Double or triple chain rings?

[Luann]

Why do so many road bikes come with double chain rings rather than triple? It seems to me that having a triple will give the rider more options for a very minimal amount of weight.

Are there any benefits to having just a double in front? Or is it an ego/experience thing?

[Veronica]

I think a lot depends on where you live and your age. A lot of people who do regularly ride the mountain around the SF Bay Area have triples. A generalization of my observations would be that's it's younger male riders and CAT racers who have doubles. Presumablely they have the strength to push a big gear, or they mainly ride flats.

Veronica

[bounceswoosh]

A friend of mine and I were driving up Flagstaff road in Boulder to get to a trail up top. Amazingly enough, a lot of people were riding up this behemoth. My friend said that she needed to get back into riding it, and I brought up my lack of a road bike. She said that most people use mountain bikes to get up it, because road bikes don't have low enough gears.

Um, that's a long winded way of saying that on some roads, I guess having three rings is pretty important (for most people). On the other hand, that third ring adds weight, so if you don't need it, it's just more weight to drag around.

How many rings does Lance use?

Ah, google to the rescue. Looks like two.

Lance's chainring

[Veronica]

I think generally Lance probably uses two - maybe on some of the steep long mountains a triple. I know in the Vuelta Espana there is a mountain where they use a triple. But I'm not Lance. I'll stick to my triple.

V.

[bounceswoosh]

Hah! Great minds think alike.

Maybe instead of the omnipresent "WWJD?" we should have the biking-specific "WWLD?"

(What would Lance do?)

[kelrunran]

I have a triple and would not have it any other way. My husband tried to get me to change to a double but "no way"!

Kelly

[Luann]

Thanks for the replies.

I've got a triple, too. My husband has a double, but wished he had a triple. This is a bit odd for him since he raced on his single speed mtn bike last year. (One by nine this year.)

[betagirl]

I definitely like my Triple. That granny gear is great on the big hills. No shame here!

[snapdragen]

Love my triple, and the mountain gearing/derailer on the back of my road bike!

[doctorfrau]

Snapdragen,

OOhh Ooohh, that is what I want!! I have the triple, but I want to get MT gearing on the back - how did you do that? Did the shop look at you funny? Think you were a wimp?


Info Puhleeeeese!

[snapdragen]

Actually, the bike came with it - I have a Terry Classic - Ultegra on the front, Deore XT on the back. (It's an older Terry, now I think the Classic comes with 105 on the front) I know a lot of people that have had the same set up on their bikes. A friend of my has mtn gears on her Klein.

Just tell the shop guys you're heading to the Pyranees and need all the help you can get!

Originally posted by doctorfrau
Snapdragen,

OOhh Ooohh, that is what I want!! I have the triple, but I want to get MT gearing on the back - how did you do that? Did the shop look at you funny? Think you were a wimp?


Info Puhleeeeese!

[jobob]

Yep, there were times I was envious of snapdragen's gearing