Roubaix - Compact or triple

[Zofo]

Oh ok guys, you win-I'm clearly outnumbered.

 

[Haffers]

zofo - the thread started with the fact that the 100 mile day rides are OK(ish) :-) The JOGLE or LEJOG is 14 days of them hence the question followed by 2014 going from London to Italy which is why the triple was being looked at. As for a scooter, forget the bike and jog on fella

 

[Glover Fan]

I've been looking at the roubaix triple as a possible long distance audax machine. I love my compact, but there are sometimes when your hamstrings and quads are simultaneously cramping up that a triple makes a means to an end.

The only thing that puts me off the Roubaix is that it doesn't have mudguard eyelets.

 

[Haffers]

Same mindset re the Roubaix and looking at these to resolve mudguard issues http://www.wiggle.co.uk/crud-roadracer-mk2-mudguard-set/ but need to see them on the bike to know what they will be like. The split saddle on the spesh bikes makes this more of an issue :-)

 

[400bhp]

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.

This. Look at the mileage he is considering.

 

[400bhp]

Who says I struggle up hills?

You most certainly do not.

 

[400bhp]

Oh wow! Wind them up and watch them go eh? I guessed the word "naff" might provoke a response or two.
Oh well in for a penny etc......

Rather than debating the merits of a triple over a compact maybe you should question why you are struggling up hills anyway.Maybe a reduction in body weight and/ or increase in leg strength would be more beneficial, healthier and cheaper. One last thing, hills are meant to be hard - that's why we love them isn't it? ---at the end of the day you could just buy a scooter.

Do you do big mileage? Much more than 100 miles in a go?

A triple can be a lifesaver.

 

[Andrew_P]

I've been looking at the roubaix triple as a possible long distance audax machine. I love my compact, but there are sometimes when your hamstrings and quads are simultaneously cramping up that a triple makes a means to an end.

The only thing that puts me off the Roubaix is that it doesn't have mudguard eyelets.

I have a Roubaix 2010 comp running 23mm tyres and the Raceblade Longs are brillant




.

 

[User482]

Compacts are rubbish. The 50/34 is an enormous jump, which necessitates changing 2 or 3 gears at the back simultaneously, or you end up doing a road runner impression. And if you need really low gears (say for loaded touring) a wide range cassette creates big jumps between gears, which is useless for maintaining a steady cadence. The only way to get close ratios and a wide range is with a triple. For LEJOG, I used a 30/42/52 with a 12-27 cassette, which was perfect. If you don't need low gears, a standard double is the way to go.

My summer bike has a compact - I intend to change the rings to a 36/48 mated to an 11-25 cassette. That gives an equivalent top gear to a 53/12, which is plenty, and I get rid of the silly jump between the rings.

 

[Andrew_P]

Each to their own I suppose, I started out with a Compact 11-28 now run 11-25t I have got used to changing down 2 gears before switching to the 34t. Never ridden a Std double, but have ridden a triple on a Hybrid bike which I didn't like. To be fair to the Hybrid if I recall correctly it was a 12-32 which made it really gappy which ever front you used.

 

[PpPete]

I've only ridden a compact once, horrid experience, forever double shifting, when on my own bike I'd have been on the 39 middle ring and only using a few sprockets in the middle of the cassette.

 

[zizou]

On my 10 speed compact (or double when its on) i have 18 usable gears avoiding the big - big and small - small combination. On the triples,one on a road bike one on a mtb, i've got at least 4 fewer gears (theoretically i should have 9 or 10 more) that I can use without getting issues with the chain rubbing on the front derailleur. So while the jumps in the cassette are less on the triple the downside is i have to be more careful with the chain line and end up having to change the front rings more regularly. I think some people may be more sensitive than others to larger jumps in the cassette but i dont really find it a problem.

However despite saying that the reason i have the triple is for touring where the advantage of being able to spin my fat arse and some loaded panniers up a mountain outweighs the annoyances i have for normal riding. So basically if your LEJOG is supported then my advice is that you should go with a compact, if however you are having to carry all your gear then i'd go with the triple.

 

[400bhp]

Am I reading this correctly?

You have 18 usable gears from a compact.

And only 14 usable gears on a triple.

If that is the case, your gears (for one reason or another and assuming both are 10 speed cassettes) are not set up correctly.

 

[zizou]

Am I reading this correctly?

You have 18 usable gears from a compact.

And only 14 usable gears on a triple.

If that is the case, your gears (for one reason or another and assuming both are 10 speed cassettes) are not set up correctly.

On the road bike if i set up the FD so the gears dont rub then the changing is unreliable, particularly going onto a bigger ring.. I initially thought it was my lack of mechanical skills but ive had a couple of bike shops try and fix it and the issue remains.

Anyone that is another reason why i prefer the compact over the triple - easier to set up for someone like me

 

[400bhp]

I have a triple Tiagra. 27 gears - ALL are usable.