Change from triple to compact

[Enw.nigel]

Have any of you done this? I am considering changing from a 50/39/30 -12-27 to a 50/34 - 11-28. I know that there is little difference between the high and low gears on both but does the change take a bit of getting used to?
On another thread xpc316e mentioned that he had made the change and 'fallen in love' with compacts as a method of transmission.
Has anyone else an experience that they would like to share?

 

[Hacienda71]

I have and there are pros and cons to both setups. The triple will give you smaller jumps in ratios but will weigh a little more. My Carbon road bike has a compact, my steel winter bike has a triple. The options you give will give you a slightly lower gear on the triple. Sram Apex allows a 32 rear which would give you a lower ratio than a triple. Personally I find my triple smoother to ride while with the compact I do seem to find myself looking for the gear I want more often than on the triple.
I am happy to live with both.

 

[ColinJ]

I've never ridden a compact, but given a choice between a triple and a compact, I'd always go for a triple because a wider range of gears with smaller steps between them makes sense to me.

I'll ask a similar question to run alongside this one...

How about the switch from a conventional double chainset to a compact - how does that feel in terms of the bigger steps between the rings, and any extra shifts required at the back as a result of changing rings? I have a 53/39 on my Cannondale and find it overgeared for climbing round here. I think it would be cheaper to convert to a compact, so that's what I am considering. What costs are involved? (I have Chorus 10-speed with a medium length rear mech.)

 

[Dave7]

Having sold my bike with tripple (I've always had tripple) I decided to go with compact on the new one. Only done 2 rides as yet-a 10 then a 20 miler.......and have not needed to come out of the inner/smaller front cog as yet-----I do live in a flat area but with 2 shortish/steepish hills over motorways.
My reasoning is/was that

• I very seldom came out of the middle on the tripple
• The compact give me virtually the same range-be it larger increments.

Early days yet but I think I have done the right thing......I'm building up to do the Anglesey permiter this year so that will tell me for certain.

 

[Poacher]

Bear in mind that front changers differ dependent on whether they're designed for triple or double chainrings.
(See http://sheldonbrown.com/front-derailers.html). I'm running a 34/52 with a 13-26 8-speed cassette on my commuter; the front changer fell apart a few weeks ago and in order to get the bike back on the road quickly I fitted a triple changer from the spares box. Changes down from the 52 to the 34 are quick and reliable, but up changes are anything but smooth.
Generally much less of a problem, but also worth consideration, is that triples tend to need a longer axle for 'perfect' chainline, so fitting a double chainset on a BB optimised for a triple may slightly increase wear of both chain and cassette.

 

[boydj]

I first got a 'compact' double about 18 months ago after years of riding only triples. I found the big jumps between chainrings and necessary compensating changes at the back a bit of a pain. I also found it difficult to find a comfortable cruising gear - the front chainring was a bit big and the small ring a bit too wee after years of cruising mostly in the 42 middle ring. Eventually, I bought some new chainrings and changed the bike to 48 / 36. Now I don't have a problem switching between the bike with the triple and the bike with the compact. I've got to like the compact and I can cruise comfortably, mostly on the big ring. Switching rings is not such a problem, but does still sometimes require a change at the back as well. I don't have the really low gear for big hills, but I've grown a bit stronger as a result and a cassette with some bigger cogs is always available for really tough rides (as is the 34 ring if necessary).

It takes a bit of getting used to and maybe some customising to find what suits you and the way you ride, but a compact can be a good solution.

 

[PaulSB]

After a year of thought I moved from a triple to compact double. It took me around 800 miles to get used to the double. On my triple I did virtually all my riding on the middle ring. The breakthrough for me on the double was learning to use the big ring for the majority of my ride, reserving the smaller for hills.

On the toughest hills I miss the triple and suspect I will find some where I really struggle, but not yet. Overall I don't miss the triple and feel the double has improved my riding and overall performance.

 

[orkneyblues]

I have a compact on my Giant Defy 2 and a triple on my Dawes Galaxy. I found the compact harder at first untill I got used to it, missing the leg up the hills that the triple offered. Now I really dont mind which bike I am on, although if I have a heavier load on my commute I usually opt for the triple.

 

[Arjimlad]

I never used the smallest ring on my triple, but now I have a compact, I find the jump down from the 50 to the 34 rather extreme.

When starting climbing a hill, I can go from feeling that I am in too high a gear on the 50 ring, to spinning my legs round like a demented monkey, at the flick of a switch.

I almost always have to switch to a smaller cog on the back. I hope to get this smoother with time though, and have yet to run out of low gears on a hill climb.

 

[ColinJ]

I never used the smallest ring on my triple, but now I have a compact, I find the jump down from the 50 to the 34 rather extreme.

When starting climbing a hill, I can go from feeling that I am in too high a gear on the 50 ring, to spinning my legs round like a demented monkey, at the flick of a switch.

I almost always have to switch to a smaller cog on the back.

I think that's how I would feel too.

Like boydj and PaulSB, I spend a lot of time on the middle ring when not climbing or descending so a compact setup wouldn't be my first choice. I might leave my Cannondale gearing alone because I was okay on climbs up to about 17-18% on it when I was fit and hopefully, I will be again by the summer. ()

 

[Enw.nigel]

Certainly food for thought from a number of your comments. I can see the problems explained by arjimlad and that is one of my worries - learning to double shift on the cassette and chainring to avoid these big jumps. With my triple I tend to ride like you ColinJ and rarely use the small chainring which is what set me thinking about trying a compact.
The bike I really fancy is only available in a compact (I'm double checking that - just in case) and my next choice which is available in a triple is not available 'til late May (Cube Agree GTC Race). I can't be without a bike for that length of time.
Decisions, decisions.What to do for the best. I used to be indecisive but I'm not so sure now.
Thanks for all your comments.

 

[ColinJ]

E.N. - if you want to change from a triple because you don't use the small ring, then it would make more sense to change to a standard double, but then why not just stick with what you've got, save the money and the hassle, and keep the granny ring in reserve for the odd occasion when you tackle a 20% climb into a headwind at the end of an 80 mile ride, when you will find its charms irresistible!

 

[DCLane]

I've had three compact doubles in the past year and I've also got a couple of triples as well (erm, went into a bike buying fetish last year ).

Overall the compact doubles are my favourite; I'm running 50/34 and 11-28/12-25 on the Spesh Sectuer depending upon the wheel setup (11-28 best, 11-25 daily). The Carrera's running a 50/34 12-23 set-up which is OK, but I'd prefer an 12-25 since it's almost exclusively a bad weather and winter commuting bike.

On the triple I use occasionally I find I'm not using the smaller ring and just confuse myself. I'm a simple person at heart. Compacts work easily; big/small. The triple I keep finding myself on the wrong ring

 

[Hont]

Agree with others that with a compact you need to change the rear gears at the same time as a front change. And I, also, tend to stay on the middle ring for most of the ride on my triple, which means that I'm too often changing front rings on the compact. I did hope that I'd have fewer chain off incidents but this has not proven to be the case. I've not had a problem with great ratio gaps on the cassette or missing a really small gear for steep climbs as I've gone from an 8 cog cassette to a 10 and the bike is much lighter.

For me the only advantage of a compact is weight. I much prefer the triple otherwise. Having said that, ask me again in July when I hope to be riding almost everywhere on the big ring. ;-)

 

[david k]

I have and there are pros and cons to both setups. The triple will give you smaller jumps in ratios but will weigh a little more. My Carbon road bike has a compact, my steel winter bike has a triple. The options you give will give you a slightly lower gear on the triple. Sram Apex allows a 32 rear which would give you a lower ratio than a triple. Personally I find my triple smoother to ride while with the compact I do seem to find myself looking for the gear I want more often than on the triple.
I am happy to live with both.

i concur