compact or triple

crannman

hi all well got back into cycling 2yrs ago built up by fittnes and lost 2 stone my bike is a carrea vituoso ok not the best but its got me fit .so im looking to up grade i,m 55 not out to break any records just enjoy my cycling i want to get out into peak distric and try some more challenging climbs .just think extra gears will help a old guy like me looking to spend around £800 ......dont tell the mrs

banditvic

With 11-32 cassettes available the end must be insight for a triple.

desweller

I love my triple. Although I have to admit I ride it more like a standard double. Having a bail out gear can be really helpful if you bonk and there's still a few hills to negotiate.

I think the mid compacts you can get these days (e.g. 50/36 or 52/36) are worth looking at too. I don't like compacts, the gap between chainrings is too big.

Bobbinogs

A 34/27 should be enough to get you up anything short of a vertical wall. I can understand folks using lower gears when touring, etc., but all a triple really offers you is one extra gear or two and, as stated above, if you really feel you want one for your back pocket then a 30T will give you that.

jswba

Doubles are less of a fiddle to clean as well

crannman

thanks all just had a look at planet x R-T alloy sram rival 22 ? thats the sort of bike im looking at

passout

Both are fine - more choice with compacts as they are popular. SRAM WI FI might be worth a look.

Spatulala

Just moved from a Triple to a Compact. ERly days and I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I do miss my 39 ring that I could spend 90% of the time in. Granny (rarely) for super steep and 50 for descents. With the Compact I currently spend more time changing at the front, which is mildly annoying.

keef66

I specced a triple when I bought my first proper road bike nearly 8 years ago. I was being cautious because although fairly fit from riding a mountain bike I was by then 50, and I'd just had surgery on both knees. I wanted something with low enough gears and a closely spaced cassette so I could always maintain a comfortably high cadence. It has served me very well and I've now put it on my newer, carbon bike.

Round these parts with gently rolling terrain I spend over 90% of my time in the middle 39t ring which suits my lazy side. The 30t does come in handy for a couple of nasty sharp climbs and at the end of a long day or into a stiff headwind. The 50t comes into play on rare long downhills and sadly also rare tailwinds.

The only downsides to a triple are that the front mech is slightly trickier to set up, and as mentioned above, the chainrings are harder to clean (Being Hollowtech 2 I just whip the chainset off occasionally for a proper scrub) Once set up properly, front changes are simple / smooth.

The original alu bike now boasts a 46/36 Cx chainset which is also proving quite versatile. The smaller difference between the chainrings means front changes are less dramatic than with a compact and I find both are in constant use. 36x27 gets me up everything round here, and 46x12 is comfortably as fast as I can go.

So in your position / age / with the Peak District in your sights I'd say go for a triple with a 12-27 cassette.

Annoying Shimano don't offer the new 11 speed 105 5800 in a triple.

kajjal

Spatulala wrote:

Just moved from a Triple to a Compact. ERly days and I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I do miss my 39 ring that I could spend 90% of the time in. Granny (rarely) for super steep and 50 for descents. With the Compact I currently spend more time changing at the front, which is mildly annoying.

It can be annoying if your average riding means you fall between the two compact chain set gears with the constant changing. I found once my fitness improved it was no problem but best to workout which gears you use the most first.

holiver

Bobbinogs wrote:

A 34/27 should be enough to get you up anything short of a vertical wall. I can understand folks using lower gears when touring, etc., but all a triple really offers you is one extra gear or two and, as stated above, if you really feel you want one for your back pocket then a 30T will give you that.

I run a compact chainset with a 27T ring at the back as my lowest, but if I were unfit, beginning or coming back to cycling in my 50s, I would want a gear that really would get me up a wall. As you suggest a compact with a 30T or 32T ring at the back would help for those situations at the end of a ride when the legs have gone.

markhewitt1978

Bobbinogs wrote:

A 34/27 should be enough to get you up anything short of a vertical wall. I can understand folks using lower gears when touring, etc., but all a triple really offers you is one extra gear or two and, as stated above, if you really feel you want one for your back pocket then a 30T will give you that.

I disagree. That may be fine for you but I would struggle with 34/27 on some of the North Pennine climbs. Which is why I run 34/30.

crannman

thanks for the great replys pleanty og time to look around i do like the look of planet x bikes local to me too so gona give them a visit

keezx

Bobbinogs wrote:

A 34/27 should be enough to get you up anything short of a vertical wall. I can understand folks using lower gears when touring, etc., but all a triple really offers you is one extra gear or two and, as stated above, if you really feel you want one for your back pocket then a 30T will give you that.

No one needs gears (Henri Desgrange)

crannman

sorry to carry this topic on but .....had a trip to evans cycles spoke to a chap regarding gears and he said how about changing the gearing on my bike ? would this be a good idea maybe a wider range of gearing ....over to you guys :shock:

markhewitt1978

crannman wrote:

sorry to carry this topic on but .....had a trip to evans cycles spoke to a chap regarding gears and he said how about changing the gearing on my bike ? would this be a good idea maybe a wider range of gearing ....over to you guys :shock:

Are you struggling to get up climbs with the gears you currently have? Do you want to go faster but run out of high gears?

What gear ratios do you have on the front and on the back?

I would say for most recreational riders having a wide range is more important than having close ratios.

keezx

With a triple you can have both.

crannman

yes i wud say running out of steam near the top of some hills gearing is (i think) shimano sora 16 speed 39/52 front and rear 11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30 hope that makes sence

markhewitt1978

crannman wrote:

yes i wud say running out of steam near the top of some hills gearing is (i think) shimano sora 16 speed 39/52 front and rear 11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30 hope that makes sence

You sure it's Sora, as that's 8 speed and Sora has been 9 speed since 2009.

Changing your chainset to a compact (50/34) might be an option for you as you're running a standard double so steep hills will be an issue. You can get a new chainset for c.£50 although you may want the LBS to fit it for you.

You can indeed go triple and that will give you even lower gears but will come at more expense as you'll need to buy a new left shifter.

crannman

yes sora ....as you say mark steep hills are the problem im ok on fitness well for 55 most rides around 30mile or so

markhewitt1978

Aye, same. So yeah getting a compact chainset would seem your best bet. If you've been to Evans then asking them about fitting that would be your best bet I reckon.

To compare ratios, your current lowest 39/30 = 1.3. Compact chainset lowest = 1.13.

t4tomo

Firstly are you sure the careera is a 52/39 (standard double) I would have thought at Sora level it would have come with a compact (50/34) but that by the by really.

Secondly whilst I ride a compact, I have swapped out the 12-25 for a 12-28, as I do a fair bit of hilly stuff - chess valley & edge of chilterns. when i have hired bike in Mallorca and france they have generally been a triple.

I genuinely dont see a downside to a triple bar "fashion" (the weight of a chainring isn't noticable in the real world) and you get a wideerspread of gears with close ratios where you need them.

I was mightly glad of the granny ring going up Ventoux, and whilst I could have got away with a compact in Mallorca on a long drag on a hot day it was occasionally useful.

On steep longish hills in the UK (OP is pennines isnt he) then that extra 3 or 4 low ratios the triple gives you can be life (leg) savers. I've slogged it up Toys Hill and Leith Hill & White Down on 34-28 or 34-25 thinking a lower gear or 2 would be nice and the OP has 9 years on me.

advice from young whippets like 34-27 will get up a wall isnt good advice, as 30-27 will get you up the same wall more easily!

At your age youwill have workedout function over fashion everytime so I'd probably go for the triple if available in the bike you want, as you'll definately appreciate the Granny ring when you get to 65!

crannman

thanks mark ,tomo great advice thanks

lostboysaint

t4tomo wrote:

Firstly are you sure the careera is a 52/39 (standard double) I would have thought at Sora level it would have come with a compact (50/34) but that by the by really.

I was very surprised when a mate bought one as a winter hack and it had a 52/39 double on it so I wouldn't doubt it at all!

dennisn

I'm an older geezer and have done some 7 day tours in the Colorado mountains.Have a compact 36-50 with a 12-23 for around home(flat as a pancake). When I first started doing the big mountain climbs I bought a 33 tooth front ring(T-A Specialties) strictly for that. Combined with a 12-27 I never really had problems except on really, really steep stuff. Now days the newer rear D's will take 30's and more. So I don't see any problems with a compact getting you to the top and with, most likely, a cog or two to spare.

keezx

crannman wrote:

yes i wud say running out of steam near the top of some hills gearing is (i think) shimano sora 16 speed 39/52 front and rear 11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30 hope that makes sence

11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30 is ridiculous and makes no sense.

crannman

in what way is it ridiculous ?......is it the range of gears as that is my main point

Bobbinogs

crannman wrote:

in what way is it ridiculous ?......is it the range of gears as that is my main point

I must admit I was foxed by the ridiculous bit!

I posted this in the Workshop recently as it really is a great website. The Compare two Setups feature helps one see exactly what different combinations will give (and easily identify any big gaps).

Personally, I would not bother running any of the big gear combos, like a 52/11, as it is just a wasted gear IMHO. I do a lot of reasonably pacy rides over undulating terrain and find that even just a 50/12 is fine at the top end, particularly if spinning at 120. Anymore than that and I just tuck in and get some rest prior to the inevitable bit when the road goes up again