Triple or compact cassette

suzygarbo

I am looking to upgrade my road bike and can see that there are two types of cassettes in most brands, please can someone explain the difference and what do people prefer?

dnwhite88

Triple and compact refer to the chainsets, which is at the front where as the cassette which is at the back. Compact chainsets give you a wide range of gears if you have a wide cassette at the back without the weight of three chainrings. I use a compact with a 11-28 at the back, which is all the gearing I need to get up even steep climbs. IMO now 10 and 11 speed groupsets are the norm, triple chainsets are pretty redundant on road bikes. However, each to their own.

Daz555

Triples are far from redundant.

There are pro's and cons to each. Generally I'd say people who like triples would say they like the less severe change in ratio when you switch rings on the front. They like being able to sit in the middle ring whilst having access to the whole rear cassette. They like the granny gear if their style/fitness/local terrain benefit from it.

Each to their own. There is no right or wrong. Just personal choice.

Anonymous

Personally I think triples are a niche market (Alpine riding and 200+ mile audax's) if we are talking about being for your average rider.
Even for the unfit they are not really necessary.

The only reasonably fit non Alpine audaxer I would recommend to is someone who cannot get their head around changing gears, and even then I would have thought a single front chainring with a 10 speed wide ratio cassette would be much better. If changing between two chainrings is hard, then three will be even harder.

As they are often on cheaper bikes/groupsets you will get a lot of people that have them just sticking up for them because they have them.

A lot of people that have triples (because someone helpfully said it would be better for them) never use the small chainring.
A lot of people who have triples on their first bike, have a compact on their second.

I would love a triple bike, but I would also like the two or three other bikes first in the Que, and the time and possibly air fair money to be able to use it properly.

Serious Cat

Id say definitely go for compact.

diamonddog

suzygarbo wrote:

I am looking to upgrade my road bike and can see that there are two types of cassettes in most brands, please can someone explain the difference and what do people prefer?

What do you have at the moment?

Anonymous

Am I being rude by saying thats generally a vote for compacts then?

morstar

Carbonator wrote:

Am I being rude by saying thats generally a vote for compacts then?

Please stop it. Your preference is abundantly clear. Yours is not the right answer. It is the right answer for you. Give the OP objective feedback.
Daz555 gives a good answer. You can't see beyond your own preference.

chrisaonabike

Why does the OP want to upgrade her bike, and what she's intending to achieve by it?

Also, how did she get on with her sportive back in August? Whether she got up that scary hill ok might suggest whether a compact or a triple is desirable.

Having gone from a 12-28 to a 12-30 at the back, and felt the benefit, albeit with a compact, I'd never argue someone out of a lower bottom gear if they felt it would help.

Confidence up the hills makes a big difference to the enjoyment and hence motivation.

lewiskinch

I don't see any reason for using triple when you can get almost the same gear ratios from a compact and larger cassette. Far too easy for inexperienced riders to use extreme gears as well eg small front/small rear or big front/big rear. Maybe for touring, but really no need for general road even for the less fit riders.

morstar

Have you ever ridden with less fit riders on properly hilly terrain. Lancs is properly hilly without being mountainous and some people literally just want to ride without putting a foot down. A triple makes this far more accessible for many. It's not my way of riding but there is a strong case for triples when you're comparing a 30:28 ratio to a common 34:25 you will get with most compacts.
If you're moderately fit, I believe a compact is the most versatile chain set and I also think this is why they are so popular. However, looking down on or dismissing triples is no different to people on standards doing likewise to compacts.

Anonymous

morstar wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

Am I being rude by saying thats generally a vote for compacts then?

Please stop it. Your preference is abundantly clear. Yours is not the right answer. It is the right answer for you. Give the OP objective feedback.
Daz555 gives a good answer. You can't see beyond your own preference.

It has nothing to do with my preference :roll:

My answer is completely objective. It states uses for triples and its up to the OP if he feels it is correct and what type of rider he/she is and what type of rides it will be for.

Daz gave no answer (sorry Daz) He simply said people like different things. So does the OP buy both to try them out?
Little point in asking the question in the first place.

Of course there is a right and wrong answer for the OP. Hopefully reading this will help him/her find it.

Anonymous

morstar wrote:

Have you ever ridden with less fit riders on properly hilly terrain. Lancs is properly hilly without being mountainous and some people literally just want to ride without putting a foot down. A triple makes this far more accessible for many. It's not my way of riding but there is a strong case for triples when you're comparing a 30:28 ratio to a common 34:25 you will get with most compacts.
If you're moderately fit, I believe a compact is the most versatile chain set and I also think this is why they are so popular. However, looking down on or dismissing triples is no different to people on standards doing likewise to compacts.

Who is looking down on anyone?

Anonymous

The triple camp constantly move the goal posts. One minute its for less fit riders, then its closer ratios, then its not wanting to change gear, then its on that one Sunday each year when your knackered. Jeeze.

Why mention Double users????

A lot of triple owners seem to need some therapy!

morstar

Carbonator wrote:

The triple camp constantly move the goal posts. One minute its for less fit riders, then its closer ratios, then its not wanting to change gear, then its on that one Sunday each year when your knackered. Jeeze.

Why mention Double users????

A lot of triple owners seem to need some therapy!

Maybe the multitude of reasons is a reflection of the many strengths of a triple! ;-)

But seriously. I own all types and each have benefits. I am capable of being objective about all of them. Not getting into this argument with you. Apologies for awaking the beast as I probably started the argument but you're already off on a tangent.

Anonymous

I do not see what owning them has to do with it.
I have already said that each type has a benefit and that I would like to own/use a triple.
Its just that we seem to disagree on what is better for the majority of cyclists.

The triple does indeed have many strengths/plus points, but there are often other solutions and sometimes its strengths are also its weaknesses.

People new to cycling looking for advice often seem to have triples thrust upon them when the majority do not need them.

Daz555

Carbonator wrote:

Daz gave no answer (sorry Daz) He simply said people like different things. So does the OP buy both to try them out?

To be fair I did mention the things which triple users like about triples. Take it as the pros part of a pros and cons list if you like.

fat_cat

Back on topic.

It depends on the type of riding you do.

In my opinion a Compact should be sufficient to get you up most hills, get a wide range cassette with either a 28 or even a 30 tooth large sprocket if you think you might struggle.

However if you live in a hilly part of the country, or like riding up lots of hills then go for a Tripple.

Enjoy yourself whichever you decide!

velohutts

I have both , a triple on one , the 'winter' bike a compact on other , I am happy with both and the merits are

The triple has a 39 middle ring giving the benefits of a standard chainring but with the bailout of a 30 if needed , the compact gives a great range of gearing as posted earlier but I find you tend to ride more on the 50 and work the rear cassette more.

I would like to believe I can get up anything on a standard but reality suggests that may not be the case!

There is no right or wrong to any of the choices , they are just that choices and it would be down to the individual to make there own mind up.

I got the triple mainly to do some light touring and for winter training , take both out if you can up something steepish and see how you get on.

morstar

A summary:

Triples
Pros.
A range of very low gears means you should be comfortable climbing anything.
Middle ring of typically 39 or 42 teeth provides a great range of gearing for general riding on flat to undulating terrain in the 12-18ish mph region without the need for a front shift.
Lots of gear overlap means you can more often find the gear you want without need for front shifting and also in a better place on the cassette.
Summary, great for slower riders, rescue gears, really hilly riding, touring…
Cons.
Weight, (largely irrelevant to the vast majority of riders).
Set up. The front derailleur requires slightly more precise set up than on a double to avoid chain rub.
Lots of gear overlap, you don’t get 10 extra gears.
Less common so less choice, not as easily interchangeable.
You will get people asking why you went for a triple.
Summary, there are minor weight and set up penalties.

Compacts
Pros
Big spread of gears with minimal overlap. Low climbing gears, virtually no loss of big gears.
Low weight.
Common, easy to upgrade/interchange.
Easier set up than triple.
Summary, great versatility while sticking with a common and therefore easily interchangeable set up.
Cons
Gears not as low as triple.
Less overlap of gears requires double shifting both front and rear gears simultaneously. i.e. when you are at the smaller gears at both front and rear and you want a bigger gear, you need to shift the front ring up and the rear gears down all at once.*

Standard
Quite simply the same as a triple without the granny gears. Traditional and works but doesn’t make for easy climbing.

*This is ultimately the crux issue with a compact, it bothers some people, it doesn’t others. My opinion is that if you can do all of your flat / undulating riding in the big front ring and only use the small front ring for ‘proper’ climbing it works brilliantly. If you struggle to do this, perpetual gear changes can be a nightmare for some riders.

rpherts

A compact is fine until you are an hour into an Alpine climb, drooped over the bars at 6km/h and pathetically pushing the down shifter over and over again despite knowing you've been in bottom gear for the past 45 minutes.

marcusjb

rpherts wrote:

A compact is fine until you are an hour into an Alpine climb, drooped over the bars at 6km/h and pathetically pushing the down shifter over and over again despite knowing you've been in bottom gear for the past 45 minutes.

Amen.

I don't use the inner ring very often - but when I do, I am rather glad it's there. It did get rather more use than normal on a recent ride around the Pyrenees.

I couldn't give a monkeys what anyone thinks about me using a triple - I need it from time to time!

Anonymous

That's a great summary above morstar.

Would add that I think there also may be an issue with wider gait on a triple. It's one of the things I do not like, even if its only a perceived problem and not a physical one.

I think the changing gear issue is overplayed a little too. My feeling is that for regular riders its not really a pain (its just changing gears) and surely some rides on a triple will involve changing between 3 chainrings?

The other thing I feel is that having really low gears (i.e. lower than 34/28) is not really a good thing for a lot of riders in this country.
If you have low gears you just tend to use them because they are there.

IMO a lot of newbies are scared into getting a triple by the thought of painful gear changes, and not getting up a hill.
I think the reality is that the gear changes are just an aspect of cycling, and they will get up the hill fine with a bit of practice, and enjoy them more as a result.

I am kind of thinking of a 10 speed cassette in the above, and some people with 8 speed 2300/Claris may indeed be better off with a triple.

zx6man

10 and 8 speeds can have the same hi and low gears so not sure 8 speeds are better with triples

Anonymous

zx6man wrote:

10 and 8 speeds can have the same hi and low gears so not sure 8 speeds are better with triples

What I meant was that compacts are much better with 10 speed (or of course 11) but not so great with 8 because the jump in gears will be bigger between any given hi/low sprocket sizing.

I was not commenting on what speed cassette would, or would not be better for a triple.

ben@31

I use a compact, around the flat area where I live its not a problem when I spin away with a high cadence of 100rpm. But I do wonder whats the cadence of those who say compacts are fine going up hills?

Where my dad lives is pretty hilly. I once borrowed his hybrid and I thought I was going up a ball breaker of a hill. I was so used to my compact that It wasn't until I got back that I realised his bike was a triple and I had only used the middle ring up the hill.

zx6man

I only have the 8 on my compact. 34 /26 . My next bike I will look at a 28-30 cassette at back as some hills I have to stand and grind out.

Anonymous

zx6man wrote:

I only have the 8 on my compact. 34 /26 . My next bike I will look at a 28-30 cassette at back as some hills I have to stand and grind out.

Why not just put a bigger cassette on your current bike?
What speed cassette do you plan to get on your next bike?

mercia_man

Excellent summary from morstar. I use both triples and compacts and both are good. But I dislike the silly sneers against triples from macho men implying they are far too strong to need low gears.

I think the OP should first work out what she hopes to achieve by upgrading her gears. For example, my priority is to have a low enough bottom gear so that I don't have to get off and walk during the hilly/mountainous rides I like best. I guess the OP would have a similar desire. I think nothing looks more pathetic than those photographs of riders with too high gears walking their expensive machines uphill in sportives.

Manufacturers have now cottoned on to the benefits of lower gears with Shimano and Campag now offering 12-30 cassettes which, combined with a 50/34 compact chainset, will get most riders up anything. SRAM do even wider range cassettes while you can get lower still gears with a triple as well as smaller jumps between ratios.

My advice to the OP is if you want to leave your mates behind on the climbs, get low gears. Your rides will be more enjoyable and you'll be able to ride further and faster with less fatigue. A wide range cassette with a compact is the easiest and cheapest way to achieve this.

Compacts are great for novices and general use. Triples on road bikes (popular in Europe) are more of a niche product for experienced riders.

zx6man

Carbonator wrote:

zx6man wrote:

I only have the 8 on my compact. 34 /26 . My next bike I will look at a 28-30 cassette at back as some hills I have to stand and grind out.

Why not just put a bigger cassette on your current bike?
What speed cassette do you plan to get on your next bike?

2300 states 26 is the biggest it will handle at the back so not bothered messing.
Next bike will no doubt be 10 speed anyway, tiagra and above.

ai_1

Carbonator wrote:

The triple camp constantly move the goal posts. One minute its for less fit riders, then its closer ratios, then its not wanting to change gear, then its on that one Sunday each year when your knackered. Jeeze.

Why mention Double users????

A lot of triple owners seem to need some therapy!

What "triple camp"?
Why would everyone have the same reasons for choosing a component?
You sound like you think there's a bunch of guys obsessed with triples who get together to plan their attack on right thinking compact folks.
I know who I think needs therapy.