Gear ratio question

[srj10]

Looking at buying a cross bike from edinburgh bike co., one has a triple chain, 11-32, 28-38-48, the other a compact chain, 11-25,36-46, what is the difference. The bike will be used 90% commute, 10% days away. thanks

 

[chris-s]

The tripple will be easier up the hills and faster top-end, but most of the compacts I've seen are 36/50 rather than 36/46 which seems pretty low.

Chris

 

[Banjo]

The difference between those two is massive. Theres a very wide range of gears on the trip[le. They will get you up any hill and still allow you to pedal fast on flat/ downhill.

The compact has a much narrower range of gears. The average person will find 25/36 hard work on a big hill .


Personally i would go for the triple , definitely.

 

[P.H]

The big thing is to make sure the shifters on whichever bike you get are compatible with both triples and doubles. Apart from them the rest is easy and not too expensive to change if you get it wrong. Unless you're super fit I'd go for the triple, you don't have to use the small ring and if you want closer gears it's easy to swap the rear cassette. Off topic and getting on my soapbox... I wouldn't buy a cross bike unless I was going to ride cross, I know they're fashionable, but a fast tourer is nearly always the better option unless you're going to be doing a lot of serious off road.