Any girls here that have experience with a compact double?

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Those two setups are REALLY different. Your current gearing yields some tiny gears. Again, I would suggest running the actual numbers on Sheldon Brown's gear calculator. From there, ask yourself what gears you actually use on your current setup to see whether the Giant would work for you as a cross bike.

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Honestly, I would love to find out if Giant TCX would be for me, but I have no idea about that gear calculator, how that works.

http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

You plug in the chainrings and cassettes where indicated. Compare the gears you have now to the ones in the Giant. You can do that theough the MPH at fast cadence (simulating riding on a flat road) or slow cadence (simpulating climbing) or by gear inches.

Maybe check into the specialized tricross - I think they do a triple as a cyclocross bike

Something else to keep in mind when thinking about all of this:

You aren't stuck with the gears that come on the bike.

Admittedly changing a whole crank is $$$, but there are some cheaper alternatives to modifying gearing. For instance, if you are close and just need a little lower you can change the rear cassette ($40-100 depending on quality level you go for). For something slightly more dramatic you can change the low chainring in front (on many cranksets) to something lower.

These options can be slightly limited depending on the individual bike (brand/type of crank, derailleur types), but they are worth discussing with the shop before purchase. Especially if the only thing keeping you from buying a bike you otherwise love is a fear that it won't be geared low enough.

Some shops may even be willing to make these swaps for you at the time of sale for little to no cost if the bike is going to obviously be too high for you. (And if you really want a triple it's worth asking them what they can work out in that situation as well. That does involve some more expensive part changes (possibly front derailleur and whole crank), but they may be willing to work something out that makes it worth it to you. Certainly worth asking, especially if it's a deal-breaker).

You could always overhaul the drive train and throw a nice triple on there,but that can get pricey.....:(

I appreciate all your input! It helped me in making a decision because tomorrow I am going to pick up a brand new bike.:D I decided to go for the triple crank. Its going to be a road bike; Giant Avail 2. I still have my mountain bike so in that case I think a road bike will be a nice addition to it. Thanks everyone! It really helped me!