Quote Originally Posted by SadieKate View Post
Even the pros use triples at times.
Very, very rarely - they really are a liablility on a race bike - though you will find that the pros get their bikes tailored to the day that they are riding them on. If they are riding a very flat course they will have a very different bike from when they are riding a mountainous one, both in gearing and other things as well. For most of us mere mortals, we need to find the setup that gives us the most flexibility to do all tasks.

My personal experience was going from a triple to a standard double. When I did not have a bike that truely fit properly I *needed* that triple - and it was even mt bike style gearing.... Now that I have a lighter bike that fits properly I find that I can climb anything thrown at me without hurting my knees (even double digit grades seated) with a standard double and fast too - but I am very small and light which suits me to climbing. I test rode a compact double and I could tell very quickly that I would be missing those top end gears - here's where the small and light becomes a liability - I need to chase downhill a lot... Personally if I was not racing I might go with a compact. If I was touring and carrying weight I would want the extra gears a triple gives you.