[Closed] Darkside - Triple or Compact - opening a can of worms!

Triples are for 75 year olds and women I'm afraid.

As are 27T cassettes.

Roadbikes LOOK better with short cage rear mech's on them, thought I know that's really not a good reason.

Spent 2 weeks in the Alps last summer. Used a compact rotor chainset with 50/34 x 12-25. Pretty much spot on for all the climbs we went up.

Compact wins over triple on aesthetics alone every time.

I use MTB tripples on mine, but the big ring versions, 26/36/48's although I don't really know why!

Even this biffer can mangage on a 50-34, 12-25...

I would definitely choose a compact. A 12-27 cassette has the same ratios as a 12-25 for the first 8 gears so your are not loosing anything there.

I once had a 10 speed 105 triple groupset and found it no easier than using a compact and a wide ratio cassette. I sort of equated it to the laws of diminishing returns and I found it didn't really seem make getting up hills any easier, it just seemed to take longer and prolong the agony.

Quality of gear changes suffered as well - more like an MTB rather than a well set-up double road set-up.

Compact double but change the cassette for an 11-27, that gives you a higher high and a virtually identical low.
Also it means you have a bike that looks decent rather than something which shouts "I'm a fat unfit mountain biker with no sense of style, aesthetics or taste what has just bought a road bike"

😉

I use a triple but normally use just the middle and outer (which are the same size as a normall double) and only really use the granny when towing the trailer. Get what you think is right for you and don't worry about what people think of the looks.

I would really recommend you get out and ride more if the climbs in the dragon ride seem that daunting. The climbs on the dragon ride are really not steep, and apart from Bwich and cray not long either. Honestly riding more and gaining reasonable fitness is what you need not triples and 27 gears.

Compact is the way to go. Never got near running out of gears. Needs to get pretty steep before you are onto the inner front ring. Will be fine

Go for a double (compact?) if you can, with a bit of pre ride training to get used to it maybe? Not only do they look better but their mechanically a bit more efficient/ less hassle.
Having said that, even Miguel Indurain was seen on a triple on a number of occasions.

i use a double (34-25 bottom gear) around sheffield and in the peak.

i was about to tell you that i have no problems, but there are certain climbs i'll avoid when i'm tired.

i'll buy a bigger cassette one day - it'll be nice to have a gear i can get home in when i'm done in.

(i'm 32 and fit-ish)

Oh yeah, what Ed2001 says ^^
Far too many people think they can buy their way to riding up a hill - I've lost count of the number of people I've seen pushing their 30speed carbon wonder bikes up a hill that any half decent rider can do in a 39:23.
I guess you get the same in MTBing only the other way round - people buy more suspension and body armour so they can ride *down* the hill!

I've ridden both triples and compacts.

I was the first in the group I ride with to have a triple, and everyone took the mickey, and then said "Thank God someone else has got one first". A couple did switch, but most now have compacts as it has become the more common standard on non-racey bikes.

The problem I found with triples was that I ended up spinning such a stupidly small gear that eventually gravity overtook forward momentum and I'd topple off sideways.

Triples can also be more fiddly to set up

I now use a compact with a 12-27 on the back, and it gives me roughly the same spread of gears and I've only got off on hills when my legs/lungs/head have conceded defeat.

Ignore all the macho nonsense on here - pick gearing that enables you to do the riding you want to do at a pace that suits your fitness. If that means a triple and 27 tooth sprocket or bigger, it's no one else's concern.

compact, unless you really really must have something lower than 33-28

easier to use, easier to set up, lower Q, better looks, lighter.

I've never liked triples, and I don't run one on my roadie or my mtb.

Compact is just a triple in disguise.

There is a 50g or so weight difference, plus to some people's eyes it looks nicer.

The disadvantage is that you can't have nice close together gears - triple with 12-23 gives you a very wide range of gears, but with small gaps between them.

Joe

andy the key to finishing or doing well on any sportive is YOUR fitness not how light your wheels or how much carbon you have or how many gears you have. The dragon ride is an excellent sportive that with a reasonable fitness is very doable. All you need is sensible gears( say compact 12-25 easliy enough imo) plenty of miles in your legs and preferably experience of riding in a group.

Thank you for the input so far.

As predicted lots of comments about fitness and asphetics! the triple doesn't really look any different, unless you're a road bike snob!

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!

sorry wrote me second comment when there were only a few comments, but appeared after there had been 19! cheers for all the reply so far!

Also it means you have a bike that looks decent rather than something which shouts "I'm a fat unfit mountain biker with no sense of style, aesthetics or taste what has just bought a road bike"

Guilty as charged 😳

But seriously where do you live and ride and what shape are you in? If like myself you live amongst the towering cols of the South Pennines and are carrying a few extra pounds (good for insulation this time of year) don't shy away from a triple just coz you're worried you might get sneered at by some gear snobs. I get up the hills on my heavy old 'budget' Giant triple only a tad behind my supposedly fitter mates on their carbon framed doubles.

Andy have a look at the profiles of the climbs you will face on the dragon ride they are really not steep at all, all but one have an av % LESS THAN 5%! If you feel you need a triple and 12-27 then do it, but to me it says you lack confidence and fitness which both can be solved by riding more. Your doing the sportive not the bike sorry if I sound harsh I really am not trying to be. You will have a great time it's a great ride if you have prepared for it.

....and typically I disagree. I got a triple and I have never regretted it (Mind you I don't ****in' care what other people think). When I'm cycling with my mates with compacts they often don't have the gear for comfortable spinning.

it's also what I'm used to!

compact means you can have sram gears, which rule

i have a triple I like it as it offends roadie snobs. I have used the granny - steep hill evil head wind + shot legs, actualy twics but the other time was an accidental change at lights and I wheelied as I set off!!!

I live in Gloucester so there are some steep hills getting up in to the Cotswolds.

I reasonably fit, but not century fit yet...I plan on training properly for it though.

I'm not worried about gear snobs I just want the right geared bike!

In that case Andy try before you buy. I tried a compact up a steep hill....and bought a triple. It depends on you

I have a triple on my tourer and compact on the racer. My logic was that I'm more likely to need the extra lower gears if I'm loaded up. However, I'm now looking to replace the tourer and will go compact on that too.

(Scotland btw).

Compact with 11-27. Works fine up (and down) Harewood Bank.

I live in south wales and bought a road bike with a triple on it 3 years ago for fitness. I virtually never use the granny and feeel my mtb pedalling has got alot stronger from using the roadbike.

if you are not a racer i suppose it's nice to have the option of a granny!

Nice area for riding btw , my inlaws live near newent and i love road riding there around the forest / malverns and herefordshire.

on the internet you'll never get folk to agree on this on, if there was a consensus there wouldn't be 2 options on sale!

my take is get the compact, you'll be fine.

on a mountain bike you need the inner ring and the largest sprocket to ride very hilly squidgy bits and you very rarely use it. On the tarmac it's negligable, and most importantly triples look gopping

Another vote here for compact. Mind you a standard double used to get me up anything less than 20% and I'm not a particularly strong rider.

I have a triple on both my winter bike, and also my decent bike. I have both because I started out unfit, was not strong enough and was heavy. I have both 12-25 and 12-27 cassettes. Decent bike is 30/39/53.

I now never use the granny on my decent bike (sometimes on the winter bike, when riding with laden panniers, etc.), though do find myself in the 27, but I ride with guys on compacts running 25s.

I did, however, resort to the granny (30x27) on the Ventoux during this year's Étape. Frankly, the heat and the 16km at 10-13% was enough to drive me to that level, if nothing else so I could keep my heartrate below a set limit.

I'm going to fit a double (39/53) to the decent bike, but run it with the triple STI. This means that I can do most riding with a double, but have the option of the triple if I'm heading out for a long day in the hills. I can also choose to run a compact if I want.

Frankly, being told to MTFU isn't quite enough. Sure, you can do that, but those who say it forget that there is an element of time required to build the strength to ride all hills on bigger gears.

having ridden most of the dragon route on a road bike you don't need a granny for the climbs but the option might be nice if you hit a wall

Singlespeed it, sell the mechs on eBay and buy steroids with the money.

I did the Dragon last year, my first big road event. Did lots of training in the Cotswolds and when I did the Dragon it all seemed a bit flat. Some of the climbs in the Dragon are much longer, but nowhere near as steep.

Oh, I started off on a double, then bought a new bike with a compact. Either would have been fine.

I rode last years Dragon Ride and it was my first big road ride and I was very glad of my triple and my mate was regretting only having compact as he ran out of legs. I am a big bloke and the only frustration with the triple I have is that on the flat/downhill I find that I wished I had the bigger gear of the lads with compacts but the bike I was riding was for a specific purpose (Giant SCR3).
Having used the Drgaon Ride as a gauge of fitness for the distance/time aspect of training for Lands End To John O Groats and numerous other training rides thereafter I find that there is only the rare occasion that I use the granny however on LeJog instead of developing the tendinitis that the other two got early on from trying to push to bigger gear too often (the route over Exmoor was quite punishing ie the climb out of South Molton to the top of the moor).
I am going to upgrade to a new BB and chainset in the future and this will be compact primarily as the road rides are now flatter and for the commute on it.
I was advised by a number of ex semi pro riders and LBS owners who had done the LeJog ride to use the triple and it came into its own on the climb out of Berridale in Scotland.
It aint soft to use a triple its what your legs will take and what you are comfortable with. Once you have built up the leg strength then you may feel that you could cope with a double. On the Dragon Ride I overtook so many people on the 7.3km climb who were walking pushing their compact equipped bikes whilst I spun by on the triple feeling smug.

Rode the Dragon last year on a Compact set up, you'll be fine. I didn't need any lower gears than I had.

Oh, never pushed/walked on the Dragon and I'm far from a roadie!

Edit - I too live in the flatlands of Norfolk so don't really have any serious hills to train on.

I ride compact in East Anglia as I ride with a very high cadence (120ish). Don't care too much what people think - would use a single on the front if I could find a brake lever that was the same shape as a Shimano STI!

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!

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]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! [/i]

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

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.

[i]1:4[/i]

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.

[i]you'd ride all day at[/i]

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

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

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 [s]bloody roadies[/s] idiots who think it matters to them what [i]you[/i] 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 [url= http://www.handsonevents.co.uk/Events/Bealach/event_description_beag.htm ]challenges.[/url]
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!

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

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 [b]other[/b] 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

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]I'm reasonably fit[/i]

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 34x25 if you're even slightly fit.

[i]Most really good riders I know aren't anything like so snobbish[/i]

Most really good riders I know would suggest that if you need to resort to 30x25 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 34x25 if you're even slightly fit.

Since you're going there, I don't think there's much you can't ride up with 39x23, 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 34x25 is your preferred ratio, you could use a 12-23 triple, so have a 30x23, 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]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]

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 34x25 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. 🙂