oldfatfool
Guru
In fact checking Sheldon it would appear a compact running 34 x 32 is easier geared than my triple on 30 x 28 lol. Oh well each to their own, Still think 50 to 34 is too big a jump 52 -39-30 gives a much better spread of ratios 
Double or triple?
- Thread starter Mark trek29er
- Start date
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ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I have the 26 on an actual old Campagnolo 'Racing Triple'. I started off with a 30 tooth little ring and replaced that with a 28 when the original wore out. When that went, I saw a really cheap steel 26 tooth ring and thought it would be worth a try. I was surprised that it works pretty well. There is a bit of sagging chain in the small-small gear but I would never ride like that anyway. Being so small, the ring is not that heavy despite being steel and it has lasted for years whereas the alloy granny rings wore out fairly quickly. I think the rear mech has a long cage.
The other bike was a DIY effort. I put a Stronglight triple on and got it to work with the groupset's original double derailleurs. The medium cage rear mech copes. The front mech is for a double, but I got it to work after filing a small amount of metal off a moving part which was catching on the seat tube when trying to shift down to the little ring. The only other thing I had to do was to make a thin shim from a strip of aluminium cut from a Coke can. I had to insert that between the frame and the bolt which pushes the rear mech away from the cassette. Without the shim, the chain was grinding when in the last 2 sprockets on the cassette.
winjim
Smash the cistern
Interesting. I'm considering getting a Stronglight 28-38-48 or 26-36-46 for super low gearing on a hybrid I'm building up, and just wondered how the mech would cope as it's designed for a 30 tooth minimum. So the actual shifting from the 26 to the middle ring on the Racing Triple is OK then I take it? I don't think chain sag would be a problem for me as I wouldn't be going all the way from 26 to 50 so shouldn't exceed a long cage mech capacity.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
The Stronglight triple chainset that I put on my Cannondale was a 48/38/28. I made sure that the front mech was as low it would go and still clear the big ring. I liked it a lot more than the 53/39 which it replaced. I wore out the middle ring and decided that I would replace it with a 36 gives more equal steps between the different rings and lets me climb more on the middle ring when I might otherwise have dropped to the small ring. The Chorus front mech was only supposed to be for double chainsets but it works fine on the triple after filing off a small part of the offending tab which contacted the seat tube.
The other bike has the Racing Triple which probably was only supposed to work with a 30 tooth little ring but I found it worked with a 28 without any problems. Now it has a 26 ring and I don't have any problem getting the chain up from the 26 to the 39. Sometimes going the other way, the chain dropped past the 26. Careful adjustment of the derailleur endstop prevents that happening most of the time. It usually happened when getting into a flap on a steep hill and desperately trying to throw the chain down onto the small ring at the last moment. By planning ahead and shifting down more gently before the gradient really starts to bite, problems are rare. I have put a Deda Dog Fang chain catcher on which stops the chain getting stuck between the ring and the bottom bracket area those rare times when I do fluff the change. It isn't absolutely perfect, but I can go several rides without dropping the chain. I consider that a small price to pay for the wide spread of gears that I have with which to tackle my steep local hills.
Yes, I should have mentioned I was referring to Hollowtech
.
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Although currently rarely used, the inner ring on my triple is a great get out of jail card. As I principally use the outer and middle chainring, any confusion about what gear I am in would be replicated in a double front.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Many companies still make triple chainsets .... TA, Stronglight and others and with a greater selections of chainring sizes.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Interesting .... With the compact though you have more double shifting.
Kestevan
Last of the Summer Winos
- Location
- Holmfirth.
Yeah, but how many of them make STI Levers that will switch a triple? Given that all the major manufacturers have already dropped them from the top ranges, and tech tends to trickle down, how long before you cant buy a triple lever...
No doubt there will always be some die hards clinging to down tube or bar end friction shifters, but I think the writings definitely on the wall for the triple in mainstream usage.
Kestevan
Last of the Summer Winos
- Location
- Holmfirth.
The Wednesday evening "A" run is a nice intro. They usually do about 15 miles, at a reasonable pace with nothing too hilly (for Holmfirth anyway). Suspect Mrs Kes may be out on that ride.
Offer of a test ride still stands, just drop me a PM and we can arrange something if you fancy it.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Fair point, I hadn't thought about the levers ... I'm a DT shifter man myself!
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
For the front mech, STI has always struck me as a stupid solution. There are only two or three positions, so indexing is a bit pointless. And then you have to bodge the indexing to introduce trim or fishtail or whatever clever gubbins they need to replicate the simplicity of a non-indexed lever.
But I guess once you've gone to indexed brifters for the rear it's only natural to want the same interface for the front.
I seem to recall a pro rider (American guy, from Texas, I forget his name
) once riding in the TdF with a downtube shifter for the front mech and an integrated brifter for the rear.
But I guess once you've gone to indexed brifters for the rear it's only natural to want the same interface for the front.
I seem to recall a pro rider (American guy, from Texas, I forget his name
) once riding in the TdF with a downtube shifter for the front mech and an integrated brifter for the rear.
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Seem to recall tyres went skinnier and now they are gettng fatter again.
Buy the shifters now then until they come back into fashion.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I don't know if this still applies to current Campagnolo Ergopower shifters (mine are over 10 years old) but my left shifters have at least 10 index stops with enough range to cover a triple chainset as standard. It is how I was able to convert my Cannondale with just a new chainset and bottom bracket, a total of just over £85.
It works really well on my Campagnolo groupsets! I automatically trim the front mech without thinking about it and there are enough positions that I don't need to suffer the chain rubbing on the derailleur cage in any gear combination, including extreme cross-chaining ones that I wouldn't use.For the front mech, STI has always struck me as a stupid solution. There are only two or three positions, so indexing is a bit pointless. And then you have to bodge the indexing to introduce trim or fishtail or whatever clever gubbins they need to replicate the simplicity of a non-indexed lever.
But I guess once you've gone to indexed brifters for the rear it's only natural to want the same interface for the front.
I seem to recall a pro rider (American guy, from Texas, I forget his name
That Texan did it to save weight on his bike. The weight difference is small, but marginal gains and all that ... (Not that he needed marginal gains when he had made those rather obvious 'non-marginal' gains!)
T4tomo
Legendary Member
For those bemoaning the loss of triple shimano STIS, micro shift do a triple, my son has one on his Triban. It's seems to work pretty well, no faff or fuss. Any for those wanting a triple set up on a relatively cheap bike, then the Triban makes a lot of sense.
I have a compact on the best bike, but the winter steel bike has a triple, down tube shifters. I love the fact at you have the granny ring for a bail out on the steep stuff, mind it only has 5 cogs at the back, so three rings are a bit of a necessity.
I have a compact on the best bike, but the winter steel bike has a triple, down tube shifters. I love the fact at you have the granny ring for a bail out on the steep stuff, mind it only has 5 cogs at the back, so three rings are a bit of a necessity.
