compact/double/tripple

gareth2134

Hi guy just seen this is the right place for beginners i posted this thread in a different room so i will put it in here instead and hope to get a response.

New to road biking i am swapping over from mountain biking so my knowledge on road bikes is limited.

I am currently looking to buy a nice road bike and come across the trek madone 4.5 which i think should be good enough if im a beginner what i dont understand is that when looking online for it i seen different prices for the same bike but they had options of buying the 4.5 in compact/double or even tripple and i dont understand what this means could somone clear it up for me if you dont mind thanks.

redddraggon

it's all about the number of teeth on the chainset.

Triple = eg 53/39/30
Compact = eg. 50/34
Standard double = 53/39

Smaller ring (lower number) will give a lower gear - better for climbing eg a triple normally has a 30t small ring

gareth2134

Fantastic thanks for the extra £200 pounds its worth me getting the tripple then.

Mark Alexander

I'd recommend against a tripple.
I have one (on my first bike) and only used it 3 times in four years now it's a hinderence to using the full range on the cassette.

gareth2134

Oh ok well i will look into this more then. is double a standard on all road bikes then and is it the prefered choice to most riders.

keef66

If you're young and pretty fit already you'll probably cope OK with a compact double, unless you live in a spectacularly hilly area, or you're about to leave for the alps.

I've just turned 51and I'm returning to cycling after years of doing very little. I specified a triple on my new bike, and at the moment I find I do need the small ring at times even in gently undulating Suffolk.

£200 sounds like a lot for an extra chainring!

redddraggon

Mark Alexander wrote:

I'd recommend against a tripple.
I have one (on my first bike) and only used it 3 times in four years now it's a hinderence to using the full range on the cassette.

I would have previously agreed with you. You completed the Marmotte, and you need to be a pretty competent climber to do it, most beginners will not be able to climb that well and I think most "need" a triple.

I'd say for the triple, go for it, it's unlikely you will regret it. I understand what Mark is saying about using the full range on the cassette, but I'm not sure it's a massive issue.

keef66

because I went for the triple I was able to have a more closely spaced rear cassette which means no big jumps between sprockets and I can maintain a near constant cadence. This is important cos my knees are knackered and I prefer to spin the cranks rather than grind in a higher gear.

schilbach

I would recommend a triple - and i've just completed my first year on a bike.

When I've been in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lakes i've been in the small ring loads - otherwise I would have been walking alot!!!

Do factor in where you might be riding!!!

gareth2134

Yeah i was going to give the snowden area more of a try and cumbria aswell for the 1st year.
I do alot of time on the bikes in the gym and like i said before i used to do alot of mountain biking and my fitness levels are not to bad i do alot of other activities also so i want to jump in pretty quickly. I would like to do hills once i have adapted to road biking and realy give them a try. i fancied trying the andes in 2 years time.

redddraggon

gareth2134 wrote:

Yeah i was going to give the snowden area more of a try and cumbria aswell for the 1st year.
I do alot of time on the bikes in the gym and like i said before i used to do alot of mountain biking and my fitness levels are not to bad i do alot of other activities also so i want to jump in pretty quickly. I would like to do hills once i have adapted to road biking and realy give them a try. i fancied trying the andes in 2 years time.

Whereabouts are you based?

gareth2134

warrington cheshire.

bahzob

I would agree with going with a triple, especially if starting on a road bike. I did 3 years ago and never regretted it. Its means I could use one bike for everything: touring, timetrials, road races and sportives. Think the most valuable thing about having it is option to spin up long climbs abroad.

Not sure I understand point re not being able to use full range, with my setup (52/39/30 11-23 or 12-25) on big ring I can use all but largest cog on back, middle ring I can use all cogs and on small ring top 7 biggest. (Shifter is Ultegra which has a trim option that stops front derailleur rubbing on smaller cogs).

ride_whenever

You only need one gear, get a fixie

If you're coming from MTBing then you'll be fine with a compact, it's lighter and looks cleaner IMHO. Do you do road rides on your MTB? If so work out what sort of gears you're using, convert to gear inches using sheldons calculator jobbie and figure out if you're actually going to need a triple.

gareth2134

Thanks thats realy useful i will have a look at that right away. I was just reading a thread about somone buying a road bike for the first time and he spent 400 pounds on it and this was around the winter times and he later found out he was all but barred from riding with a club because he didnt have the right kit on it mug guards etc.

are the riding clubs realy strict about the kit you have with you.

Thanks

spondonchris

I have just done what you are doing, which is try road riding having come from an mtb background. I had the same question and asked lots of people. I decided on the compact (50-34) as the two front chainwheels are far enough apart to give a good spread of gears when combined with the 12-27 on the back. The 27 on the back is nearly as big as you can go on the back.
I also decided on the compact because there was a big weight addition to go with the triple.
That was all theory and I have now ridden the compact gearing around the local roads and as you're from warrington, you may know Parbold Hill, abit further up the motorway? which I headed for with my new road bike. I used to do the hill on the mountainbike for a training / fitness run and could get up it ok but needed the low gears.
Went up on the roadbike and was changing down and down and then ran out of gears and nearly came to a complete stop, but, and heres the point, I didn't stop, just worked harder and kept going to the top and carried on. I am only a few weeks into the roadbike thing, but am already finding it easier and can get up the hills (so gfar !!) on the compact gearing, so I would recommend a compact unless you are thinking of touring the steep passes in the lakes like hardnott, wrynose etc. Of course this is only my humble opinion. Best of luck with whatever you decide and hope to see you either on the road or the hills

alfablue

I think compact or triple will depend on your fitness and the rides you want to do. I have a triple on one bike and a compact on the other, the triple certainly makes a difference on the huge hills, but I can manage with both. As I am not young any more, and I have achilles tendon troubles I would not do touring or the hilliest rides on a compact, but that's just me. The problem is my muscles are stronger than my tendons, so I have the power for the biggest hills but things start to break down if I overdo it. (Apparently Achilles tendinitis tends to be a problem of thirty-something plus riders / sports people, as ageing decreases flexibility).

The main thing about your post is the £200 price difference, that is a lot, most bikes of the same model will probably cost £30-£50 more for the triple version - have you shopped around enough? Are the bikes otherwise identical?

stronginthesun

if your new to cycling i would go with a triple . other wise a compact .

The Shiny

When I bought my Trek 1.7 I was offered the compact or the triple for the same price, Have a word with your dealer, they may be able to compromise on £200.

I live in Warwickshire, no really bad hills so went for the compact. My cassette is 11-25 and I'm thinking of changing to a 12-27 next year as I want to do some more challenging rides....but so far I have not had to get off and push yet, choice is yours though.....

adeyboy

In my humble opinion there is a lot of bravado on this forum - lot's of experienced riders who have climbed every mountain etc.
All well and good, but in regards to your query, for the additional weight (negligible when you think of a couple of full water bottle and your gear/bananas) I would say get the triple.
Bottom line is that it is all about riding, to start with if you can make it easier for yourself then you will do it more - months down the line you can start leaving the really low gears alone. Don't be put off by this 'you can't stop on the climbs', 'you can't ride a triple' nonsense!

gareth2134

Thanks alot everyone some great information from you. what are your opinions on the trek 4.5 anyone hade the chance to ride this bike or no anything about it.

nosmo-king

I ride regularly around Snowdon and have a triple chainset. I tend to use the smaller ring only when climbing Llanberis pass up to Pen y Pass youth hostel.
I've always had a triple chainset and can honestly say it's been a life saver on many occasions.
Personally I'd recommend a triple.

gareth2134

yeah lanberis is a bit of a climb and thats actualy what i plan on doing lanberis penn y pass i like hills and find the challenges they bring so rewarding at the end i started on my mountain bike and i just got more and more into the roads and now am looking forward to hitting the roads on the right bike and i can see that a tripple will probably be the best for me and am going to look into buying my bike this week or the next.

nosmo-king

Hi Gareth,
A good circular ride would be to start at Betws Y Coed, go up past Swallow Falls to Capel Curig, pass the bottom of the Pen Y Pass turn, straight down to Beddgelert. From there head for Blaenau Ffestiniogg and over the gruelling Crimea Pass ( small chainring a must!) and back to Betws. Quite a challenge but rewarding!!

ARob

there's a lot of snobery about trippples.

i humed and ha'red about it and went for a focus cayo with tripple in august. (cost no extra that the standard double). last laugh was on me when i went up a reasonably slop (15-18% - quite common round here) with a nice cadence of 85-90 odd and arrived at the top much more comfortable than my usual riding partner who was panting like a train.

Gigatickle

Hi I'm a balding overweight bulbous Jock with more enthusiasm than ability....."THANK GOD I got a triple".......Fab in the Alps....wasn't sucking too many weasels on the climbs......therefore enjoyed every single moment. Am so pleased to have the in built flexability when needed