Compac double vs triple

[ZenBiker]

I was having doubts similar to the OP when I bought my first road bike, a compact double, after riding a hybrid with a triple. I expected to zip up hills because of the lovely carbon road bike, and instead I was struggling with them. I felt like I needed some lower gears. (These are hills I didn't really even try on my hybrid).

BUT - I now love my compact double. Three things happened to change my perspective:
- I did the math and realized I hadn't really given up very much in terms of my lowest gear. (I have an 11-28 cassette on the road bike).
- I got stronger
- I got better at knowing when to shift and how to breathe on a hill

Now I can ride hills - I'm not the fastest in my group, but I'm not the slowest either. And if I keep riding I will just keep getting better. So the limiting factor was never my bike, it was the engine (me). if you love being on your bike because it fits, you will ride more, and you'll be able to do everything you want to - unless you literally want to climb mountains, then I'm guessing a triple would be in order!

Can't comment on the wheel size, I haven't had a chance to compare.

[Chile Pepper]

I love my compact double, but I remember how weird it felt when I first switched from a standard. After about a month, something just clicked and I never thought about it again. Maybe you just need to give it time.

[ny biker]

When I had a triple I only ever used the big chain ring when I was doing spinning tapes on the indoor trainer. I mostly used the middle ring, and used the small ring for steep hills.

With the compact double, I mostly use the smaller ring. When I use the larger one it tends to bother my knee (I have a patella tracking problem), though I do sometimes use it when I know I'll be on flat ground for a while. When the cassette wears out and needs to be replaced, I plan to have a chat with the LBS folks about possibly getting a smaller large chain ring so that I'll have something I can use with less pain.