Double or Triple Chainring
- Thread starter edwardd67
- Start date
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corshamjim
New Member
- Location
- Corsham
Oh gosh! It's difficult to say for sure.
IME, the problem with double can be the big jump from small to large ring.
The problem with triple can be getting the cage to sit right without rubbing on one side or the other.
Personally on the whole I think I prefer triple, but I wish I'd gone for a friction shifter rather than indexed.
IME, the problem with double can be the big jump from small to large ring.
The problem with triple can be getting the cage to sit right without rubbing on one side or the other.
Personally on the whole I think I prefer triple, but I wish I'd gone for a friction shifter rather than indexed.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
I have always used doubles, nowadays it is a compact for commuting and i do find sometimes i can downshift to the smaller ring i need to bump up the rear mech as it can be a bit easy or choose an easier gear at the back at stay on the big ring at the front.With a easy enough gear at the back you can get enough of a gear for most hills.
It certainly is do-able but if you want an easier ride rather than hammering it i would go for a triple unless your racing the extra weight is not going to make any difference.You will get a lot more overlap on gears where you get the same gear difficulty replicated with different gear combinations but a greater range of easier gears on the smallest ring should get you up anything !
It certainly is do-able but if you want an easier ride rather than hammering it i would go for a triple unless your racing the extra weight is not going to make any difference.You will get a lot more overlap on gears where you get the same gear difficulty replicated with different gear combinations but a greater range of easier gears on the smallest ring should get you up anything !
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Go for the triple. I've yet to hear someone complain about their bottom gear being too low.
Glover Fan
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Almondsbury, Nr Bristol
My MTB has a triple, but my roadbike has a compact double. IMO a triple makes sense on a mountain bike, but on my road bike, my rear block goes low enough that I have not yet had a hill that has made me think I wish I had a lower gear, in fact I rarely go onto the big ring on the back and the small ring on the front.
It's horse for courses, but I find a triple just complicates issues and makes me think about gears more than I need too.
It's horse for courses, but I find a triple just complicates issues and makes me think about gears more than I need too.
asterix
Comrade Member
- Location
- Limoges or York
Depends. If your rides are fairly short and not too hilly, a double/compact will be fine. OTOH if you like longer rides and a few hills then a triple is a good idea. The extra weight is trivial.
I like longish hilly rides, 3 of my bikes have triples and the 4th a double. I prefer the triples and will soon convert the double although I can get by with it.
I like longish hilly rides, 3 of my bikes have triples and the 4th a double. I prefer the triples and will soon convert the double although I can get by with it.
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
It comes down to riding styles, problem is the only way to find out is to ride on a triple & a double for a a while (we're talking months really) to find out which you'd prefer. That said, a triple is the safest bet.
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
I agree with this for most people for leisure riding.
The main exception would be it you lived somewhere really flat, in which case a double is always that bit easier to shift.
I live in Scotland----- finding somewhere flat is a problem
Thanks for the replies .
ED
numbnuts
Squire
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
triple ....hills get bigger as you get older 
aberal
Guru
- Location
- Midlothian
Double - so long as it is a compact chainset with 34 teeth on the smallest chainring. A triple typically will have 30 teeth on the smallest chainring, which can occasionally help you out on mega steep climbs, but in truth is hardly ever needed. Triples are only really necessary when you are touring and carrying big loads - tent, cooking stuff etc. For leisure rides the ultra low gears aren't really necessary 99% of the time.
The downside to the triple is the weight, as has been mentioned, but also the line the chain runs on the rings is more acute on a triple. Simply shifting gear on a compact is easier, the triple has intermediate clicks on the middle chainring to avoid rubbing on the front mech when the chain is at an acute angle (no big deal in itself) but adjusting the front mech when it needs a bit of tweaking is also a lot easier.
I know all this - coz I have a triple, also live in Scotland, am 51 yo and rarely have the need to drop into the lowest chainring, never mind use the smallest ring and if I had loads of disposable dosh would turn it into a compact tomorrow.
The downside to the triple is the weight, as has been mentioned, but also the line the chain runs on the rings is more acute on a triple. Simply shifting gear on a compact is easier, the triple has intermediate clicks on the middle chainring to avoid rubbing on the front mech when the chain is at an acute angle (no big deal in itself) but adjusting the front mech when it needs a bit of tweaking is also a lot easier.
I know all this - coz I have a triple, also live in Scotland, am 51 yo and rarely have the need to drop into the lowest chainring, never mind use the smallest ring and if I had loads of disposable dosh would turn it into a compact tomorrow.
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
Similar age to Aberal...and live in a less mountainous part of the world, but evidently not as fit and strong.
I have a triple and OFTEN have to resort to the little ring - in fact I changed the regular 30T ring for an even smaller one, and I've got a biggish cassette.
Yes, often need to tweak the position of the FD cage....but this becomes a matter of routine. Extra weight - negligible compared to the weight I still need to lose.
I have a triple and OFTEN have to resort to the little ring - in fact I changed the regular 30T ring for an even smaller one, and I've got a biggish cassette.
Yes, often need to tweak the position of the FD cage....but this becomes a matter of routine. Extra weight - negligible compared to the weight I still need to lose.