Triple vs. Double Chain ring

[digibud]

You need the lowest gear you need. Period at that point. If you can comfortably (whatever that is for you) climb your hills with a standard double then you're good to go. If you need a compact, that's fine too. If you need an Apex double with low gears or a triple (both will get you to about the same gearing) then you get to start making some value judgements. The big distinction is the Apex double avoids the small chain ring and there are fewer chances of throwing the chain inside. You also get slightly crisper shifting from inner to outer. The downside is you have more widely spaced gears and for me, that's the deciding factor. At 60yrs and a few too many lbs, I need the low gearing so I want and appreciate closer gearing so I can make small changes from one gear to the next and appreciated the triple.

 

[quenya]

My wife recently switched from a 105 equipped C-dale from 2000 to a Giant TCR advanced with SRAM Force. The C-dale had a triple 52-42-30 and an 11-21 9 speed cassette with the compat force she has a 34x28 and actually gained some high end, along with a much nicer bike.

 

[vspa]

Originally Posted by rclouviere .

In thinking about this more, even though I know serious cyclists would never have a triple can anyone explain why not? I've found that I am a better rider with 3, and it's a great "backup" to have the granny gear. The extra weight doesn't seem to be worth the trade-off...

lets rephrase it from "serious" to "professional" cyclists (you could also be a serious cyclist even if you don't compete in races), the answer is no because they put like 15,000 to 20,000 miles on the their legs (ok at amateur/continental level a little less) so they can climb almost anything on a 39 x 23, that still leaves some room for a bigger casette up to 25 or 27 using the same 39. There is no written rule on this but if you cannot handle a decent climb on a 39 x 19 (or so) you are gonna be most likely dropped every time and remember that cycling races have a time limit (it is a percentage of the winners time) for you to complete the race ! i think that explains why they don't bother to install a triple,

 

[ax25nut]

My Ross Gran Tour had what I believe was the standard 39/52 double. I just replaced it with Sugino 28/36/46 Triple (approx) after 25 years. This is a great help on hills here in southern Ohio, even though almost every bike path I know in the area is almost flat. I ride the roads 50% of the time, and really need the help on the hills now, unlike 25 years ago when I got that machine. Best of all is that I didn't have to replace the stock deraileurs my bike came with. Now if I can re-learn how to shift the gears I may actually start preferring this to my recumbent. Maybe.