Quote Originally Posted by Thorn View Post
Only if it isn't right for you. If it works and it has the gears you want when you need them, then it is "normal" and every one else's bike is "strange".

Double vs. Triple vs. Compact Double....oh dem's fightin' wurds. Mention that and, egads, the discussion board goes nuts--it is a very cycling relgious issue. I don't know what the distribution of bikes vs. crank configuration is--generally, the racier the bike, the more likely it will have a standard double; the more relaxed and targeted at the weekend rider, the more likely it has a triple.

...my bike comes complete with a great granny gear...that is, when I get off and walk it. It has been a while since I had to succomb to using the great granny, but it is always nice to know she's there and waiting....
I've never understood this, but then I've never been much part of the cycling "scene" either. In Norway we have some rides and races that go up GREAT BIG HILLS that last for a really LONG TIME, these can be really hard and it seems really tiny gears are very popular - hardly grannylike. We don't have a big roadie contigent at all and for most people a "bike" is a mtb, so grannies are everywhere.