Gilly C – Member

I have a tripe on my road bike. I do not use the granny very often, but went past fit roadies on the David Lloyd Mega who were all very jealous of me riding when they pushed!

No way!Never seen a fit roadie push-ever!
On the triple if you are carrying heavy panniers for touring I think it makes sense

There is nothing steep on the dragon ride, a compact and 34-25 would be fine if you have any fitness at all.

i have a triple to go on my steel frame, when i get it polished. I'll use it for commuting, pub trips, and LEJOG. I see the benefits of a double, but i think that the more choice the better!

Look after your knees on the super steep climbs when in the easiest gear, standing up at walking speed etc.

I'm using a double 53-39 and it is tough up hills on 12-25 but I wasn't that fit but managed 72 miles after 4 weeks from riding from zero.

Once I'm back (injured unrelated to riding) I'll be using my triple till my knee is ok and if I have to stick with the triple then who cares what people say?

If everyone was that good they would be doing Le Tour etc

Also some peoples idea of hills vary too. Thats not a hill, points at the alps- now thats a hill 😉

Get what you want. Personally I've used compact gearing since 96, and am quite happy getting up most things with them. I do also have a triple bike although I'm not sure when I'll ever use the 30 except when towing the bobyak.

I'm reasonably fit, but hate grinding gears on hills and prefer to have a higher cadence.

I take the point about shifting, although lots of stuff on the web about the bigger jump on the front of compact.

Anyone else, still undecided!

Yeah….
There is *nothing* in the UK on a road that needs anything more than a double from anyone who is even moderately fit and strong, especially these new doubles that are coming out where the big ring is normal sized and the inner ring looks like a cock ring. But, if you like spinning away then no problem, just get a triple. I'll not judge you for it (although there will be plenty of roadies who do).

I'm rubbish on a road bike and I managed the Whitton, the Dragon Ride and the Tour of the Peak on a compact double with a 12/25 on the back. if you really want a triple, then go for it, but I'm not sure there's any significant advantage in the real world.

Don't discount the possibility that you might really enjoy road bikes. I'm a mountain biker first and backmost, but there's a purity and speed to road biking that's really addictive.

The Dragon Ride's ace by the way, the climbs are long but not that steep and it's a beautiful part of the world to ride. You'll love it.

As one of the previous posts mentioned, the advantage of a triple is that you can use it with a close ratio cassette and get a wide range without big steps between the gears. It also gives you real man top-end gears for downhills and good tailwinds.
I use a triple on my commuting/touring/winter training bike. The granny doesn't get used for day-to-day cycling (although it's been handy over the past week for getting through some sections of snow on back roads and paths). It comes in handy when hauling more weight on bigger hills (e.g. camping gear over Alpine passes).
Wouldn't recommend basing the decision on aesthetic reasons!

If you get a compact, some roadies will consider you a lower form of life. If you get a triple, pretty much everyone except tourers and a few MTBers will consider you a lower form of life. And the tourers will consider you a lower form of life anyway because you haven't got enough spokes.

You can worry too much about it, just buy one. It may be worth considering what ring you're likely to spend the most time in: a 34, 39, or 50, because that may dictate what you want to have somewhere on your chainset. But you probably have no idea yet.

For me the key element would be the facts that (a) shifters are bloody expensive and (b) whilst you can use a double chainset with a triple shifter, you can't use a triple chainset with a double shifter. So if you're unsure then it may make economic sense to buy a triple.

There is *nothing* in the UK on a road that needs anything more than a double from anyone who is even moderately fit and strong

No, of course not. 1:4 is quite straightforward on 34:27 – you'll be doing a steady 30rpm on that gear at a 20m a minute climb rate. Of course all the macho men on here can climb far faster than that, and 30rpm is a perfectly comfortable cadence of the sort you'd ride all day at, so you're dead right, a double gives gears plenty low enough for anybody, whatever climbs you might want to go up.

I did the Dragon Ride as my first ever century bike ride (in miles) last year on a 12/25 compact. I am 49 and could hardly be described as a race snake and have only been road riding properly since March 2009, though I have done a fair bit of mountain biking over the last ten years.

As the posts above mention most of the hills on the Dragon Ride are long without being necessarily that steep.

I found my hill climbing ability improved dramatically through training rides, and I certainly would have felt over-geared with a triple for the Dragon Ride.

One option mentioned might be to get a 12/27 which gives you a lower gear when you want one. A friend of mine runs one and he can spin a bit easier up some of the really steep hills we sometimes ride in the Mendips.

Above all get something that you are happy with not what is cool or fashionable.

1:4

You need to get yourself over to the Ramsbottom rake hill climb (which is my only experience of watching other people ride up proper steep hills) where you can watch macho men (oh no, hang on, I meant 12 year old girls), climbing up a 1:4 climb on roadbikes with doubles. I'm sure they're not the exception.

you'd ride all day at

I said 'UK'.

Compact double it is then he hee.

Next you'll be putting MTB SPD's on there too 😆

Compact but 12-27 changed from 12-25 as I struggled up some BIG hills. 27 is fine now though !

Darkside – Triple or Compact

:roll errrr neither unless you really want a touring bike
you really don't need more than 39/52 and 11/23 you will quickly get used to having low gears and your fitness will improve dramatically as a result.Its all in the mind 😉
I am not super fit btw

I agree with righty. get a normal double and fit a 23 block. You'll soon get used to it, and its served me well

i have a triple I like it as it offends roadie snobs

No, you have a triple because you're not man enough for a double.

standing up for triple riders everywhere by kicking the asses of the poseur roadies who care what gears you run on 500 quid triple chainsetted bike …..some of them get quite upset .

the fast guys couldnt give a shit what you run.

get a triple, if only to annoy all the bloody roadies idiots who think it matters to them what you ride.

i've been told off in the past for too many colours on my bike / not enough colours on my bike / using shimano / riding a specialized / the 'wrong' helmet / wearing a bright jacket / not wearing a bright jacket / wearing baggies / using 'mtb' shoesnpedals / having a red led / not having a red led.

have you seen 'the official rules of the euro cyclist' ? – some people take this seriously…

Wouldn't be without a triple myself; don't like having to get off & walk, & some climbs I just wouldn't get up with a compact. Bealach na Ba, + the succeding climbs back to Sheildaig, for example; while some rippling-riding-gods can, no doubt, sprint up them all with a compact, there were plenty who couldn't in the previous challenges.
My road bike is probably more tourer than racer though (Genesis Day 06) & cosmetics don't really enter into it!

Compact here – good in the pyreness with a 27T on the back.
Twas all the guys in our group had – even the super fit ones.
Would get a triple for a touring bike – never else though.
J.

wow – I can't believe how much 'appearance' / 'rules' matter when riding a road bike – glad now that I'm not part of any roadie group and just get out on my bike and ride.

Anyhow, I ride with a triple (never realised that it would be an issue or considered unacceptable!), for 2 reason – (a) I live up a really steep mountain and do most of my riding in Snowdonia, and (b) I have a knee problem that means that I have to try and ensure that I minimise strain by maintaining an easy cadence.

It seems a real shame that people who ride road bikes are so judgemental and image conscious 🙁

i've been told off in the past for too many colours on my bike / not enough colours on my bike / using shimano / riding a specialized / the 'wrong' helmet / wearing a bright jacket / not wearing a bright jacket / wearing baggies / using 'mtb' shoesnpedals / having a red led / not having a red led.

😀 Thank god I don't ride with any roadie snobs on my triple chainset road bike with MTB shoes/pedals and usually a mud-splatted, peaked helmet!

MTB shoes/pedals and usually a mud-splatted, peaked helmet!

Add on some baggies and you've got my normal road riding gear.

It's best when you get in a race with a roadie wearing all that stuff and leave them.

It seems a real shame that people who ride road bikes are so judgemental and image conscious

That on an MTB forum ha ha ha.
risers with bar ends ok then?
lycra ok then?

pot and kettle spring to mind

I once had a mate ring me on the eve of a [roadie]ride out with him & some of his mates
He wanted to be sure I wasn't going to turn up in baggies – why on earth the thought of that bothered him, I've no idea

What annoyed me when I tried a 39/53 instead of my 42/52 was that I was having to shift the front mech all the time as my most commonly used ratios were not covered by one ring*. This was when I was racing, or training for short distances, I have a triple hidden away now for day rides and always had one on my tourer.

*This issue would affect my choice. Internet braggers who can "get by on a double" or whatever wouldn't – ride whatever works for you.

warton – Member

That on an MTB forum ha ha ha.
risers with bar ends ok then?
lycra ok then?

pot and kettle spring to mind

there's plenty of people who ride MTBs &/or road bikes are very concious of what they look like

a lot more roadies however seem bothered about what other people look like for some reason
just an observation

aracer – Member

"There is *nothing* in the UK on a road that needs anything more than a double from anyone who is even moderately fit and strong"

No, of course not. 1:4 is quite straightforward on 34:27 – you'll be doing a steady 30rpm on that gear at a 20m a minute climb rate. Of course all the macho men on here can climb far faster than that, and 30rpm is a perfectly comfortable cadence of the sort you'd ride all day at, so you're dead right, a double gives gears plenty low enough for anybody, whatever climbs you might want to go up.

Well said that man

wow – I can't believe how much 'appearance' / 'rules' matter when riding a road bike

Only to the wannabees (which would tend to include most of those who started off as MTB riders and have then bought a road bike). Most really good riders I know aren't anything like so snobbish, and couldn't care less what you ride – in fact I'm pretty sure that a friend of my sister has at least one road bike with a triple, but what would he know, he's only held the records for everything from 50 miles to LEJOG. It's quite funny in a way all the macho men on here who wouldn't be seen dead with too low a gear, and make claims about not having low gears making them stronger, when top road riders spend their winters spinning away in low gears.

Heh. Reminds me of a pal, really fit rider, former Scottish champion etc. would do 2 laps of GT red using a 46T ring while his mades did 1 laps etc. Couldn't understand why weekend warriors needed small rings etc.

Thing is they probably pushed themselves way harder on their rides than he ever got…

OMG, double post.

I'm reasonably fit

Erm, with all due respect, and unless you're planning on riding up walls, there shouldn't be much you shouldn't be able to ride up using 34×25 if you're even slightly fit.

Most really good riders I know aren't anything like so snobbish

Most really good riders I know would suggest that if you need to resort to 30×25 to ride up long draggy climbs, then perhaps you'd be better suited to fishing or playing darts.

I like triples. Rode Cycle Oregon for the last two years. Climbs can be 15 – 20 miles long is searing heat. I was more than happy to sit and spin past folks struggling on compacts. There was no way I could ride up Mt Ventoux on a 39-53 double, I doubt I could have ridden it with a compact either.

Thank you for all of the posts, has been very useful.

One that did really strike me was getting the triple and then if I don't get on with it the change to compact would be relativley straightforward (new chain set) and cheaper than the other way round.

Think I'm going to go that way.

Cheers all!

I never felt comfortable using a standard double – always felt as if I was in the wrong gear. The bike feels much better with a compact double, I wouldn't fit a triple but each to their own.

Erm, with all due respect, and unless you're planning on riding up walls, there shouldn't be much you shouldn't be able to ride up using 34×25 if you're even slightly fit.

Since you're going there, I don't think there's much you can't ride up with 39×23, but I reckon there are certainly climbs I'd feel a lot better after climbing on a lower gear, and probably do just as fast.

If 34×25 is your preferred ratio, you could use a 12-23 triple, so have a 30×23, which is a pretty similar low gear, but with a nice high gear for downhills, and very small gaps between gears so you can always get exactly the gear you want. It isn't always just about getting a lower gear. Looking at it, people saying not to be a triple wuss, but to fit a 27 cog to a compact, actually have a lower low gear than my 30 x 23 insanely low gear (and surely you spin out quicker on any decent descent?).

Joe

I never felt comfortable using a standard double – always felt as if I was in the wrong gear. The bike feels much better with a compact double, I wouldn't fit a triple but each to their own.

I'm the other way round – I can't stand a compact double. I always end up trying to ride up stuff in the big ring cos it's *almost* right. It's probably just what I'm used to. All the road riding I've done since I first got a road bike 15 years ago has been with 39/53 and a 12-23 cassette.
The only time I've ever gone compact was when I used my CX bike for the Fred Whitton Challenge, that has 34/48 on it which was a pain for most of the ride but quite nice to be able to ride Hardknott and Wrynose with no problems. 🙂

Edit: having said that, the next time I buy a cassette it might well be a 12-25!

Erm, with all due respect, and unless you're planning on riding up walls, there shouldn't be much you shouldn't be able to ride up using 34×25 if you're even slightly fit.

its nice to be able to ride up a 25% after 200k with some tough climbs in with 100k and further climbs still to go.

The only time I've ever gone compact was when I used my CX bike for the Fred Whitton Challenge, that has 34/48 on it which was a pain for most of the ride but quite nice to be able to ride Hardknott and Wrynose with no problems.

That really sums up the point of a triple – rather than having two bikes with different gearing, and then finding out that the lower geared one is great for half a ride, and the higher geared one best for the other half, you can have both, with just a simple click of the gear shifter to go from one to the other.

Plus it means if you unexpectedly find yourself taking 10kg of stuff home from work or the shops or whatever, you don't have to worry about getting it over the hills.

Joe

That's my point though, the *only* time I would ever use a gear that low on the road would be for the FWC. There is no other climb that I have ever done where I've thought "hmm, wish I had a compact" because 39:23 has always been sufficient.

My CX bike is an "all rounder", in fact I got it specifically so I could do the Three Peaks and the gearing on it (34/48 with 12-27) was chosen for all round ability (most proper racing CX bikes are much closer ratio 36/46). As it happens the CX is great for most things. 🙂