Double vs Triple Chainring: Advice of shop or gut feeling?

[AmpedCycle]

What's the hole in the middle mystery with the compact? Is it like the nebulous donut hole, or even more nebulous black hole? I don't know about you, but it's got me a little uneasy... I'm talking about the hole in the gear range of 80-100 rpm at 20-23 mph, if that's the hole you're referring to. This is where I do the majority of my riding, where I live being a flat place. I'm not worried so much about the hills, that graph somebody posted shows a relatively small difference between the double and triple in terms of gear inches in the tiniest gear.
As it is, I cruise around in my current triple in an almost awkward midzone between the big and middle chain ring that I think might be solved by a compromise with the compact. Yet, this is exactly the mystery zone I'm hearing about and I don't know what the deal is. You tell me... talk to me about the donut hole.

 

[Deanster04]

What's the hole in the middle mystery with the compact? Is it like the nebulous donut hole, or even more nebulous black hole? I don't know about you, but it's got me a little uneasy... I'm talking about the hole in the gear range of 80-100 rpm at 20-23 mph, if that's the hole you're referring to... donut hole.

Let me summarize:
1) Everyone is so sure about their opinions that they each want to "win" and have the "other" side yield to the superior knowledge...Well there was only one absolute truth that I saw in this whole blog and that was "...the only person that you have to satisfy on this issue is you the person with the butt in the saddle (paraphrase). That is the truth.
2) Racers can never benefit from a triple...OK. Roberto Heras used a triple on the toughest day in the Vuelta a couple of years ago and Kicked some serious butt on that day and went on to win the race (I think he was still with USPS). Falacy But it is true that for the vast majority of racing a triple is not necessary or particularly useful. Agreed.
3) You are a wennie if you use a triple. (love this one) I ride trail ridge several times a year which goes over 12.3Kft. Love to ride by young studs with my triple while they are standing on the side of the road panting.
4) A compact double is better because shifting is quicker. Maybe on an each time basis but, you have to do a lot more compound shifting to find the sweet spot in a fast pace over a lot of conditions which makes it much more complicated. I have no problems with my triple shifting from the 30 to the 40 or 42 depending on which bike...and I will not get into the better C or S. In my case I use C.
5) Gearing, Gear charts, duplication, Blah, Blah, Blah... Intellectual gobbiltygook from a gedanken experiment trying to prove something...what I don't know.
I am 63 and have been riding since 1955 when I bought my first 10 speed in junior HS. Raced for 7 years on the Road and 5 years on the track under the old ABL. Won a few races. Made it to the B level once, but with a linebackers body was never built for the road...no matter how much I loved it. That said I say this in summary.
Use a standard double: if you race, live in Kansas, and/or are a fast young rec rider.
Use a compact double: If you race, live in a hilly or MT state , are a fast Rec rider, Young, and if you are old and you don't want to suffer the stares of the young riders (Hey grandpa/ma!).
Use a triple: If you are a rec rider and want to venture into the MTS or are old (like me) and love riding in the high country ( 6 to 12Kft ) inspite of the years and want to preserve your knees.
Bottom line use what ever allows you to extend the performance envelope and do the kind of riding you want to. For you compact riders who are nearing middle age if you don't want a triple come on out to Colorado and tell me what a wennie I am after a day of riding in the high mt passes...
This topic has been beat to death and there are no winners just happy riders!!!

 

[jsull14]

Deanster you are awesome. Nice post!

 

[dhk]

What's the hole in the middle mystery with the compact? Is it like the nebulous donut hole, or even more nebulous black hole? I don't know about you, but it's got me a little uneasy... I'm talking about the hole in the gear range of 80-100 rpm at 20-23 mph, if that's the hole you're referring to. This is where I do the majority of my riding, where I live being a flat place. I'm not worried so much about the hills, that graph somebody posted shows a relatively small difference between the double and triple in terms of gear inches in the tiniest gear.
As it is, I cruise around in my current triple in an almost awkward midzone between the big and middle chain ring that I think might be solved by a compromise with the compact. Yet, this is exactly the mystery zone I'm hearing about and I don't know what the deal is. You tell me... talk to me about the donut hole.

The "hole in the middle" concern isn't a mystery at all. First, the 34 ring itself is lower than the 39, so that if you want to stay on the little ring, you'll run out of cogs about two gears sooner. (eg, 34/12 is about equal to 39/14).

Second, is that with a compact, many people need a wide-range cassette to get the low climbing gear they want. EG, to match my 30/25 low gear with a compact 34 ring would mean running a 28 or 29 cog. Since I like the tight cadence choices of the 12-25 cassette for hard pack riding, going to an 11 or 12-29 has little appeal to me.

But you said you live in a flat place, and aren't really worried about the low climbing gears. And, you do most riding at 20-23 mph. For those speeds, the 50 ring would work fine, but the 53 does as well. Not sure why you'd need a compact at all.

You could just switch to a regular 53/42 or 53/39 double setup. Or, rather than make an expensive switch, have you considered keeping the triple but changing chainrings or cassettes? If you've got a 39 now, you could run a 42 middle ring to make the gap between rings even smaller. With a 12-23 cassette, you'd have tight midrange gears for the great majority of your rides, and still have a good set of climbing gears on the 30 ring just for those few times you need it.

When it comes to gear choices, everything is a compromise. Compacts certainly are a way to get low gears for those of us who have to climb steep stuff. (I need to climb a 200 ft, 10-14% grade to get back to my house on every ride from home.) In the end, guess I fall in the "the more gears the better" camp.

 

[PeterF]

Hey guys
I'm trying to figure out why my local bike shop would advise me to get a double chainring instead of a triple on the bike I'm thinking about buying... I was just really curious why. I climb a lot, and use the triple on my current bike all the time. Why would you want fewer gears, in any situation? Negligible weight differences? What else could it be? I asked the guy at the bike shop and he just joked around with me and never gave an answer... told me to get stronger, blah blah, shave my legs, quit wearing a visored helmet and wear longer white socks than the low ankle socks I'm currently wearing. I haven't the slightest idea... least of all about the chain ring.

If you are most comfortable climbing with a high cadence, low gear style and you cannot achieve this with a double, then a triple is your answer. Where I live along the coast, there is nothing long or steep enough to warrant it, but last year on a trip to Vermont riding up the access road to a ski area, I would have sold my soul for an easier combo than my 39/25. Visored helmet? Your shop guy, must have missed the Lance cronicles epsode when his Giro rep showed up. Lance was stoked to receive his training helmet with the visor. Must be something to it...

 

[vchu7105]

Get it with a compact.

Hey guys
I'm trying to figure out why my local bike shop would advise me to get a double chainring instead of a triple on the bike I'm thinking about buying... I was just really curious why. I climb a lot, and use the triple on my current bike all the time. Why would you want fewer gears, in any situation? Negligible weight differences? What else could it be? I asked the guy at the bike shop and he just joked around with me and never gave an answer... told me to get stronger, blah blah, shave my legs, quit wearing a visored helmet and wear longer white socks than the low ankle socks I'm currently wearing. I haven't the slightest idea... least of all about the chain ring.