# Triple or compact?



## Chris73 (23 May 2013)

What's best for a newbie?


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## Pottsy (23 May 2013)

Have a search - an often asked question. 

In summary; it depends on your fitness, your preference, your terrain, your bike and the type of riding you're expecting to do.


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## SWSteve (23 May 2013)

I bought cheapest in the range, and as a result have a triple. I am happy with this though as some of the hills near me are ridiculous. I don't spend much time in the very bottom gear when climbing, but there are times when it's needed and I am thankful.


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## jowwy (23 May 2013)

same as the comments above

the type of chainset your require will be based on riding type, fitness, terrain etc. i live in a very hilly area and love the fact i have a triple, cause the hills i have to climb on some rides would be brutal for me at my weight


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## HLaB (23 May 2013)

I'd happily ride both (compact and tripple) regardless of the terrain but I'm fairly fit. The fit of the bike is more important to me; fashion/availability dictates 90% of the time that its a double or compact but I found the 42t middle ring of a tripple more convenient for riding in a group; the 34, 36 or 38t compact is too small for me.


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## Alun (23 May 2013)

HLaB said:


> I'd happily ride both (compact and tripple) regardless of the terrain but I'm fairly fit. The fit of the bike is more important to me; fashion/availability dictates 90% of the time that its a double or compact but I found the 42t middle ring of a tripple more convenient for riding in a group; the 34, 36 or 38t compact is too small for me.


What type of triple do you have, that has a 42t middle ring? All the (road) ones that I have seen are 50-39-30.


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## HLaB (23 May 2013)

Alun said:


> What type of triple do you have, that has a 42t middle ring? All the (road) ones that I have seen are 50-39-30.


My old Sirrus Sport 06 has a 30/42/52 but the newer ones have been downgeared; irrc my ex colleagues 2010 Marin also had a 30/42/52 chain ring.


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## Nigelnaturist (23 May 2013)

Alun said:


> What type of triple do you have, that has a 42t middle ring? All the (road) ones that I have seen are 50-39-30.


I got a 52-40-30, though I did have a 48-38-26 for a while, this helped me to increase my fitness so I could then go back to the 52-40-30, but I have gone through a range of rear ratios, which I am about to change again as I have quite a jump from 18-21 (currently 12/14/16/18/21/24/28 the 30x28 was the same as 26x24), I am now at the point where I don't use the 28 on my rides so I can fit a closer set of ratios.


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## Nigelnaturist (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467857, member: 30090"]Go with a compact. If you had a triple you'd only want to change it anyway given time once you get fitter.[/quote]
Can't see why.


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## HLaB (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467857, member: 30090"]Go with a compact. If you had a triple you'd only want to change it anyway given time once you get fitter.[/quote]
I've never had the urge to change my sirrus from its current tripple


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## Supersuperleeds (23 May 2013)

I have a triple on my hybrid - I don't think I have ever used the granny ring, and a compact on the road bike, I find the road bike is much easier to ride on the hills. (or what passes for hills around here)


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## HLaB (23 May 2013)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I have a triple on my hybrid - I don't think I have ever used the granny ring, and a compact on the road bike, I find the road bike is much easier to ride on the hills. (or what passes for hills around here)


I'm guessing that difference is more down to the bikes (hybrid v road bike), as oppose to tripple v compact


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## Alun (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]
For the sake of 4 GI (or 10 GI if you want do run an MTB set up on a road bike) you'd rather have a triple and go though the hassle of installing and indexing a triple front mech and more importantly installing a medium or long cage rear mech.  Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up or how out of place a long cage rear mech looks on a road bike!
Man up, fit a compact and attack those hills! [/quote]
I guess these two just don't realise the stigma involved in having a long cage rear mech.
http://road.cc/content/news/36222-giro-tech-millar-goes-all-mtb
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/contador-rides-srams-new-wifli-red-at-vuelta-35156/
Still, they'll have mechanics to go through the hassle of "installing" them.


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## Hacienda71 (23 May 2013)

I run both and in many ways the triple is a far smoother drive train than the compact. What I mean by that is the jumps between gears. On a triple you get the same smoothness as a double but with the extreme ratios you get with a compact. It has got to the stage that when I change/wear out my front small ring on the compact I am likely to replace it with a 39.


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## BSRU (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up
[/quote]
No-one should be stigmatised just because they choose practicality over purity, personally I just use what I want and I do not care about anyone else's opinion  .


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## ColinJ (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467929, member: 30090"]
Has the OP mentioned that they want to cycle up some mountains - bearing in mind that this has been posted in 'beginners'
[/quote]
He has hardly said anything at all, but he is obviously concerned about riding up steep hills or he wouldn't be asking about compacts *or* triples! 

I use triples because:

We have lots of very steep hills round here
'Compact' chainsets didn't exist when I bought my bikes
I can get a wider range of gears with smaller steps between them using triples rather than compacts


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## Spoked Wheels (23 May 2013)

I have a bike with a triple and It's a good option to start with if you are not fit enough or the hills are tough.


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## Nigelnaturist (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]Lowest gear on a compact assuming a 34t chainring and 28t sprocket: 34/28*28=34 GI

Lowest gear on a triple assuming a 30t chainring and 28t sprocket: 30/28*28=30 GI

Going as low as you can go, a 30t chain ring and 34t sprocket: 30/34*28=24 GI

For the sake of 4 GI (or 10 GI if you want do run an MTB set up on a road bike) you'd rather have a triple and go though the hassle of installing and indexing a triple front mech and more importantly installing a medium or long cage rear mech.  Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up or how out of place a long cage rear mech looks on a road bike!

Man up, fit a compact and attack those hills! [/quote]
I dont give a f, how it looks or about stigma, look at my user name for f sake, I forgot to mention it's a 7 sp how out of fashion is that, o and it's a viking, plus I don't work so don't have any money, and as for setting them up let's face it's not rocket science is it.
Oh I nearly forgot it's currently running an acera rear mech, and a mismatch of 7 and 8sp cogs, but with the triple I can have a closer rear ratio set-up, which I can choose myself, so if I am doing some steeper hills I can change the ratios.
If you want gear ".
Here this is my current setup, due to the fact I didn't have a 21th or 19th cog






This is what i will be putting on




I have just done 6,000 miles since last June, 2,900 miles this year. 500 miles plus these last 4 months 866 last and so far 600 this, I average 30 miles every day I go out and thats 2 out of 3 days.
I am currently 16th in the group as you can see from my ticker, so where the f do you get off tell me how it should look, it works and pretty dam well for a £300 bike.
If you look at the tables you will see how well triples can work.


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## SpokeyDokey (23 May 2013)

i knew this would get heated when I saw the title. 

As Nigel sort of says above - the bike you ride and put the miles in on is the best bike in the world. A bike just needs to be fit for purpose.

And if you need a triple and that's what gets you a) out on your bike and b) up hills, then so be it.

A modest bike, or indeed any bike, with a triple that fulfills the above is a far better bike than having an_ uber_-bike with a 53/39 and 11/23 gathering cobwebs whilst hanging from the garage rafters.

I have no idea why triples get so much flack - the're just toothed thingys that help transfer leggy stuff to the back wheel. I'd try a technical phrase but I fear I would get a huge technical correction in a subsequent post!

Mind you, they do weigh a 100g or so more and that would slow you down so much you'd be almost going backwards.......

Nothing wrong with a triple!


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## Nigelnaturist (23 May 2013)

SpokeyDokey said:


> i knew this would get heated when I saw the title.
> 
> 
> Mind you, they do weigh a 100g or so more and that would slow you down so much you'd be almost going backwards.......
> ...


My bike weighs in at 13Kgs without any extras, like mudguards, lights, rack panniers, but I am starting to make a consistent average toward the 15mph, and 50 years old next.


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## SWSteve (23 May 2013)

Am I the only person who when watching pro cyclists struggle with a climb thinks 'those idiots should use a triple, would be a lot easier'


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## HLaB (23 May 2013)

Nigelnaturist said:


> My bike weighs in at 13Kgs without any extras, like mudguards, lights, rack panniers, .


 OT, that sounds like a light version of a Viking


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## Nigelnaturist (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2468097, member: 30090"]I'm not quite sure what I've done to deserve a post with such an agressive tone TBH.

My first post imo followed a sound logic that is when you get fitter the lower triple chain ring may become redundant and is not needed.

Whilst my second post was taking the p a bit. I thought with the amount of smileys that I put in the post that this would come across in a light hearted manner.

Congrats on your current set up. I don't see where I've said what I've highlighted in bold or maybe even where it is implied.

Anyway, safe cycling[/quote]
Sorry, I don't usually get so high rate.
[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]Lowest gear on a compact assuming a 34t chainring and 28t sprocket: 34/28*28=34 GI

*Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up or how out of place a long cage rear mech looks on a road bike!*

Man up, fit a compact and attack those hills! [/quote]
Think it answers your question, smilies or not, your written tone appeared condescending.
I sometimes carry upto 6-7Kgs of camera kit, so those lower gears can come in handy.



Viking O.O.B. by nigelnaturist, on Flickr


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## Nigelnaturist (23 May 2013)

HLaB said:


> OT, that sounds like a light version of a Viking


I did see one rated at about 10Kg's earlier this year with a 105 group set, well shifters and mechs, for £479, and they had a carbon frame at something like £6-700 I think.

http://www.rutlandcycling.com/43868/Viking-Vittoria-105-Road-Bike-Sale.html


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## TonyEnjoyD (23 May 2013)

Chris73 said:


> What's best for a newbie?


What's best is what's on the bike you like and can afford.
Tbh you'll ride to your strengths, needs and ability so either will suit you... Unless you can afford both then ditch the one that you feel doesn't suit you.

I started on a triple cos that's what I used as a teenager, in the 80's and the 90's.
I only moved ot a double cos that's how my replacement groupset upgrade was.


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## T4tomo (23 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2468097, member: 30090"]I'm not quite sure what I've done to deserve a post with such an agressive tone TBH.

My first post imo followed a sound logic that is when you get fitter the lower triple chain ring may become redundant and is not needed.

Whilst my second post was taking the p a bit. I thought with the amount of smileys that I put in the post that this would come across in a light hearted manner.

Congrats on your current set up. I don't see where I've said what I've highlighted in bold or maybe even where it is implied.

Anyway, safe cycling[/quote]

Sound logic except you missed the point of a triple in that generally (on a road set up) you wouldn't have a 28T sprocket - the triple lets you have a nice narrow range so you get fewer jumps as you ahve sthe wider range on you chainrings. I ride a compact, but I can see the appeal of triples.


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## MaxInc (23 May 2013)

ItsSteveLovell said:


> Am I the only person who when watching pro cyclists struggle with a climb thinks 'those idiots should use a triple, would be a lot easier'



They are not struggeling, they are hardenining up


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## huggy (23 May 2013)

I have just been through this, I had decided on the bike, exactly the same bike comes with either.

Compact 50-34 with 11-30 10 speed block or Triple 50-39-30 with 11-28 10 speed block. 

When you put both these into the Sheldon gain ratio calculator it shows that the range of both setups is EXACTLY the same. 

I went triple because it gives me a nice set of 8 or so gears in the middle where I won't have to change chain ring. Whereas with the compact I think I would oftern feel I was on the wrong chain ring.

Additionally if I end up at the bottom of some Alp I can put a 30 or 32 cog on the back to spin up it.


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## Chris Norton (23 May 2013)

The range may be the same but you have smaller steps which help smoothing you out so you can keep your cadence more comfortable for YOU. Having ridden double's many years ago, I'd rather have a triple with a more compact rear cassette. Very few hills here so I only need the small stuff after riding good mile's to get to one. I'd still keep the triple. And the 100g extra weight still needs to come off my large gut before I worry about the weight. LOL!!!

Ride a few bikes and see which take's your fancy and how comfy you are.


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## clockhammer (23 May 2013)

Nearing the top of a 21% climb at the weekend and feeling like I was in a big gear with flat tyres when in fact I was in my smallest gear and my tyres were fine I was wishing I had opted for a triple. Not going to change though so must get stronger.

Hope the OP doesn't listen to any claims of stigma or any other testosterone fuelled nonsense, just get what feels right and enjoy it. Ride more and improve with time.


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## Hacienda71 (23 May 2013)

I had to change the large ring on my compact after 1 year as I had worn it out. The reason, the drop to the little ring is a horrible jump to make, so I would rather run a sheeite chain line than drop to the little ring while simultaneously changing on the cassette as well to maintain a regular cadence, riding with a bad chainline wears your front rings suprisingly quickly. My triple was bought second hand 3 years ago and all three front rings are still going strong.


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## doog (23 May 2013)

Triple if you live near hills and value your knees.


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## Hip Priest (23 May 2013)

I wish I'd got a triple to start with. I've got a compact 50-34t with 11-26 cassette and steep hills (12% +) are an absolute bastard. Even mile-long climbs of 8-10% are tough, as I can't maintain a high cadence.


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## deptfordmarmoset (23 May 2013)

One of the things I like about triples is the way you can have only small step changes on the cassette - good for steady cadence - yet still have a wide range of gears. Oh, and once you've got the indexing nicely set up (or use bar end or friction shifters), they're just as smooth changing gears with less of that changing down at the front and then immediately having to change one up at the rear because the front end shifting is too big a change.


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## simon.r (23 May 2013)

Hacienda71 said:


> I run both and in many ways the triple is a far smoother drive train than the compact. What I mean by that is the jumps between gears. On a triple you get the same smoothness as a double but with the extreme ratios you get with a compact. It has got to the stage that when I change/wear out my front small ring on the compact I am likely to replace it with a 39.


 
I'll go with this ^. My fairly new bike has a compact double, my older bike has a triple - I find it easier to get the 'right' gear on the triple and the granny gear option comes in handy from time to time


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## shouldbeinbed (23 May 2013)

I've found on a triple I could leave the front alone much more and ride mostly on the rear, but when I did need extra zip or climbing, gear change combos were more intuitive to my plodders brain.

With a double I find I have to concentrate on the gears more intently throughout my ride & think which combo I'm in and want to go to so as not to start hearing chain chatter from the front mech.

doubling is more of a technique and an art than tripling and you do get an odd sense of satisfaction hitting every change combo just right to not miss a beat, but its also more of a pain when you just want to pedal along with you brain off the hook for a bit.


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## inkd (24 May 2013)

As a beginner I have a triple on my sirrus BUT I can honestly say that I have not used the small cog on the front (sorry for my lack of tech speak) as A, I find pedalling like mad and not getting far. B, In the new forest there are only inclines not hills. So I personally don't see the point in having a triple.
As mentioned above, take a few bikes out for a test ride and see which suits your needs.


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## Banjo (24 May 2013)

I look at a triple as a double with an extra ring for occassional use on steep hills when you are tired.

On the recent Cyclechat South Wales Betws ride some very experienced riders were wishing they had a triple.

It may sound odd but I think you will do less shifting between chainrings with a triple than with a compact double as you will spend most of your time happily on the middle ring.


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## MaxInc (24 May 2013)

inkd said:


> I find pedalling like mad and not getting far.



This is my feeling too even on the compact, at some point it feels like it would be better to just walk  As a beginner the ideea of a tripple was interesting but when I've chossen my bike, it was low on the priority list.


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## Longshot (24 May 2013)

Ditto. I spend most of life on the middle ring on my triple (another Sirrus). The small ring only ever gets used for the really steep stuff and, as a fat bar steward, I'm not giving that up any time soon.


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## User28924 (24 May 2013)

Personally I find the benefits of the triple on my bike are the fact that I can sit in the middle chainring the majority of the time, maintain a steady cadence with small ratio changes on shifting. There is less hassle changing up the front. I'm reasonably fit, relatively light, and live somewhere flat. I don't need the inner ring per-se (though it doesn't actually go much lower than most compacts), and I don't think this is the main advantage. On my fairly entry level bike, is the 100g going to make any difference whatsoever? No.
As far trimming and adjusting, personally it's not something I've yet had to to do since receiving the bike (800 miles later) and it's still shifting as well as it was. A half turn of the barrel adjuster is all.

Having said that, if and when I buy another bike it will have a compact or standard, purely because, for better or worse, it's fashionable and pretty much every bike you can buy has one, and I'm not going to the added cost of replacing shifters.


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## Nigelnaturist (24 May 2013)

I use the inner ring (30th) where the middle groups of gears overlap the low on the middle ring (40th) for example
a 40x24 is 43.88" a 30x19 is 41.53" going to a 21th rear is the same as a 40x28 (37.57") combo, but from the 19 (41.53") to the 17 (46.41") is like a half gear, which can be useful when climbing.
40x24 is 43.83"
40x21 is 50.10"


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## pawl (25 May 2013)

T4tomo said:


> Sound logic except you missed the point of a triple in that generally (on a road set up) you wouldn't have a 28T sprocket - the triple lets you have a nice narrow range so you get fewer jumps as you ahve sthe wider range on you chainrings. I ride a compact, but I can see the appeal of triples.


Agree. I have both compact and triple.i prefer the triple as I find the jumps between the 50 and 34 rings a bit much with triple the jumps are not so big.I tend to use the compact equipped bike for shorter rides during the winter.Use what you are comfortable with not what current fashion says you should use.Cycling is about enjoying your self.


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## deptfordmarmoset (25 May 2013)

Just a little afterthought: there have been a good number of posts on here about the Triban. Though it's a much loved bike, owners have often talked about the upgrades, the grumbles and the lowest quality components on their VFM bikes. However, I don't remember any about them changing from the standard issue triple to a compact/double. Admittedly, the Sora cassette wouldn't take much more than a 28 teeth ring so a compact would mean an automatic drop in gear range. But the point here is that it's not been an issue. (At least, it hasn't been an issue that I've noticed.)


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## Powely (26 May 2013)

After reading this thread, I'm going to get a triple on my next bike, for smoother gear changes and more range (if I understand it right). Then change it to a double should I feel the need. Rather have the option of more range at this point, still class myself as a beginner.


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## Chris73 (27 May 2013)

Cheers for the advice folks but i'm at my wits end if I'm honest! 

I have a 75 mile charity ride in August but that's probably the only time ill ever get near those kind of figures, unless I find an amazing amount of free time in the very near future. This is highly unlikely with 17 month old twin boys! 

I have a £500 budget. I'll go to £550 if the bike is a good buy. 

As I said, I have twin boys. Before long they will have bikes which will mean I'll need to get a hybrid. If I bought a hybrid now, would this seriously affect my chances of completing this ride? 

Out of curiosity, is this a good buy for a beginner like myself?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/moser-bikes-speed-sora-2013/

If not, any suggestions would be greatly accepted. 

For info, I live in the Brecon Beacons so hills are aplenty!


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## SpokeyDokey (27 May 2013)

Chris73 said:


> Cheers for the advice folks but i'm at my wits end if I'm honest!
> 
> I have a 75 mile charity ride in August but that's probably the only time ill ever get near those kind of figures, unless I find an amazing amount of free time in the very near future. This is highly unlikely with 17 month old twin boys!
> 
> ...


 

Why will you need a hybrid because you have children?

Also, do they need factoring in at all on the bike front - it'll be years before they will ever be able to do a meaningful ride with you.


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## Chris73 (27 May 2013)

Just thinking they would be able to cycle on tow paths etc..? 

Ideally I want a road bike. I like the look of the defy5 and its in my budget. Then this Moser appeared!!


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## SpokeyDokey (27 May 2013)

Chris73 said:


> Just thinking they would be able to cycle on tow paths etc..?
> 
> Ideally I want a road bike. I like the look of the defy5 and its in my budget. Then this Moser appeared!!


 

But seriously, it's nice to ride with your kids but even they are 5/6/7/8 whatever they are not going to go far. Nice to do as a family thing butprobably more a romantic notion than anything else. at 5 or 6 years of age which is some way off for your two you'd be just as well walking with them.

The Defy is a great bike - don't know much about the bike you have linked to.


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## Nigelnaturist (27 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]Lowest gear on a compact assuming a 34t chainring and 28t sprocket: 34/28*28=34 GI

Lowest gear on a triple assuming a 30t chainring and 28t sprocket: 30/28*28=30 GI

Going as low as you can go, a 30t chain ring and 34t sprocket: 30/34*28=24 GI

For the sake of 4 GI (or 10 GI if you want do run an MTB set up on a road bike) you'd rather have a triple and go though the hassle of installing and indexing a triple front mech and more importantly installing a medium or long cage rear mech.  Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up or how out of place a long cage rear mech looks on a road bike!

Man up, fit a compact and attack those hills! [/quote]
My set up as of 25th of May
8sp cassette using the 26/23/21/19/17/15/13 cogs the 12 is primarily used as a spacer. the 26th is from the original cassette.
The front is 52/40/30 the rides this weekend have seen an increase in my cadence due to the closer grouping of rear gears.
I will change the acera back to the sora when I get a little time to set it up again.


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## Chris73 (27 May 2013)

SpokeyDokey said:


> But seriously, it's nice to ride with your kids but even they are 5/6/7/8 whatever they are not going to go far. Nice to do as a family thing butprobably more a romantic notion than anything else. at 5 or 6 years of age which is some way off for your two you'd be just as well walking with them.
> 
> The Defy is a great bike - don't know much about the bike you have linked to.



Going to Tredz tmrw morning to order it. Local to me and same price as most other places online.


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## Nigelnaturist (27 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2473695, member: 30090"]Have you an axe to grind?[/quote]
I cant, I haven't got a grinding wheel.
Though I think the consensus on this thread, has been in favour of triples, because of the closer grouping.


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## SpokeyDokey (27 May 2013)

Chris73 said:


> Going to Tredz tmrw morning to order it. Local to me and same price as most other places online.


 

Nice - enjoy your new bike! Stay safe.

Thread has headed off over the horizon (triples/helmets/carbon/dogs all end up the same) but it was really all about _your_ bike.

Keep us all up to speed with your progress please - as a newbie it would be nice to see more newbies posting in the Newbie Progress thread!


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## Cletus Van Damme (27 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]

Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up or how out of place a long cage rear mech looks on a road bike!

Man up, fit a compact and attack those hills! [/quote]

My road bike is a triple and I have fitted a Shimano Deore MTB long cage rear mech on it to lower the gearing further (and allow for even bigger cassettes if required), I honestly could not give a flying **** what it looks like or the stigma attached. It gets me up hills with my dodgy knee that I am positive a compact could not. This was posted in the beginners forum not one of the more advanced sections, I am sure the OP is probably finding hills hard enough to give a crap about the stigma attached by a a particular band of "roadies".


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## ColinJ (27 May 2013)

I had some young guys overtake me on the mega-hilly Pendle Pedal sportive a few years back. One of them noticed that I had a triple on my bike and made a joke about it. I think the word _'granddad'_ was involved ...

100 yards further on, we turned left at the crossroads at Quernmore and began a very tough climb. Halfway up I caught up with them as they walked their bikes up the steepest part of the ascent. I took my bottle from its cage and enjoyed a long drink as I cycled past them. I couldn't resist it - _"Get yourselves triples, lads, it will save you wearing your cleats out walking up the steep stuff!"_


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## TheDoctor (27 May 2013)

When I upgraded the Carbon Uberbike from Sora to 105, I went from a triple to a compact double.
I still regret it...


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## Gravity Aided (28 May 2013)

I always run triples on the touring bikes, although the greatest weight I've ever had to carry on mine was the groceries. Most of my touring gear is ultralight, but a couple of gallons of milk,some bottled water, and the balanced diet balanced in the panniers can add up to a training ride. Keep the granny, you never know what you'll get yourself into.


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## vernon (28 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2467877, member: 30090"]
For the sake of 4 GI (or 10 GI if you want do run an MTB set up on a road bike) you'd rather have a triple and go though the hassle of installing and indexing a triple front mech and more importantly installing a medium or long cage rear mech.  Do you have any idea the stigma attached to riding a bike with such a set up or how out of place a long cage rear mech looks on a road bike!
[/quote]


The majority of cyclists don't give a hoot about the aesthetics of a long cage mech. Fitting a triple and indexing it is no more hassle than fitting a double. The granny ring will rescue cyclists at the end of a long day in the saddle when the gentlest of hills become insurmountable to those on a compact. 

There's no macho element to having a double ring set up. Sensible cyclists ride what makes them comfortable and the ride enjoyable. Masochists, pro rider wannabees, and losers ride what they perceive to be 'sufferfest' personified.

Only tossers stigmatise those whose bikes don't comply with the perceived wisdom of the day.


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## ColinJ (28 May 2013)

[QUOTE 2475314, member: 30090"]My post (even though it had what I'd call a generous amount of smileys) seems to have a hit a nerve with a few posters in this thread.[/quote]
It does!

I know from experience elsewhere on CC that smileys do not 'heal the hurt', having been lambasted when I meant no insult!


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## Chutzpah (28 May 2013)

I've always used triples until my latest bike. I now run a triple on one bike and a compact on the other. The difference in actual range between the two isn't huge, the only difference really is mental - having the "get out clause" in my head of another chainring to drop in to.

At some point I'll probably change the triple to a compact as I so rarely need to utilise it. My commute has changed and it's nowhere near as hilly as it used to be. The triple was useful when I was gaining fitness and on my old hilly commute. I've heard some people talking disparagingly about them, but at the end of the day ride what's comfortable (those who talk them down are the type that yell "rule 5! Man the **** up!", then don't go out as soon as a rain shower appears).


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## slowmotion (28 May 2013)

My bike came with a Shimano 105 triple. Originally the gearing was 50/39/30 with a 12-27 cassette. I spend 95% of my time on the middle ring, only using the big ring for going down hills, and the granny to help get up steepish ones. I should probably use the front mech more than I do, but I have no particular need to race or go fast, so I don't. Plain laziness actually. I found that I still needed lower gearing for challenging hills however and to MTFU isn't really an option at my great age. I swapped the 30T granny for a 28T one and changed the cassette to an 11-28. This gives a 26 inch gear rather than a 29 inch one and it's quite useful when I would previously have considered walking. The new combination breaks the Shimano gear rules by a few teeth but it's perfectly OK without changing the mech. The chain length stayed the same too.


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## Nigelnaturist (28 May 2013)

Chutzpah said:


> I've always used triples until my latest bike. I now run a triple on one bike and a compact on the other. The difference in actual range between the two isn't huge, the only difference really is mental - having the "get out clause" in my head of another chainring to drop in to.
> 
> At some point I'll probably change the triple to a compact as I so rarely need to utilise it. My commute has changed and it's nowhere near as hilly as it used to be. The triple was useful when I was gaining fitness and on my old hilly commute.* I've heard some people talking disparagingly about them, but at the end of the day ride what's comfortable (those who talk them down are the type that yell "rule 5! Man the **** up!", then don't go out as soon as a rain shower appears)*.


I think this sums it up quite well, I didn't see a single other road bike today, triple/double or compact double.
Mind my performance was a little naff to say the least, and I had no great hills to climb.


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## doog (28 May 2013)

Ive ordered a new road bike from Germany. Even on their high end carbon uber jobs they always seem to have the option for a triple if you want it, unlike the UK where they seem to be getting as rare as rocking horse poo for some reason.


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## SWSteve (28 May 2013)

doog said:


> Ive ordered a new road bike from Germany. Even on their high end carbon uber jobs they always seem to have the option for a triple if you want it, unlike the UK where they seem to be getting as *rare as rocking horse poo* for some reason.


 
Why didn't someone tell me this was rare, I have mountains of the stuff!


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## SpokeyDokey (28 May 2013)

doog said:


> Ive ordered a new road bike from Germany. Even on their high end carbon uber jobs they always seem to have the option for a triple if you want it, unlike the UK where they seem to be getting as rare as rocking horse poo for some reason.


 

Different outlook over there. They like flat-bar bikes too. Lot's of choice with upscale kit on whereas here they just seem to be aimed at the lower end of the market.


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