you people out there riding double or tripple?

Had an Ultegra double but because I am approx 200lb and I always blew up on hills so when my bike got stolen I thought I would try something different and have ordered a Centaur triple. The weight difference is negliable but I am looking forward to those hills alot more. Cant wait.

 

ditto on this set-up

(my first post!)

 

Chorus double, 39-53. Works fine, shifts better!

 

Here is something from the opposite end of the spectrum: velonews has an article today on the Dauphiné Libéré Mont Ventoux TT stage. In it there is a picture of Iban Mayo plowing up the mountain - in the BIG ring!! Forget the triple, he is in the big ring. Maybe the photo was taken at the very bottom of the mountain and he later dropped to the small ring. Another interesting point is that it looks like his chain is seriously crossed over - to the second biggest cog - maybe a 21. There he goes thumbing his nose at conventional wisdom - and winning the Stage (and the Yellow jersey) anyway. Take a look at the picture:

http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/6240.0.html

Click to enlarge the first picture. Anyone good at guessing grade from a photo? All I know is I imagine I would be in my granny ring faster than I can pronounce "Dauphiné Libéré " !!! Perhaps if I had his special Orbea Climbing Bike I could scoot right up Mont Ventoux, right? Right?

 

Ventoux is like a constant 7.5% forever, no steep parts where you'd need something really low.

 

A triple, cause that's what came on my bike. Never been out of the middle chain ring, never needed to!

 

The triple came with my bike, I don't even use the 'granny ring' and let me assure you, I don't ride like a granny. LOL


Is there anyway to have the 'granny ring' removed, or do I have to buy a new chain ring set?

 

i'm a brand new rider.. so TRIPLE BABY! and i'm not too proud to say i use it!

 

When the grade kicks up to 15% or more, triples work for everyone, not just begineers. Axle Merckx looked like he really needed one today on the TdF for the 15% section. He was seated, and grinding out about 45 rpm while watching Virenque speed away.

 

When the grade kicks up to 15% or more, triples work for everyone, not just begineers. Axel Merckx looked like he really needed one today on the TdF for the 15% section. He was seated, and really struggling to grind out about 45 rpm while watching Virenque speed away. Once he fried his legs, he lost all the time he built up.

 

There is nothing, nothing wrong with a triple. It's alright for the elitest of elite riders to ride up hills on a 53t ring, quite another for mere mortals like me.
Saying that, when I feel up for it riding my double can be a scream...

 

Living in Oregon, and first time getting back on the road in a long time.....I may only be 25 years old....but living in the Pacific Northwest I'm going triple.

 

I have removed my granny ring, seeing that we do not have any hills on the island, so no need for a granny gear.

I found that when removing the granny gear i had a problem where the chain "jumps" past the middle ring when gearing down although the stop is set to spot on. This happens because the middle ring sits to close to the big ring (could propably solve that with spacers) and because the 105sti's doesn't have a "friction function" for gearing down. had to do some adjustments to stop that happening, better now. Will change the whole drivetrain on my bike as soon as my finances allow it. But in essence the bike is set up for a triple (triple deraileurs etc. Will have to change the complete drivetrain to do an effective conversion that you can trust at 90kph.

is it really worth going through the effort for what? the granny ring weighs next to nothing, and the bolts aren't heavy either.

 

Depends.....if you consider yourself a "weight weenie" or not.

 

Triple...me, at 42, and my beer gut need all the help we can get out here in CO...but seriously, I have a 2000 Ultegra setup and wouldn't mind trading it out for a 53-39 double Ultegra (and yes I'll probably go to a 12-27 from a 12-25 rear cassette).

Anyone want to swap cranks and BB's?

Either way, I'll still look like a "grannie" coughin' up a lung in the hills..

 

Glad to see so many are out there riding triple.

I picked up cycling again 6 months ago, after a 8 year break and decided to go triple, because I didn't see myself rolling the same gears as in my younger (and what is more: fitter) days, but still wanted to have the gears very narrowly spread.

I'm still running a 12-23 cassette, as 8 years ago, but now the 3rd ring get me over the hills and I don't have to swap wheels or cassettes to do trips to the french Alps.

 

Ride a triple because:
1. The bikes in my price range are/were all equipped with triples.

2. Being a relatively new road biker, or, a biker who now has a road bike to ride, I'm frankly not strong enough yet to be able to use a double. In my defense, I can say that I can get up all but the steepest hills without using the triple. Maybe in a year I'll be strong enough to push the 52 on the flats and use the 42 for all of the hills...

 

Just realized that the lower-end bikes now typically are sold with triples. Wonder if that marketing gives triple a bit of a "beginner" stigma? For a higher-end or custom bike, believe the triple will cost about $50 more than a comparable double.

Believe you'll find on the long grades and long rides you can produce more sustained power output if you can maintain a high cadence, eg 80-90 rpm, and alternate sitting and standing. Whatever gear it takes to do this on the hardest climbs you go up...that's the right gearing for you.

For Lance, it's 39/23 on a 10% mountain, but that's not what most of us mere mortals need.

 

I guess a 42 might be a little high to climb. Unfortunately/fortunately, since I have a triple, it's either that or a 30 in front. I'd like something in between (like a 35 or even a 39), but you can only find those on doubles. The problem with doubles is that the bigger gear usually has 50+ teeth, which is, as of right now, too hard to sustain a ~90 rpm cadence. As I said before, maybe in a year or so I'll be able to do that.

People might also think that a triple will make them look weak in comparison to the other riders.