Triple or compact?

[slowmotion]

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.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

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.

 

[doog]

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.

 

[SWSteve]

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!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

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.