Roubaix - Compact or triple

[Haffers]

Love my Spesh Allez Sport and prepped for London to Paris on it in the autumn but getting into the Audax rides as well with 150Km & 200km on cards for later this year.

2013 will see LEJOG (or JOGLE) as well and looking at Spesh Roubaix to get more comfort over 1,000 odd miles but looks like there are two options, triple or compact.

Any experience/views/opinions on either from any users? Hill are a pain for me so veering to triple...

cheers
Jim

 

[defy-one]

The weight saving on. Compact chain set over a triple is something like 150g - if you don't get up hills easily - go for the triple

 

[Zofo]

I would go for a compact set 50-34 combined with 11- 28 cassette. This will give you more combinations than a triple as well as being lighter and less naff looking.

 

[TheDoctor]

I'd always go for a triple with the widest cassette possible.
You never 'need' a higher gear anywhere near as much as a lower one.

 

[oldfatfool]

I would go for a compact set 50-34 combined with 11- 28 cassette. This will give you more combinations than a triple

How?

You are much better having a gear and not needing it, than not having a gear and walking! Also a triple is mechanically more sympathetic (smaller jump not the massive 16t difference)

 

[TheDoctor]

I was wondering that too..
18 usable gears, rather than 28?
I always find with a triple I'm forever swapping chainrings and going from one end of the cassette to the other. I'm only trying to find a gear in the mid-to-high 60s, FFS!!

 

[carolonabike]

I have a compact on my Trek and a triple on my Cube and I much prefer the triple, there's less of a jump between gears and like OFF says you're unlikely to regret having that lower gear.
I don't think a triple looks naff, but if it does I'm not really bothered. I'm not very good at hills either and I'll accept all the help I can get.

 

[NotthatJasonKenny]

Being 15 stone 12 I struggle on hills, I've wondered about a triple too! I can lose more weight than the difference between a compact and a triple!

I've had this discussion with other people but I'm never 100% sure either way!

 

[TheDoctor]

I can lose more weight than the difference between a compact and a triple!

At 150g I can lose that much by having a haircut! Or going to the loo.

 

[ianrauk]

If you feel you need all the gearing that a triple gives then get one.
It's handy to have those extra gears.

Don't listen to the snobs who say they look naff. It's what matters to you not others.

 

[Zofo]

How?

You are much better having a gear and not needing it, than not having a gear and walking! Also a triple is mechanically more sympathetic (smaller jump not the massive 16t difference)

A compact is preferable because with a typical triple of 52/42/30 and a cassette of 12-25 you get less " usable" gears than on a compact. The chain line is much more efficient and you get less doubling up of ratios.
Also, generally you will find a triple weighs aprox 200g more than a compact.

 

[jowwy]

A compact is preferable because with a typical triple of 52/42/30 and a cassette of 12-25 you get less " usable" gears than on a compact. The chain line is much more efficient and you get less doubling up of ratios.
Also, generally you will find a triple weighs aprox 200g more than a compact.

but what if the triple is 50/39/30 with a 11/28 cassette??

 

[slowmotion]

I have a Secteur which has the same geometry as the Roubaix, I believe. I'm utter plop on hills. I have a 50/39/30 chainring and an 12-27 cassette. I'm thinking of going for a 28 granny on the chainring and a 12-28 cassette. The people who talk about having the same number of gear combinations on a compact as on a triple seem to miss the point. If you are crap on hills, you need some nice low gearing. A compact will never get you those.

BTW....don't anybody tell me to just get fitter and get a compact. That will NEVER work.

 

[totallyfixed]

less naff looking.

You are going to have to explain that one, I have a triple and no one has ever said to me "your triple looks naff"

The chain line is much more efficient
.

You reckon? Just the opposite I would say.

 

[Zofo]

but what if the triple is 50/39/30 with a 11/28 cassette??

I think that you'd would be forever trying to find the right gear with that wide a range of ratios. At the end of the day 34/28 should get you just about anything.