Double or triple?

[Dogtrousers]

Only you can answer that question.

Find a hill. Do some sums and figure out what gear on your current bike corresponds to 34 / 32 on a road bike which is the lowest you will generally get on a compact double(remember that the wheel size also affects gearing). Ride your bike up the hill. See how it feels.

Now, your 29er will differ from a road bike significantly in tyres, weight, body position etc, but these differences really tell after a long ride, up a single hill - not so much.

 

[Crackle]

It's an interesting question, especially as you are relatively new to cycling and so therefore don't yet know which gears you regularly use as they are still changing. I am glad to see you've taken the advice to double your fun and add a 2nd bike to the stable, good man.

So it's a choice of a 50/34 or a 50/39/30 on the front with a 9 speed 12-28 on the rear. For me it would be the triple as it's very close to what I already ride. The 39 would probably get the most use, keep the 50 for downhill and wind assisted straights and the inner 30 for longer hills over 10%. I have no issues with triple setup or tuning, you do perhaps need to be more rigorous in your initial setup but after that, these days it just works. Triple or go for 50/34 and ask for 12-32 rear block instead of the 12-28, just gives you a bit more spread in the 50 front, which would be your default ring and a bigger bailout gear.

Once you know what gears you ride you can change rings on the front to suit your riding, so it's not set in stone whichever one you choose now. The only consideration when doing that is that your front and rear mechs have the capacity to cope with the changes and you can look that up come the time. And you can't go from triple to double or vice versa without changing the bottom bracket as well.

 

[BSRU]

And you can't go from triple to double or vice versa without changing the bottom bracket as well.

You just need a spacer or remove a spacer on what your changing from.

 

[Crackle]

You just need a spacer or remove a spacer on what your changing from.

Do you. I thought you needed a different axle length? Unless you're talking Hollowtech in which case yes.

 

[Kestevan]

@Mark trek29er

How tall are you? I'm in Holmfirth and I've got a couple of road bikes you could try for a quick spin if you're about my size (6' ish) ... one 9sp fitted with a compact double (50/34 with a 12-28 on the back) and the other with a semi-compact with a wide range cassette (52/36 with a 11-32).

 

[Mark trek29er]

@Mark trek29er

How tall are you? I'm in Holmfirth and I've got a couple of road bikes you could try for a quick spin if you're about my size (6' ish) ... one 9sp fitted with a compact double (50/34 with a 12-28 on the back) and the other with a semi-compact with a wide range cassette (52/36 with a 11-32).

i am 5'10 are you in either of the Holmfirth cycling clubs?

 

[Kestevan]

i am 5'10 are you in either of the Holmfirth cycling clubs?

5' 10 should be near enough to try at least
I'm a member of Holmfirth CC.

 

[Kajjal]

I have a triple on my road bikes as it allows me to have a narrower range of gears on the back.

That is a very good idea if it suits your riding.

 

[Kajjal]

When it comes to gearing get what works for you and where you ride. Some people see struggling up hills in too tough a gear a challenge, for me life is too short. I have a 50 / 34 compact with a 11-32 cassette (11speed) which gives a good wide range of gears for all riding.

 

[User16625]

Triple is always preferable. especially if you carry much weight. However I have a double 10 speed and its been fine.

If you are fit enough i would go for 50-34 and a 11 -28 on the back, You start going any bigger on the back the jumps between the last 4 gears gets to big.

Is a 12-30 widely available? I have a 11-28 and at 40mph I still have a cog spare.

 

[oldfatfool]

I just find it crazy that a triple is so 'unfashionable' that manufacturers due to demand have first introduced compact and semi-compact and then started putting dinner plates on the rear cassette because the same people that want a double have more chance of shagging the pope than making it up a decent hill with a proper double (53/39) coupled to a 11 - 25 cassette.

In all honesty it is very rare I drop into my 30 ring, but the fact it is there is very reassuring, just knowing there is somewhere to go rather than on foot when that last ramp notches over 15% - 20%

 

[ColinJ]

Once when fit I spent most of the year without dropping down to the smallest ring, but in the autumn I finally succumbed when I encountered a 25% into a howling headwind towards the end of a long ride when I was knackered.

I sometimes stick on the middle ring for moderately hard climbs now but for the hard stuff I prefer spinning my lowest gears. The 26/28 and 28/29 gears on my triple-ised road bikes are a bit lower then a compact bottom gear of 34/32, but roughly equivalent to the 34/36 on the heavily modified double on my CX bike. The thing is (as mentioned above) I have much closer-ratio cassettes on the road bikes than on the CX bike - 14-28 and 13- 29 vs 12-36.

 

[Mark trek29er]

5' 10 should be near enough to try at least
I'm a member of Holmfirth CC.

I am hoping to go out with the Holmfirth cc next wed night on the A run

 

[Mark trek29er]

I just find it crazy that a triple is so 'unfashionable' that manufacturers due to demand have first introduced compact and semi-compact and then started putting dinner plates on the rear cassette because the same people that want a double have more chance of shagging the pope than making it up a decent hill with a proper double (53/39) coupled to a 11 - 25 cassette.

In all honesty it is very rare I drop into my 30 ring, but the fact it is there is very reassuring, just knowing there is somewhere to go rather than on foot when that last ramp notches over 15% - 20%

I think you are right and the idea of having the low gears appeals to me and when I upgrade maybe then I will go to a double! I haven't even got my first road bike and I am talking about upgrading!!!

 

[winjim]

Once when fit I spent most of the year without dropping down to the smallest ring, but in the autumn I finally succumbed when I encountered a 25% into a howling headwind towards the end of a long ride when I was knackered.

I sometimes stick on the middle ring for moderately hard climbs now but for the hard stuff I prefer spinning my lowest gears. The 26/28 and 28/29 gears on my triple-ised road bikes are a bit lower then a compact bottom gear of 34/32, but roughly equivalent to the 34/36 on the heavily modified double on my CX bike. The thing is (as mentioned above) I have much closer-ratio cassettes on the road bikes than on the CX bike - 14-28 and 13- 29 vs 12-36.

Do you run 26 and 28 chainrings with a Campagnolo triple? Does it work OK?