looking to upgrade...

[anablanco]

I started riding about a year ago. My husband and I go out together a few times a week. I just love it! I've lost about 34 pounds since November and its gotten much easier. I've been thinking about upgrading but not sure if I should wait until I no longer need a triple. I ride about 30 - 40 miles each time I go out. Even though I've gotten much better I'm not sure if I'll ever outgrow a triple. Would love to hear your thoughts on this? I saw a bike I just love the other day but it's a triple... don't know what to do.

[Veronica]

Some people never outgrow their triple. It's all about where you ride. I have the muscle strength to not need a triple. But whenever I climb in a bigger gear - my knees scream at me. They love spinning up mountains though.

Veronica

[anablanco]

I live in Georgia so there are lots and lots of hills. I'm also training for a six gap ride up in the GA mountains. I'm thinking I may need that triple in the fall Hills are getting much easier as I get in better shape and shed pounds though. I love that feeling! The bike I'm looking at is an '08 so the price is good but even though it came in both a double and a triple... the triple is all they have left. I figure I'll keep it for a long time so I want to make the right decision. Thanks for your help!

[sundial]

First, congratulations on your weight loss! That is outstanding!!

Second--how do your knees like hills? Would you be as comfortable on a compact with a few less granny gears or would you prefer a triple? Personally, I prefer a compact double for the shifting but if I lived in a really hilly area, I would probably stick with a triple since I have a bad knee.

What's nice about triples is they help in off season training.

[ny biker]

I expect I will always want a triple. I use the small ring less as the season goes on and I get in better shape, but I like having it for the really steep hills.

[sundial]

There's this really steep hill that I've been avoiding. If I do it, I'll have to grab the mtb because it's the only triple I have, lol.

[anablanco]

So far my knees are okay. I've never ridden a compact though... I guess I can try my husbands. My husband has ridden for a long time and is torn on whether I should stay with a triple or get a compact when I upgrade.

[sundial]

You know, if you're happy with your triple, why not keep it and get a great second hand/last year's model compact double? Then you'll have the best of both worlds.

[anablanco]

Oh and thanks on the congrats for the weight loss!! I started weight watchers in November and have done very well. My husband is my trainer... haha
The cycling has really helped me out. I alternate between road biking and mountain biking so the pounds are coming off at a steady pace. I'm very excited... and I've gotten really into cycling... I like to find all the feminine gear. I love pink!

[Ginger]

I also live in Georgia and do a lot of cycling on hills. I have a compact double cassette with a lower gear than the one the bike came with. I find that the lowest gear is as low as I ever need, even on steep hills, and I'm not strong-legged. As my bike person explained it to me, my lowest gear is only a tiny bit higher than I'd have on a triple; the replacement provides more range. I find the compact double to be easier to use (less shifting around) and more problem-free than a triple.

[Zen]

You know, if you're happy with your triple, why not keep it and get a great second hand/last year's model compact double? Then you'll have the best of both worlds.

Enabler!

[hilldweller]

Would you lose anything by staying with a triple?

[ZenSojourner]

Some people think that you lose too much in the upper gears (read: speed) by having the really low gears.

In reality, it depends on the particular triple, and it depends on the particular double. Well actually it depends on the chainring in combination with the rear cassette.

If you want to know more about how gearing affects the ride of your bike, go here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/gear-theory.html

He explains all about gearing, crossover, shift patterns, etc. in a way that's comprehensible to those of us who are not gearheads. (Unintentional pun, btw)

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Above is Sheldon Brown's gear ratio calculator, just plug your particular bike info in there and it will tell you how many gear inches you have in each gear. He's got about 30 or 40 standard sprocket combinations in the drop down for the rear cassette plus a custom setting. You'd need to count the teeth on each sprocket in your rear cassette (and ditto for the chainring). It's PROBABLY in the user's manual that came with your bike, if you still have that stuff or know where it is.

Heck, include your crank length and he's got it set up so you can even figure your speed for each ring/sprocket combination at a particular cadence.

The highest gear on a road bike is usually something like 108", and I think the highest gear on my triple is like 104". Unless you want to get serious about racing I don't see that there's much to be gained by going to a double from a (good) triple.

The weight of the bike is probably a bigger concern for a recreational rider who wants a bit more speed. Truth be told, for many of us it's the weight of the RIDER that's the biggest concern, LOL!

I don't think a triple is something you have to "grow out" of is all I'm saying. Of course all triples are not the same, I can't say what yours is giving you in those upper gears, but I've never maxed my 3rd ring out and I use those low gears all the time. Wouldn't give 'em up for love nor money.

I don't know how long Sheldon's site is going to be up, but I would strongly encourage people to browse and save all you can from it. The cycling world really lost something when we lost Sheldon. He explains all sorts of technical things in ways that are easy to understand.

You might be able to get a bit more out of the bike that you have just by swapping a sprocket or two out, or by changing one or more of your chain rings. There are technical issues that need to be addressed when you do something like that but a good mechanic should know what is and isn't feasible.

[Crankin]

Thinking that a triple is a weakness that you need to "grow out" of is just a false assumption. For example, I love the feeling of pushing the big gear on the flats, but when I do, my knees don't love me. Hence, if I was mashing up the hills in a bigger gear, the same would happen.
I guess I am not that strong, since I am small and short. Not getting any younger, either! I spin up everything. That said, I live on a fairly big hill that people train on and most rides I do have climbing. At one point, I considered getting a compact and then I ended up buying a new bike with a triple. I don't regret it. In fact, I love my granny gear and although I use it less as the season goes on, I do use it.
My husband, who is a very strong rider has gone from a double, to a compact, to a triple. He doesn't *need* it, but you can be sure he uses it.

[ZenSojourner]

Actually I just went and calculated my triple/cassette combination and my upper gear is actually 115.1".

Not bad for a triple.

And I went further and compared it to a double with Ultegra components, 10 speed 12/27 cassette and 34/50 double chainring, and that bike has a range of from 33 to 110 gear inches (bigger is faster, that's the small sprocket big chain ring combination)

20 to 115 for my bike and it's granny gears compared to 33 to 110 - I've got 'em coming AND going