Hi All

On my road bike i have an ultegra triple set up – I would like to convert to a double compact set up.

What is involved in doing this ? – Can I keep the core cranset and change the front rings and get a new cassette – or do both mechs need to be changed ?

Cheers

Confused

K

I dont know whats involved really, new front shifter and crankset I think.

But why do you want to do it?

You’ll need to change the chainset and possibly the front mech. The rest should be fine.

Depending on what BB is fitted, you may need to change that as well. – The older octalink units have longer axles for triple chainsets.

If you’re on HT2 then a compact cset will have the right length axle.

A triple front mech should do the job but you might need to spend time fettling the position and adjustments.

Ok Thanks – I would need to price it out.

I rarely use all the gears on all three chainrings – and have heard good things on the compact set up – I was thinking or changing my bike and as most new bikes are favouring the compact set up – I thought I may as well try to price up whats involved in keeping my current bike and making it a compact set up.

Thanks all

K

Hello,

I have a Bianchi road bike with a 50-34 compact and 12-25 casette.
I am lucky enough to be spending a few months in France, I climbed the Tourmalet a couple of weeks ago, I would have killed for a triple up front. How the Tour de France guys did that climb on a big chain ring I will never know.

Don’t discount the triple just because you don’t use every gear. I find the middle ring great for pootling about and switch the big ring for downhills and when I’m cracking on. The granny is there for the really steep hills.

One downside of compacts is the big jump between chainrings, and a mate finds he’s often riding big-big or small-small. Neither is an optimal chainline. As for weight, you’d probably save 200 grammes, which is next to nothing. The money may be better spent on wheels and tyres. New wheels, mmmmmm! 8)

I’m not saying compacts are bad or inferior, but I’d seriously think hard before spending a good chunk of money switching from a triple unless you are adamant it’s best for you. Have you ridden one and found it to be better?

What simon says ^^^

I have a rare dura ace triple and it’s fantastic for the alps etc. Middle is perfect for rolling lumpy roads, where big ring is too big and small is overkill.

One downside of compacts is the big jump between chainrings, and a mate finds he’s often riding big-big or small-small. Neither is an optimal chainline. As for weight, you’d probably save 200 grammes, which is next to nothing. The money may be better spent on wheels and tyres. New wheels, mmmmmm!

Knows what he’s talking about this bloke! 😉

Seriously though, for almost all riding a triple makes more sense, it’s just not “cool” for the wannabes though. The 16T jump between chainings is massive, and you often end up wishing for an inbetween sized chainring on the front. I bought my Giant Defy which didn’t have an option, but I’ve since actually thought about converting it to a triple up front as most of the time I’m either in about 7th on the 34, or 2nd or 3rd on the 50. With a 39 up front id be in the middle of the cassette a lot more…

Compacts make a bit more sense with the newer “wide range” 10spd road cassettes (ie. 11-28 or wider) than with a 12-23 or 12-25 though. And they are a touch lighter of course.

When I had a triple I almost never used the big ring.

Triples are heavier, wider, and harder to setup. But yes, they give you more gears.

If you’re concerned about the big jump between 34 and 50 and issues with running big-big then you can always fit a 48t ring.

Triples are heavier, wider, and harder to setup. But yes, they give you more gears.

Is 200g such a big deal? Then have a poo before you ride your bike. Or better still, go on a diet.

Triples are no harder to set up, and it’s not about having more gears, it’s about having useful gears.

I was about to say what’s been said. Triples are dirty and shameful but they make belting good sense even if you don’t use the inner much.

The middle ring probably gives you a more usable range than the inner of a compact. And even if you don’t use the inner on a normal ride, you may at some point find yourself 150km into a ride and crawling up an Alpine col and glad for it. Or you may decide to stick a big saddlebag on and go lightweight touring and be glad for it then.

Or you may not, of course. If you do want a compact, as Simon says, you’ll want a new chainset and you ought to change the front mech. The triple shifter will work fine, as will the chain and cassette (unless they’re heavily worn) and rear mech.

One downside of compacts is the big jump between chainrings, and a mate finds he’s often riding big-big or small-small. Neither is an optimal chainline.

But it’s usable, unlike big/big on a triple, which is truly horrible!

It’s a personal thing really, no one can say which is ‘better’.

I have a rare dura ace triple and it’s fantastic for the alps etc

DA triples aren’t rare, they did a 7703 and 7803 chainset.

Personally I think a compact is far better than a triple, if you look at the wider range cassettes now available you can replicate the ranges of a triple, but in a far neater solution with fewer duplicated ratios.

FWIW, I use a standard double with a 12-25 but I’m thinking of changing to a compact, not because I run out of gears, but I just find myself in the 53 and creeping up the block for normal riding, it’d be better to be further down the block.

And even if you don’t use the inner on a normal ride, you may at some point find yourself 150km into a ride and crawling up an Alpine col and glad for it. Or you may decide to stick a big saddlebag on and go lightweight touring and be glad for it then.

Yup – or you have a kid and decide to stick a bike trailer on the back, or you decide to use it to transport a christmas tree, or you move to somewhere very hilly, all things that have happened to me since I got my bike.

One easy thing I can recommend is sticking a 12-23 or similar close geared cassette on the back. I have 12-23 at the back, and 30,39,53 on the front (I think, something along those lines anyway). For unloaded riding / commuting with just a laptop + change of clothes, the middle ring 39×23 will get me up pretty much anything round here, and I have a load of nice flat riding gears on the big ring, and a nice high gear for downhill. The granny ring gives me a nice low bailout gear – I used it quite often when towing trailer + kid up the 15-20% inclines that we have a lot of round here (Derbyshire). All the gears are nice and close together with no big jumps, even on a 9 speed cassette, which I find way more convenient than the massive gaps on my wide range mountain bike cassette, or the compact cassette that I rode on a previous bike.

Joe

I love hitting the local chaingang with my triple, it gets dirty looks until they see me coming through at the front.

Compacts have their place but I really see no point in going to one from a triple unless you live somewhere with no flat roads.

200gm? Dream on, 50-110gm I’d think, for £100+? No point.

I just got some 425gm forks on ebay for £30 – savign 200gm. That’s a better ratio.

Compacts make a bit more sense with the newer “wide range” 10spd road cassettes (ie. 11-28 or wider) than with a 12-23 or 12-25 though. And they are a touch lighter of course.

Personally I think a compact is far better than a triple, if you look at the wider range cassettes now available you can replicate the ranges of a triple, but in a far neater solution with fewer duplicated ratios.

I think both these might make a little bit of sense assuming you are buying a new 10 speed bike – if you get an 11-32 cassette and a compact chainset, you’ll have much lower gears than my triple, and even an 11-28 shimano one has a slightly lower gear.

Having said that, you do have a ridiculous 8 cog jump on the 11-32, so the lowest gear doesn’t really sound like a usable gear for normal riding, it is just an emergency bailout gear (a bit like a granny ring). The 11-28 has some big jumps too. With a well set up triple you can go from bottom gear to top without any big jumps in gear and still have a decent range.

Joe

Thanks all – theres alot of god advice to chew on

I will try to borrow a friends compact for a decent length ride.