By George, I think she's (almost) got it! Compact Vs. Triple

[OakLeaf]

?? Aggie, I thought you had the same '07 Synapse 3 as I do? That was available either way for the same price.

Anyway - I have the triple also and I wouldn't go any other way for the type of riding I do and my strength level at present. It's got the stock drivetrain (except that I swapped for shorter crankarms because of my knees): Shimano 105 crank, FD, cassette and shifters, with an Ultegra RD (for looks as Deb tells us). There are riders much stronger than I around here, women and men both, who have triples on the bikes they take on the hill rides, and use their puppy gears with no shame. (I don't say granny. I know there are grandmothers on this board who are much stronger than I am, and probably most of them go up 15% grades with a standard double chainwheel. ) Myself - well, let's just say that when we hit that 21% (or is it 24%?) hill again on Wednesday night after already doing some significant climbing, I was in my 30x25 going less than three miles an hour. A female Cat 3 racer who was on the ride said she was doing four.

No, obviously you don't use all the gears with a triple, but that's true on any bike with a front derailleur. I ran a spreadsheet a few weeks back for comparison, and while I don't remember the exact details, I think it worked out to the triple gives me four more usable gears than I'd have with a compact. Maybe only three. But that's a LOT, in my book. Because unless you're running a serious alpine setup, a triple allows you to run a much closer-ratio cassette to get comparable high and low ranges, and that translates into being able to stay at your ideal cadence more often.

I've got 3,000 miles on this bike and haven't dropped the chain yet (touch wood), don't even know what "ghost shifting" is. I had a triple on my touring bike when I was younger and I don't remember ever dropping the chain on that bike, either, although my guess is it must have happened once or twice in the miles I put on that bike (I'm going to guess about 20-25,000 miles, though I didn't have a computer for most of that time.) Sometimes I get a grindy FD shift, but that's obviously my technique since it doesn't happen all the time.

[indysteel]

My experience is very similar to Oakleaf's. I have a triple and use my smallest gears without shame on my hilliest rides. We have a lot of steep grades in southern Indiana and, even when the road isn't quite so steep, I still use my smallest gears with some frequency when my legs start to fatigue. It's especially helpful on multi-day tours. I've been told I'm a good climber (I've been on a quest to find my inner goat and am finally starting to make some progress) and I'm small, but I still need 'em. I also like having a tight cluster in the rear and being able to pick my choice of gear even on the flats. It's windy here a lot and incremental changes help me find a sweet spot no matter the terrain or weather.

I had some problems last year with dropping my chain going from my little ring to my middle ring. I got a new crank last year--a much nicer one--and haven't had that problem since. I don't know if it's the crank or just a better adjusted FD, but the shifting in front now is very good. Previously, I would hesitate to shift up out of my little ring, leading me to spin out . Now, I don't give shifting up as much thought. I run Campy on my bike for what that's worth.

It's so hard to know in advance what will work for you. It sounds like you've had good luck with your triple on your MTB. Climbing with a road bike will be different if, for no other reason, than the bike will be much lighter. If you're on the fence, I would suggest sticking with a triple. Better to have too many gears than too few.