gerdemann

 

Rick wrote:
>
> Bullshit. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which ain't exactly midwestern
> regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27 (which would be
> considered a bailout, pussy gear by most in here).

i use my triple when riding up the hill on lakemont blvd, near issaquah and newcastle. the hill
starts near the exchange for I-90.

does anyone know the one i'm talking about? is it possible for anyone reading to ride up without a
triple? just curious. i'm not a very strong cyclist, but i do ok on hills. that one kills me.

posting way too much in an attempt to avoid going out into the crappy rain, heather

 

"Steve Gerdemann" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple or
> stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured
> 10,000 feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand
> doubles shift better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road
> bikes. Am I just being retro and should go for the triple?
>
>
> Steve Gerdemann

There might be few reasons you need a triple, but there are more reasons why you might want a
triple. Maybe if there are any long steep climbs near 20% and maybe at the end of a long ride where
you are wasted and you need to climb 20%, especially since you ride doubles which I consider are for
the ultra insane. I have never liked riding doubles, just singles and after 80 miles of climbing
sometimes you grimmage at a big climb at the end of a hard ride. Other reasons might be putting on
cross tires where you can do some steep sections on cross rides, which I doubt you will do with a
new road bike but I used to do it with mine until I bought a Mountain Bike. Also depends on if you
live in areas that might have extremely steep sections or eratic climbs here and there. I had a
mavic triple one time just for fun, I just wanted to fool with it and try it out. Try a triple if
you want and change back to a double if it doesn't suit you. Doesn't mean you are a pussy by amy
stretch of the imagination, especially for those who are poor climbers with poor stamina and
endurance on long climbs. I don't know what your stamina or endurance levels, climbing ability is,
etc. but if you have some extra pocket change, give it a try for fun and see if it suits you.

Another reason you might want a triple is if your girlfriend is besides you holding onto your seat
while you pull her up the climb!

Bruce

 

Heather, et al.

Benefits of having a triple:

I put on a triple after I got out of the hospital in September 2001. With the triple I have 28/40/53
you can leave a close gear cassette on (I use 11-21 or 12-23) and not make too many 2 & 3 tooth
jumps which screw up your cadence but still have that triple chainring in case you do have hills
which you cannot power up with a 21 or 23

With 9-speed 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21 Cassette 28 40 53 11 66.9 95.6 126.6

12 61.3 87.6 116.1

13 56.6 80.9 107.1

14 52.6 75.1 99.5

15 49.1 70.1 92.9

16 46.0 65.7 87.1

17 43.3 61.8 81.9

19 38.7 55.3 73.3

21 35.0 50.1 66.3

Compare that with a 39 - 53 with a 9 speed 12 - 27:

With 9-speed 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27 Cassette 39 53 12 85.4 116.1

13 78.8 107.1

14 73.2 99.5

15 68.3 92.9

17 60.3 81.9

19 53.9 73.3

21 48.8 66.3

24 42.7 58.0

27 38.0 51.6

On 4/5/03 9:41 AM, in article [email protected], "heather halvorson"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
> Rick wrote:
>>
>> Bullshit. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which ain't exactly midwestern
>> regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27 (which would be
>> considered a bailout, pussy gear by most in here).
>
> i use my triple when riding up the hill on lakemont blvd, near issaquah and newcastle. the hill
> starts near the exchange for I-90.
>
> does anyone know the one i'm talking about? is it possible for anyone reading to ride up without a
> triple? just curious. i'm not a very strong cyclist, but i do ok on hills. that one kills me.
>
> posting way too much in an attempt to avoid going out into the crappy rain, heather

 

"heather halvorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Rick wrote:
> >
> > Bullshit. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which
ain't
> > exactly midwestern regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27
> > (which would be considered a bailout, pussy gear
by
> > most in here).
>
> i use my triple when riding up the hill on lakemont blvd, near issaquah and newcastle. the hill
> starts near the exchange for I-90.
>
> does anyone know the one i'm talking about? is it possible for anyone reading to ride up without a
> triple? just curious. i'm not a very strong cyclist, but i do ok on hills. that one kills me.
>
> posting way too much in an attempt to avoid going out into the crappy
rain,
> heather

Yep Heather I know that hill. That's one of the hills we trained on for the mountain rides. If ya
want a better one, do Cougar mountain, from the I90 access road not to far from the base of
Lakemont. You can get about 1200 feet in less than 2 miles as I recall? But we used doubles 39/26
and you know we are all well over 40. I miss those hills now in Michigan and I barely get out of
my big ring.

Ken

 

Kendall wrote:
>
> Yep Heather I know that hill. That's one of the hills we trained on for the mountain rides. If ya
> want a better one, do Cougar mountain, from the I90 access road not to far from the base of
> Lakemont. You can get about 1200 feet in less than 2 miles as I recall?

ok, i'll look for it, but i'm gonna need a fourthle to ride up it!

the thing i hate about lakemont is that after a bit it goes around that curve and you think you're
gonna be done, but then as you round the bend, you see that you have twice as much hill left to
climb. this is when i normally resign myself to my suckiness and shift. i have skated up lakemont
more than once, too, and that's always interesting (when will i blow this time????)

> But we used doubles 39/26 and you know we are all well over 40. I miss those hills now in Michigan
> and I barely get out of my big ring.

well, you certainly never looked like you needed a triple to me. actually you don't look well over
40 either, to be honest. i didn't know until you told me

heather

 

When I could finally afford a triple for my road bike I got one. I ride in the Bridge 2 Bridge
century every year in the mountains of western NC. Every year since I have had the triple I've never
ridden that century as fast as the first year when I had a double. You will grow to rely on that
triple... maybe too much.

Steve Gerdemann wrote:

>I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple or
>stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured
>10,000 feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand
>doubles shift better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road
>bikes. Am I just being retro and should go for the triple?
>
>
>Steve Gerdemann

 

> Bullshit. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which ain't exactly midwestern
> regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27 (which would be
> considered a bailout, pussy gear by most in here). If ya wanna stay weak, get a triple. Or, if
> you're over 80 get it...
>
> Rick (who's beginning to think top-posting is reaching pandemic proportions)

I used to think that just like that. That going for triple or even a low cog was "pussy". Then I
really looked at the numbers and found out something kind of intresting. Assuming you are running a
53-39 with a 12-27 you have to top gear of 119.3 gear inches and low of 39.0 .

A triple with a 52-42-30 and a 12-23 has a top gear of 117 and a low of 35.2 and a heck of a lot
more mid gears than you. Finally a std trip with a 11-21 runs from a high of 127.6 to a low of 38.6
. A high gear higher than your high, a low lower than your low and still a good jag more of mid
gears than your setup. Doubles are for racers, most folks would do better to take weight off
themselves than their cranks.
--
Ryan