triple or compact

radiation man

guess i will only gain with slighly less weight on bike if i change from a triple to a compact as i now use a triple 50 42 30 and i use mostly the 42 chainring, my lowest gear is 30 26 so i would also need at least a 34 28 to match the triple.

Sawilson

Cannot see the need for a triple on a road bike, seems too much faff, a compact and a wide rear cassette should cover everything you need.
Also ride MTB and can count on one hand the number of times I've been on the granny ring and that's been due to the surface of the terrain rather than the incline.

Grill

I'd only triple for loaded touring. You'll be fine with a compact.

hypster

To match your 30-26 (ratio 1.15) lowest triple gear you would need 34-30 (ratio 1.13). I have a triple on one of my bikes and trimming the front dérailleur when in the middle chainring to prevent it rubbing depending on what gear I'm in irritates me. If I were buying now I would go for a compact chainset.

ctc

I've got at triple and a compact. The compact is good where you stay in either the 50 or the 34 a lot, but if you are constantly having to change between big ring and small ring it's a bit annoying.
The triple is like a normal double with a bail out ring when you need it. I like having a cassette with closer ratios on the triple than on the compact, but triples have an image problem.
Triple weighs slightly more, both triple and compacts need to be setup correctly. I'll admit for the type of riding I do, I slightly prefer the triple

In the end I still ride either, and really doesn't make that much difference. Only thing is if you're riding most of the time in the 42 ring now it could mean you are front changing quite a bit on the compact. This may bother you or you may not mind it.

BenderRodriguez

I used to run a triple and now use a compact, and unless you need a really low set of gears (which means using something like a 26 inner ring) a compact wins hands down.

The biggest issue with a triple is that the 3rd ring is essentially added to the 'outside', so when you are on the big ring you get a lot of crossover if you go more than 2/3 of the way across the block. This also creates a wider 'Q' value which I dislike. In turn you tend to spend a lot of time on the middle ring, which is still a bit too big when you get to the steep stuff, especially given that you are still getting a lot of crossover onto the biggest sprocket, so you have to shift down again. In find that in hilly terrain I am constantly swapping rings on a triple as the gears I want are to be found right between the bottom of block with the middle ring and those to be found on the smallest ring. With a compact I just put it on the small ring and leave it there.

With a compact you will probably want to use a more widely spaced block but I actually find this to be an advantage as on a long climb I can usually just drop it down one sprocket and have the ideal gear for a period riding out of the saddle, one sprocket back up and I am in the right gear for seated pedalling once more.

On the flatter roads when speeding along on the big ring with a compact I can also drop it down to a 21 or 23 sprocket to get over any slight rises, without the chain line being so bad that it feels like the gears are grating, as would happen with a triple.

I still have a bike with a triple chainset but this is set up for rough-stuff, with 26, 36, 48 rings.

stanthomas

A matter of taste really - and fashion. I've run road triples for years, Ultegra and D-A. Quite happy and see no reason to change. Don't like the idea of losing my 53t top or the big step from 50 to 34. And 30x27 is my get out of jail free card.
The only criticism I had of older triples was the 42t middle ring which I would swap for a TA Alize 39t.

Sprool

I've just moved on from a Scott triple (50/39/30 crank, 11-28 9speed cassette) to a carbon canyon with compact (50/34 crank, 11-32 10 speed cassette) and i find i prefer the closer ratio cassette since its very seldom on a light, stiff carbon frame that the 32 granny cog is needed. I'm still getting used to the much bigger jump in gear ratios when changing front rings. I then fitted an 11-28 ten speed cassette which gives me a good workable range, and i find with the compact i'm not going up and down the crank rings as much as i used to with the triple. Do I prefer the compact? Yes I think so, its a bit simpler and needs less trimming but the triple does give a much wider gear range while still having a nice close ratio set of cassette cogs on the back block. Maybe I need a 51/33 on the front, why hasn't anyone come up with these to sell?