Compact vs. Triple

[Harley]

HELP!
I am getting back into road riding after 18 years (gave up road riding for a throttle). My old road bikes gearing is too extreme 52/42 x 12/24 and my bike shop has told me the gearing cannot be changed due to frame angles/Dura ace, etc... all in all, cheaper to get a new bike.

I ride a triple on my Mtn bike. But I'm curious about your experience with compact gearing, and compact vs triple for a road bike? The gear charts show them to be similar, only less overlapping gears with the compact... friends are warning NO, bike shop says I'll love it.

The bike I am looking at is the 2008 Bianchi via Nirone C2C/ultegra with 50/34 and 12/27 10spd

Would love comments or suggestions.
Thanks,
Harley

[rij73]

Hi! and Welcome...

I started biking last year for the first time since childhood. I rode a flat-bar road bike with a triple for 3 months before I was so completely hooked on biking and decided I must have the full drop-bar experience. After much thinking and calculating of gear ratios, I decided that a 50-34 compact crankset with a 12-27 rear would be fine for me. There aren't serious hills where I ride, but even if there were, I just couldn't justify the extra weight and complication of a triple. I know that opinions differ on this, but I would rather get a mountain bike cassette and derailleur for the back than a triple in the front if I needed easier gearing. I think the compact is the most elegant solution...

Just took a look at that Bianchi on their website. Looks like an awesome bike. If it fits you well, I would say go for it! It's a good price for a bike with those components.

[KnottedYet]

I have one road bike with a compact double.
I have one road bike with a triple.

I love them both.

[SadieKate]

Please, please, please go look at what your peers locally are riding. Find people who are riding the terrain and distances you want to. Find people of your age, fitness, strengths, weakness, etc. and look at what they are riding.

We can give you pros and cons until we are blue in the face and your eyes are glazed over. Go talk to your peers locally.

Opinions are all over the place. Go read Sheldon Brown's article on gearing (may he RIP). Search on this site for compact or double vs triple.

No one here can give you a qualified opinion without knowing exactly the terrain you are riding, how strong a rider you are, whether you have any knee or back issues, etc. We don't even know which side of the Cascades you are on and that can make a difference. Or whether you plan to take your bike to super high oxygen-deprived altitudes.

Go find your local peers.

[maillotpois]

Is it hilly in the North Cascades? I am assuming so. I ride in hills (Marin) and mountains (the Sierras) and I wouldn't consider riding anything but a triple. Not only do I not want to sacrifice on the hill climbing end, but I also do NOT want to sacrifice on the power end, and a compact double would force some sacrifice either way.

Weight is NOT that big an issue when you are talking about these sort of components (assuming everything is moderate to higher end to begin with). If I pee before the ride, I have made up the difference.

I coach cyclists for "tough" events. The number of people with compact doubles who come begging for options (i.e., XTR, etc.) is pretty cute.

ETA: I have a "throttle", too. (A Bonnie, to be exact! )

[Aggie_Ama]

SK gives the best advice, none of us know what your area is like and would be stating personal preference.

For example, I live in the Texas Hill Country and wouldn't consider anything but a triple for the steep hills we have. I see strong riders (like my husband) who admit to wishing they had some smaller gears on some of the steep hills. I get 90 miles east and would prefer a compact double since I never use the little ring.

[KnottedYet]

Here's a link to some of Sheldon Brown's wisdom that Sadie Kate was talking about. This will at least get you started, have fun! http://sheldonbrown.com/gearing/index.html

[Harley]

Thanks for all your wishes and replies.
I live in Winthrop, WA on the East side of the North Cascades... yes we have hills, but the majority of the riding is in the valley, rolling hills, short steep runs, until you go up Washington Pass...which is a mountain pass, 5500 feet approx, valley floor is 2000 in 35 miles. Altitude doesn't bother me, and I LOVE the downhills.
I am from Colorado, and rode a lot in the Rocky Mtn Natl Park area, dabbled in racing, did centuries, worked for a bike shop. However, that was 18 years ago and I am now pushing 60... reality bites
The friends I have who ride use triples. Most rarely use their smallest chainring, some swear by it.
As soon as the roads are clear of sand (and snow) I'll give the compact a try. The techie in me is curious.

[Triskeliongirl]

I also ride the texas hill country and love my compact double, but I do have it paired with an 11/34 in back. I don't mind the large gaps between gears, since it simplifies the shifting in front and mechanically its easier to keep in tune. I also took it to the pyrenes, but with a 12/27 in back. When I got home I put on the 11/34, much better! But I don't view this as a bad thing, as Mailtipos implies........... I like that when its flat or rolling I can just stay in my big ring in front, and when its really hilly I stay mostly in my smalll one. Much easier. I don't get why some thinks its a problem to have big gaps between gears. My gearing gives me a range of 26-119 which is pretty darn good for me.

SK gives the best advice, none of us know what your area is like and would be stating personal preference.

For example, I live in the Texas Hill Country and wouldn't consider anything but a triple for the steep hills we have. I see strong riders (like my husband) who admit to wishing they had some smaller gears on some of the steep hills. I get 90 miles east and would prefer a compact double since I never use the little ring.

[RoadRaven]

I ride a triple on my Mtn bike. But I'm curious about your experience with compact gearing, and compact vs triple for a road bike?

Hey there Harley
I'm chiming in a tad late here but thought I would give my two cents...
I have a triple on my mountain bike, and a double on my timetrial bike (though I rarely use the small chain ring - only when it is a hilly TT) and a compact on my road race bike.

I find the compact does everything I need, and when I compare it to triples that friends have, I actually have the same (or very similar) range of gears as they do. So I have the same smallest gears for getting up hills, I have the same gears for mashing hard on the flat.

When I compare my compact to the "normal" doubles I have ridden, I find I just have to be more cautious about changing between the big and small... which means I just try to be sure i am in the middle cogs at the back ... which is good practice anyways...

Count the teeth Harley... thats the best way to decide whether a triple is necessary... if you have similar numbers of teeth in the cogs, then you probably don't need the triple. I know some people swear by triples, but I find that it is just one more thing to change between - therefore one more possibility for mechanical error.