road gears, why only two chainrings

surreyxc

Can someone educate me. Been cycling a long time on mtb, on my mtb I can get up any hill (any) that is thrown in my way. On the new road bike I only have two chainrings up front, so effectivley it is like going up hills in the middle ring. I can get up the hills but it so slow literally having to stamp on each pedal stroke. Seems to negate some the advantages of being fast on the flat and the downs. Why are road bikes set up this way, can see no real disadvantage of squeezing a granny ring in there. Is there an advantage on having 2 rings or is it just tradition.

secretsqizz

You needed to ask this question before you bought.
You could have ordered a triple from bike shop.

danowat

If you have serious hills on your cycles, then you should have got a triple .

I rarely even use the inner ring on my compact as it is, so a triple would be overkill for me.

Mike67

You can get road triples with a 30 tooth inner ring usually.

I have one on mine and it's great for when I'm knackered and going up the last big hill before home.

They seem to be frowned on by some sections of the road community as being some kind of wimp out....'you should be strong enough to get up anything in the 58 ring' etc.

If so, then I admit it, I am a wimp and my legs are made of cheese

redddraggon

surreyxc wrote:

I can get up the hills but it so slow literally having to stamp on each pedal stroke.

Sounds like you are just poor at climbing

danowat wrote:

If you have serious hills on your cycles, then you should have got a triple .

I manage in the Peak District and North Wales just fine with only two chainrings. Triples are largely overkill unless you are touring.

ALaPlage

Two rings are sufficient for most. It is all about what you get used to and riding with two rings, practising gear technique and building fitness and strength will get you up any road based hill eventually. Look at the Pro riders - they essentially go up those big French Cols with a 43 teeth small chain ring versus a standard double at 39 teeth or as most road bikes now have a compact double with 34 teeth on the small chainring.

I am on a compact double (50/34) and have struggled with some of the climbs around me in North Yorks however after 4 months of regular training I am getting up some steep inclines quite happily. It doesnt seem to really get any easier but you certainly get faster and recover quicker as your fitness and strength improves.

Stick at it and work on your technique. It will come.

softlad

surreyxc wrote:

Can someone educate me. Been cycling a long time on mtb, on my mtb I can get up any hill (any) that is thrown in my way. On the new road bike I only have two chainrings up front, so effectivley it is like going up hills in the middle ring. I can get up the hills but it so slow literally having to stamp on each pedal stroke. Seems to negate some the advantages of being fast on the flat and the downs. Why are road bikes set up this way, can see no real disadvantage of squeezing a granny ring in there. Is there an advantage on having 2 rings or is it just tradition.

two rings is fine on the road unless you are touring fully loaded. We used to ditch the granny rings from our MTBs for racing - the logic was that if you ever had to go into the small ring during a race, then you would probably be quicker pushing anyway....

Weejie54

I went from a heavy touring bike which was often loaded with camping gear etc to a road bike. My bottom gear on the tourer was 19 inches (very low). I thought I'd miss the granny when I got the road bike but I was pleasantly surprised. I spent many hours in the Highlands of Scotland with a lowest gear of 39t chainring and 28t rear sprocket. Never felt the need for anything lower - and the 28t sprocket became more redundant as time went on.
Like others say, you get better at climbing the more you do it.

Triple means more weight and less slick change. If you can do without it it is worth it.

Team Banana Spokesman

surreyxc wrote:

Can someone educate me. Been cycling a long time on mtb, on my mtb I can get up any hill (any) that is thrown in my way.

different sport.

mtb = more explosive power. anaerobic efforts. very little opportunities for steady power output
road = endurance. aerobic power.

people will say stuff like two rings is "fine" etc. they may not be right now but ive never met anyone who isn't "fine" with them after a good 4 or 5 months of hard riding. sounds like you are untrained/undertrained. give it 3 months of hard riding and youll be fine. unless you are 100kg+

you can get up any climb with low enough gears but the speed will be slow. really slow. by bailing out into a triple you can stunt your growth i.e. fitness because you take the easy way out as you tend not to push hard. then again, if you are very very fit, going with bigger gears for the sake of it and limiting yourself is silly.

Team Banana Spokesman

Weejie54 wrote:

Triple means more weight and less slick change.

mine changes fine and the weight is not noticable IMO

keef66

I have a triple cos I was returning to road cycling after knee surgery, and I need to be spinning rather than mashing up the climbs. It only really gives me a couple of extra gears compared with a compact, but it's nice to know they are there. With the triple I felt able to choose a 12-25 cassette, so I have no big jumps between gears which helps maintain a good cadence in undulating terrain.

Front shifting on mine is fine.

Weejie54

mine changes fine and the weight is not noticable IMO

I have a triple on one of my road bikes and it changes fine too. However, a double is slicker at the front. Weight might not be noticeable but it is there - it all adds up.

surreyxc

take expection to saying I can not climb, climbed every hill at mountain mayhem, every lap, when most where pushing, and the SDW was a breeze

And really only after technical information that is of value. Yes I am well aware there are triples, but I would not let that decide which bike I was going to buy, as it is a piece of p to swap the cranks.

was just curious as to why most road bikes come with doubles.

danowat

surreyxc wrote:

was just curious as to why most road bikes come with doubles.

Do they? :?

bobtbuilder

surreyxc wrote:

Can someone educate me. Been cycling a long time on mtb, on my mtb I can get up any hill (any) that is thrown in my way. On the new road bike I only have two chainrings up front, so effectivley it is like going up hills in the middle ring. I can get up the hills but it so slow literally having to stamp on each pedal stroke. Seems to negate some the advantages of being fast on the flat and the downs. Why are road bikes set up this way, can see no real disadvantage of squeezing a granny ring in there. Is there an advantage on having 2 rings or is it just tradition.

Have you got a standard double set up or a compact chainset? A compact will give you some pretty good climbing gears for anthing found in this country and much of Europe!

If you have the standard 53/39 set up, you could get this swapped out by your LBS and Ebay the old 53/39 stuff.

Rich Hcp

Some say its to save weight, but its personal choice. Often the conversion over from MTB is eaiser if you have a triple.

My left leg is weak and sometimes I'm glad of the extra gears, but as the spring goes on in to summer, I need the granny wheel less. But it did come in handy at the end of the century I did!

I know I can't climb well, which is why I had a triple. But just because you have one doesn't mean you can't climb.

Its all about practise, there are always people who are good at climbing and those that struggle, but it often evens out over a whole ride.

This applies to the pros as well, just look at the guys doing Le Tour!

skellator3

what is the teeth on your double at the mo, is a compact 50/34 or is it a std double 52 or 53 outer and a 39 inner?
if its a std consider changing to a compact this will make a huge diff to you and even consider changing at the rear to a 11/28

Weejie54

If you have the standard 53/39 set up, you could get this swapped out by your LBS and Ebay the old 53/39 stuff.

I'd miss my 53/12 more than I miss a granny ring. The thing about climbing for me is reaching the summit and going down the other side. I live near the Suie in Aberdeenshire - bugger to climb but the high gears are more than welcome on the descent!

secretsqizz

...most road bikes come with doubles....you can order what you like
Sounds to me like you are a undeconstructed mtb-er

squigs

I have a triple on my hybrid and a double on the road bike, can do the same hills on both bikes with the same ease.

Ben6899

surreyxc wrote:

take expection to saying I can not climb

To be fair, you kinda put those words in our mouths in your first post.

sherer

all riders are different so I would say ignore the posts from people saying a double is fine.

Road bikes are usually sold in a double at the front as that is what the pros use and they try to emulate that.

Keep riding for a few months and see if the double is right for you or not as we are all different. I ride a double for training but when I do events I use a triple and am glad as I know over the distance a double isn't fine for me and I can't finish without walking, showing that we are all different in muscle mass.

You do need to find out if you have a standard double which has 39 teeth on the smaller ring, or what they call a compact which is 34 teeth on the smaller ring. If you have a standard setup you may find changing to a compact is fine.

If you have a compact you may need to go down the triple route or you may find after a bit more training you may get used to the double. You need to work out what is best for you rather than listen to someone who says they went over the Alps on a 53 - 25 so you will be fine

anto164

I hav a triple on my roady, because that;s what it came with.

I never use the granny ring, but it was great when i first got the bike, as i was new to road riding.

Now all the long climbs i used to get into the granny ring for, i now do it in the middle ring (39T).

Granny rings are good for when you've blown, and still have a climb before you've finished the ride.

Weejie54

Just waiting for the fixie contingent to join in!

softlad

sherer wrote:

Road bikes are usually sold in a double at the front as that is what the pros use and they try to emulate that.

to be fair - riding on a double or compact is hardly the stuff of superheroes.....you make it sound like the holy grail.....

rake

sounds like your just very poor at climbing surreyxc. man up and learn to crank a double
you have been told.

Dunkindiver

Say what you like, but I wouldn't have swopped my triple whilst grinding up the hill through Milton Abbas at 40 miles yesterday on the Dorset Bike ride!

fast as fupp

triples are for old men and puffs 8)

softlad

Dunkindiver wrote:

Say what you like, but I wouldn't have swopped my triple whilst grinding up the hill through Milton Abbas at 40 miles yesterday on the Dorset Bike ride!

that's fine, but it doesn't mean that someone else couldn't have pi55ed it on a double...

kieranb

Put it another way - why do MTBs have a triple (or such a wide gear range) - to get up those steep hilly sections where you might be on gravel, mud, grass etc and to bomb it down the other side. Of course you do have the MTB SS fans! Mostly on a road bike you can get a wide enough gear range using a double and 10 speed cassette for most cases you will encounter on the road.

flester

Gears are designed to allow you to pedal at about the same rate (cadence) regardless of your road speed. Low gears are for going slowly. 'Road bikes' are designed for going fast so they do not tend to have low gears.