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

[Ciao]

Hmmm... and maybe we just create a spring TE 2009 tour...

Firenze -to- San Gimignano -to- Siena -to Montepulciano - etc...

[Norse]

Ciao, I am an avid rider, but mostly a weekend warrior and I would not consider myself particularly gifted on hills. I used to hate hills but have only recently started getting better at them since I am currently training for a rolling terrain, with several steep hills, 4 day/300 mile ride next month. I am mid-40's, so no spring chicken, medium boned and average build. I don't have one of those scrawny, feather-weight, fly-up-the-mountain bodies. I usually grind out hills at my own humble pace.

[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.

[alpinerabbit]

You are all welcome to head over! We love visitors!

I COULD take you up to that. I've been ideating about cycling the Toscana.......

[ilima]

My road bike has a compact. It's fine for everyday riding, although there are certainly days I wish I had an extra gear or two. I do ride some pretty decent hills with it, but if I was going to ride stuff that was averaging above 10%, I would definitely need a triple. I ride with a guy that has a triple, and I have certainly envied him when he spins while I mash.

I am having a 'cross bike built up for commuting and I am putting a triple on it. I have a 2-mile 800' climb to get home; that's a 7.5% average with pitches in the upper teens. No way do I want to be struggling when I'm commuting home with a few groceries and work stuff in my panniers. I even am putting a mountain bike cassette and derailleur on it.

My commuter is going to get an Ultegra crank and front derailleur, so I'm hoping it will perform better (shifter cleaner) than the Tiagra triple that was on a bike I sold.

[Ciao]

I COULD take you up to that. I've been ideating about cycling the Toscana.......

I've said it before - the rides are perfect, the vistas beautiful, the people warm and friendly, and the food.. oh, the food. Come on over! The trains from Switzerland to Firenze are easy ('cept for one stretch that always makes me a little 'carsick' ).

---------------

Gang, I can't tell you just how much your feedback has helped me. Thank you for taking the time - and please feel free to continue.

Now to figure out the right triple... Shimano vs. Campy (opinions?) & gear inches ... Probably going to be another late night...

[parity]

no kidding!

so what's chain suck and ghost shifting?

Chain suck:

http://www.fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/

"The chain fails to disengage from the bottom teeth of a front chain-ring ; instead the teeth snag the chain and carry it up and around the rear circumference of the ring, winding it back onto itself, and jamming it between the chain-rings and chain-stay. "

As for ghost shifting, I guess thats when you bike shifts on its own. Usually because the rear derailleur is not properly adjusted or due to cable stretch.

[KnottedYet]

The View From The Other Side.

Lots of folks are mentioning the "shame" (or lack there of) of using their granny gears on the triple. There's a definite reverse of that in my section of the riding universe. (which I guess is the utility cycling portion of the universe)

We have hills here in Seattle. When me 'n' my peeps see someone zipping along with just a double, we assume that they probably stick with flat or flattish rides. Cuz someone who leaves the safe and easy routes or who actually uses the bike as transportation rather than as a toy (and hauls stuff on it) is going to need and use a triple around here.

Toy vs. Transportation. Double vs. Triple. Sticking to Seattle's flat and gratuitously fast routes, or riding directly to your destination come he!! or high-land.

Yup, discrimination and self-righteousness live on in us all. (including slowpokes like me.)

(and yes, my bikes with the compact and the standard doubles are my "toys". No doubt about it. My triples are my real bikes.)

[Trek420]

Where oh where is that poem a TE'er wrote "Ode to My Triple"?

[aicabsolut]

I don't need a 30T ring for the riding I do, so I think, why have one? I also like having some low gears of a 34 or 36T ring, so I prefer that over the 39 or 42 middle ring that is common for triples. Basically, I would be pretty unsatisfied with both the little and middle ring of a triple most of the time. Therefore, I vote for compact.

[SadieKate]

Where oh where is that poem a TE'er wrote "Ode to My Triple"?

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ghlight=triple

~ SK who is waiting for Peter White to call her about putting a 38 middle on her Campy triple and no way, no how, is she giving up her 26 granny. Me loves my knees.