Compact v Triple on new bike

Philinmerthyr

I've decided to test ride the 2012 BMC streetracer SR01 105. It's on offer at £999 a saving of £300.

My dilemma is should I go for the compact or triple chain set. I live 3 miles from the Brecon Beacons so hills will be a day to day occurrence. I am currently 130kg so getting myself up the hills is a challenge. That weight is reducing fast.

I am using cycling to loose weight and am working towards the London 100 next August where I have a guaranteed charity place. I have been riding 80 miles per week on my mountain bike. This will be my first road bike.

I'm leaning towards the triple. The shop has one due in for me to test ride this week but would like some advice on the pros and cons of triple v compact.

tomisitt

If you're going to be up and down the Beacons and weigh 130kg, I'd go for the triple. No significant disadvantages (other than a few extra grams and the cycle-snobs who weirdly despise triples), and you'll be glad of the extra gears available when grinding up Bryn Du.

Just Cannondales

I ride plenty of big hills with a 50/34 Chainset and 28/11

If a 34 /28 is not small enough with Sram you can get a 32 /11 casset now.

No need to suffer a tripple now

Rich...

tomisitt

I ride plenty of big hills with a compact, too, but I'm not 130kg...that's a significant weight, and for someone used to MTB gears I reckon the OP will be more comfortable on a triple. Yes, he could go the SRAM WiFly route, but is there really any point?

As to riding a triple being considered some kind of "suffering", that's the kind of elitist rubbish that brought us velominati and their specious "Rules".

careful

If a 34 /28 is not small enough with Sram you can get a 32 /11 casset now.

A matter of choice, but I live on the edge of Exmoor and every ride involves loads of climbs. I have used triple for ages and still have it on two bikes. No problems. but I just couldnt bring myself to put a triple on my best bike (Colnago C50) and put SRAM compact with 11-32 instead. I find it horrible with great gaps in the ratios and actually find it better overall to use 11- 28 and just struggle a bit on anything steeper than 15%, especially when I am tired. I now wish I had ignored the "stigma" and gone for a triple

Just Cannondales

tomisitt wrote:

As to riding a triple being considered some kind of "suffering", that's the kind of elitist rubbish that brought us velominati and their specious "Rules".

Defo not an elitist as I am aprox 100kg.

The suffering a tripple, was meant of in use gearchaning, most prefer a double simple as that. No need to jus to unfounder conclusions.

Thanks Rich..

nochekmate

Just Cannondales wrote:

I ride plenty of big hills with a 50/34 Chainset and 28/11

If a 34 /28 is not small enough with Sram you can get a 32 /11 casset now.

No need to suffer a tripple now

Rich...

Are you 130 Kg?

Many riders don't even need a compact and can ride perfectly well with a 39/25 combination - I could say that I ride in the Peak District regularly with bottom gear of 39/25 but that does not help the OP.

rollemynot

Get the triple, remember you don't have to use the G ring - but it's there if and when you need it.

As my insurance man says - its better to have and not need rather than need and not have. I would rather spin up a hill in 30/28 as oppose to being passed doing the walk of shame.

Philinmerthyr

I asked Evans to get a 2012 BMC Streetracer SR01 105 Triple for me to test ride today. Paid a £50 deposit but that's returnable.

Somehow I think it will be coming home with me if the fit is good. £300 off, only £999.

Sprool

living on the edge of the peak district, coming from an old MTB and being not particularly fit, I'm really pleased I went for a triple.

jmillen

Based on the info you've given, I'd go for a triple.

As your fitness increases, and weight decreases you can always change things around but it's not good for your moral if you're having to get off and walk on the steep hills. Much better to get a triple and have some chance of getting to the top. You'll enjoy it more and will build your confidence.

Just my thoughts

Bordersroadie

Definitely a triple. No brainer.

Chris James

Just Cannondales wrote:

I ride plenty of big hills with a 50/34 Chainset and 28/11

If a 34 /28 is not small enough with Sram you can get a 32 /11 casset now.

No need to suffer a tripple now

Rich...

Both compact and triples have pretty much the same gear range. The problem with compacts is that basically you have no middle ring (i.e. you lose the most useful one).

Rolling terrain is awkward with compacts as the 34 tooth ring is too small and the 50 too big. And changing from the large ring to the small ring is a massive change, like dropping from 5th to 3rd in a car, and can rob you of momentum.

cedargreen

I would get the triple, partly for the hills but also because I think overall it's a better set up. As Chris said, a compact is just a triple without the most useful middle ring, in which you will probably do most of your riding and from which you can reach most of the rear sprockets without chain rub. So paradoxically with a triple you will probably make fewer front changes than with a compact, and you'll have closer ratios at the rear- enabling you to get just the right gear to maintain cadence.

I think a lot of the negative comments about 'suffering' a triple come from people who are concerned that being seen with a triple makes them less of a cyclist because the pros don't use triples. Ignore them and buy what suits you and your needs.

unixnerd

The nice thing with a triple is that rather than having an 11-30 cassette you could go with an 11-25. This will give you smaller gaps between each gear. Sometimes on a cassette with a wide range you find yourself wanting a gear in between two ratios, so you end up with one a bit high or a bit low.

My tourer and one of my road bikes are triples. On long steep hills you have a good choice of closely spaced gears and it's ideal.

I'm much fitter now that I used to be and my latest bike is a compact with an 11-28. Normally I can get up the Cairngorm ski road without using the lowest gear, but sometimes I need it. My Rouabaix only comes in a compact, if it had a double I'd have been hard to put to choose between the two for my needs. If it weren't for the fact I climb Cairngorm now and then I'd take the double over the compact.