[Closed] Road bike gearing, Double,compact or triple what makes you choose

Average speed really.

Although that depends on fitness, length of rides, climbing, etc.

You probably would be best going with a compact.

I would say the weight of the bike and the hills you want to ride up are most important. A touring crankset is generally a triple, infact some come with less than the usual 30 small ring you find on road triples. A compact is 35. Mine's a triple with 26 42 and the outer replaced with a bash guard. Take a look at the stronglight.

Best idea is load up the mtb, try the steepest hill you can find and calulate the [url= http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/ ]ratio[/url].

A compact is 35.

34

triple mainly to annoy folk.
you should get a triple as compacts can involve speed and effort uphill and I know ho much you object to that.

I should have expected nothing less from you Junkyard. 😆

BTW your light is ready.

compact, is my choice enough to get up and fast enough (lakes riding) and easier to count 1,2 rather than 1,2,3

go triple. for the minor weight saving its best to have a great range of gears, even when your up and running with fitness, because some days, you always enjoy a nice granny gear to get you home against the wind/rain/hills when your absolutely spent (or dont want to get absolutely spent so you can ride tomorrow) - plus if you turn your road bike into a wee tourer with trailer and/or panniers, you can go anywhere.

the whole 'quodos' thing about having 2 up front is like badge envy on cars, pointless. (trust me i owned a Merc and spent 1000's on it, and bought a cheap clapped out mitsibushi that lasted years with just 1 can of oil)

I went with a triple. How can more gears be a bad thing? Don't use the granny but I'm sure it will be useful one day and it weighs less than a poo.

Only MTBer's on road bikes use triples! no roadies do 😉

Double is great if you are fit.

Unless you have an injury, body heavy or live in the alps.

Compact is a great compromise too.

If you have tried this and struggle with injury and fitness, then go for the triple 😀

If you're planning on loading up go triple.

Got a double mecause I very rarely ever used a granny on my MTB. Do have a few hills that prove a little testing but it's fine. As said above it does depend on your fitness but I don't think bike weight really matters unless you're loading it up for touring etc

compact, comes with the bike..

95%+ i use the big ring, most local rides i won't be out of it, though sometimes 2 cogs from the largest at the back - i don't know if that's bad practice but once you're there it's tricky to shift down at the front and up at the back to match..

i'd much rather have a double tbh but then again the very steepest hills i will be in the easiest going.. maybe though i should just suffer through for the other benefits.

I must admit I prefer the look of a double but I use a triple just becuase it gives me more options, especially when we go to the Alps. I have used a compact and that was fine round here (Surrey) and the odd trip to Belgium but for an extra few grams I'll take the adaptability of a triple any day.

Compact (34-50) and a 11-32 out back gives you a good spread without all the duplicated gears of a triple.

Anyone used the Apex?

Triple because I've been to the Pyrenees twice and I like talking about it. And the drop from my big ring (52) to the middle ring is not as savage as dropping from 50 to 34 on a compact, plus I've got a bigger top and smaller bottom (gears not anatomy) than on a compact, for minimal weight gain.

Triple because it came with the bike and because I am a hard barsteward I don't use the granny ring.

Triple just cos it annoys people (and it's best)

Food for thought there chaps ta.

The truth is Merlin have some killer deals on 105's but they are all Compact. I currently have a set of SORA Triples, might be a thought to keep the triple (it was only £35)for any expected touring trip next year.

I'm assuming most people who run doubles either race or don't have very steep hills around them.

the 105 will be fine and the difference between 34 and 30 isn't that great, you'll be able to get up most hills with a compact - if they still have the 11-28 in stock that gives you a flippin low gear

hang on to the triple and if you are doing a loaded tour over 3+days, get a secondhand LH triple shifter off ebay (or use the sora one)

I use Apex. Bottom gear is gloriously low, but it's not low enough if you're loading the bike. The jumps between gears are pretty noticeable too.

Seeing as you have the Jamis seems sensible to get a triple for the touring.

Simples.

If you can let your legs do the talking then the gay compact riders won't be able to say anything when you overtake them on your triple.

Triple...and drag it down to a 26 when the 30 wears out...and get an mtb cassette and mech in there when that wears out.

Road transmissions are pityfull when used in hill country

I use a triple and most of my road rides involve 9-12km climbs but also lots of rolling roads. Dropping from a 52 to 39 feels smooth, to a 34 would feel manky.

Triple for touring if you are going to be hauling full camping kit on big hills. Also handy for commuting in deep snow, or if you fancy a detour onto some rough stuff. You can probably get away with a double if you are travelling light. The other advantage of a triple is that you can use a closer ratio cassette to reduce the steps between gears, but still get a nice wide range.

A triple is effectively a standard with a bonus granny, which makes it ideal for a road bike that'll also get used for light touring.

have a look on the sheldon gear calc.
then get ta(or any other) rings to fit your cadence,terrain,ecc.

33-46 with a 14-25 on my road bike. use 46-16 mostly.so the chainline is nice and straight.plus a bigger cog on the back lasts longer and feels smoother.
spin up just about anything.(got some real mountains here)-means I feel fresher for longer.
plus a straight block cassette means you always have the right gear.
+ only a 13t drop,the same as 52-39.
+ with smaller chainrings the gaps in gearing are smaller.

24-40-42 on the road touring bike.12-27 cassette.
half step evens out the 2t jumps in the cassette.so its a straight block 12-27.handy for faux plats,wind.esp when you're not really pushing hard.
+ a road crank is quite a bit narrower than a mtb one,for me it's more comfortable.

24 is nice to have when traction is a problem.ie dirt roads going up.
maybe should have fitted a 26,but never really use it much.

44-16 on the ss,for commuting.

cadence of about 100,so speed is not a problem.
knees feel much better.I feel less tired and am faster since going to all this trouble.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

see what works for you.standard gearing is much too high.
if you've got a compact,bmx rings can be found quite cheap,to try out.

I've had triples, standard and compact. For general road riding my current preference is compact on the front with an 11:28 on the back. On my other bike I've gone with a compact and an 11:32 on the back - it's the one I use for longer rides and when I'm tired I do find the lower gearing a significant benefit.

One reason I don't like road triples is that I've always found it difficult to maintain good shifting across all three front rings - and that's been on several different bikes.

Triple...and drag it down to a 26 when the 30 wears out...and get an mtb cassette and mech in there when that wears out.

Road transmissions are pityfull when used in hill country

Where is this 'hill country' with roads where a 30x25 can't spin up everything? I can see off road it is nice to have lower gears, but I can think of very few hills I've ridden in the UK that aren't easy enough on a 39x23 middle ring bottom gear, and nothing that doesn't have you spinning like a hamster on the way too low 30x23. I use the bottom gear when towing the baby trailer, but assuming you're not towing 30kg of stuff, I don't see a point of anything lower than a standard triple?

Compact (34-50) and a 11-32 out back gives you a good spread without all the duplicated gears of a triple.

Although you then have massive jumps between gears which is annoying. My triple has 12-23 on the back, which I find really nice - middle ring for uphill riding and some flat riding, big ring for flat riding in a hurry or downhills, granny ring for emergency, trailer towing or touring, and all the gears jolly close together.

In some ways I feel a standard double with quite a close ratio cassette is nicest for general riding, this way I get that, but with a separate set of bail-out gears attached - with the compact 11-32, you are losing the close ratio gears, and essentially sticking a couple of granny ring type gears on the end of your cassette.

On the downside, triples are more of a pain to set up the front shifting for sure.

Not one mention of "darkside" on the whole thread. For a minute there I thought I had stepped out of STW but all this talk of compacts and triples has reassured me that the site hasnt been hacked...

If you have a triple just use it, if you find that you use the granny ring a fair bit then either keep it/get a better one or swap to a compact. I remember when I got my first road bike, thinking I would never be able to climb anything steepish with a 39-23 but after a few weeks/month or so, it was fine and always lived somewhere with biggish hills. Does depend massively on fitness-even more than terrain i would say- if your fit or get fitter you will find you will never need the granny ring (outside alpine climbs e.c.t); and if you find it's ok on the middle ring on the triple then a 39-52 or what ever will be fine, esp as most triples have a middle of 42.
I would avoid wide ratio cassettes, the large jumps are just annoying on the road.

I swaped from double to compact.

On theplus side the range of gears is much better, flat/roling terrain the big ring can be used all day and most of the cassette. The little ring actualy gives useable gears for climbing, climbing long hills with 38t chainring seems a little masochistic seeing as the pro's use that gear and probably output double the power!

On the downside, there is a big jump between them, even sweeping the pull range of the rear shifter doesnt quite make up for it. More of an issue in a group, but as mentioned above,the 50t outer seems a lot more useable so you shift a lot less anyway.

I'd only go back if I lived somewhere flat and was riding regulalry with serious roadies (i.e. chaingangs rather than sunday club runs)

Chucky - what shifters are you running on the roadrat?

If it's road STI shifters then bear in mind most are double only these days so a triple might not be worth it if you have to buy triple compatible shifters too. If it's flat bar shifters then you should be okay.

Plus not sure if mtb front mech it going to handle a 50t front road chainring, probably will but again something to consider especially as road front mechs have different pull than mtb ones (though I'm sure people do use them successfully).

If you thinking of touring then got for a triple I'd say.

Come on STW'ers, there hardly a mention of "I climb everywhere on a 53t front chainring and 21t rear. FACT". Poor showing in my opinion.

Try climbing something like the Ryals on the NR Cyclone after 100 miles then sometimes just a bailout gear is a nice to have.

I have a 53/39 with an 11-32 cassette out back on my Roadrat. It's ok for commuting (just), but I struggle a bit if I have to carry much stuff.

I'm about to stick a compact on as I fancy a bit of light touring this autumn and don't really want to be grinding up any hills.

the first bike i bought has a compact (and a 12/25?), i had the option of getting a triple, but the lad in the shop said "why? - what's wrong with you?"...

i found that i could just about get up all the hills around sheffield. There are a couple of hills that can sometimes beat me (get off and walk) if i tackle them with tired legs. But i reckon that's probably about right, so didn't see a problem when the next bike i bought had a compact.

i keep saying that i'll fit a 28tooth cassette to give me a 'i'm really very tired and need to get home' gear, but haven't done it yet...

I've just built a light tourer/winter road bike and it's got a compact on it.

I don't use the smaller ring of the compact very much on my road bike so wanted to try a double and this seemed like the best/cheapest way to get one. I think I may curse the lack of granny when I'm touring and wish I'd bitten the bullet and just bought a triple too.

I can always pop the compact back on the road bike if I fell I'm going to need it.

if you have a 34/50 and a 12-25 cassette and need to gear down..

you could just it a 11-32, 11-34 or even 11-36 cassette..

34/36 is pretty low so unless you are a doing mega heavy touring (i.e. front, rear panniers, rack pack, bar bags etc etc) then it will be fine.

When I bought a road bike again after about 15 years without a road bike I found that I always felt I was in the wrong gear with a standard double. Having swapped to a compact after about a year of trying to get on with the double I felt the bike immediately felt 'right'. Now that I'm a lot fitter I might give a standard double a go again but not sure there's any point as the gearing feels perfect.

well cheers for the advice gents, but I caved in and have just fitted the 105 stuff I have just bought from Merlin.

Hopefully it should be OK.

Thanks again, as pointed out earlier I can always use a 28 rear sprocket and stick with my compact. The touring will be only for a couple of days anyway, so it wont be loaded up too much.

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cheers for all your pointers folks.

Happy riding

Chucky

Should be fine. As a general point, the only way to get a wide gear range, and small jumps between the gears, is with a triple. I have a triple on my audax/ winter bike and a compact on my summer road bike. Only problem with the compact is the jump between the front rings is too big.

The only touring I've done on my Roadrat so far was using an Alfine and a 39t front and 22t rear. According to Sheldon Brown's gearing calculator that was some 10% lower than I'd have had using the 34t inner of a compact and an 11:32 rear cassette. Even that was still good for 20+mph pedaling and I don't recall at any point wanting more than that (I was quite happy to just freewheel down hills). I only used the lowest gear a couple of times for short steep hills and don't think I'd have struggled if I hadn't had quite such a low gear available.

I think I might have struggled a bit towards the end of the day if 34:25 had been my lowest gear though.

It might be worth bearing in mind that I'm slooow though - my average speed for the tour was only 12mph!