Triple vs compact

[Staffordshire Mamil]

Hello all,
Newby here.
I am mid 50s and have got back into road cycling, buying my first bike for about 35 years,I am really surprised at how adictive it can be !!
Anyhow here's the question:

I bought a 2nd hand 2008 Ridgeback Flight 01 hybrid which is a real speed machine, essentially a reasonably light road bike but with flat bars. It has 3 chainrings 52/42/32 Teeth
and a Shimano Sora 12-25 8 Speed cassette. I rarely use the smallest chainring.
I am looking to buy a Boardman Comp road bike with drop handlebars which has a compact chainset 50/36 teeth and Tiagra 12-25 9 speed cassette.

Can anyone explain how much difference I would notice on the lowest gear, I am concerned that my ageing legs would struggle to get me up the odd steep hill where I have currently have the comfort of the good old granny ring if required.

Many thanks in advance for your help and advise.

 

[delstron]

Firstly visit

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

and input the details of each gear combination. This will give you some comparative figures to look at.

A 50/34 compact chainset is the more common combination and would be closer to a triple, if you have the flexibility to get this changed before or after purchase.

Try a search on the forum, the subject has been covered more than a few times.

 

[jimboalee]

Up the same hill at the same speed, power requirement will be similar. A lower gear will allow you to turn more revs, thus reducing the ammount of pressure on the pedal required on each pedalstroke.

Alternatively, a lower speed can be maintained by turning the cranks at the same speed and same pedaling pressure.

Some folks like to use high revs and low pedal pressure, while other folks like standing up and pedaling slower ( like climbing stairs ).

The latter group, given a bike with lower gears will have more inclination to ride up steeper hills with their low revs, high pressure, standing up technique; while the former group will get into difficulty on really steep hills because of their lack of practice in 'grinding'.

Being in Staffordshire, you will want to go into the Peak District, so I would say "Triple" with a 30 ring on the inside.

 

[raindog]

Between 32/26 and 36/26 there won't be a massive difference, and as you say you rarely use the small ring on your triple, then you should be fine with the compact on the Boardman. I've got a triple on one of my bikes and 50-39 on the other and I love riding them both.

The thing with a compact is that it's often difficult to find a comfortable gear without constantly changing up front, whereas with a triple you can usually do most of your riding on the middle ring. I've noticed when I'm on my triple riding behind someone on a compact they're always changing from one chainwheel to the other, when I only seem to be nipping up and down the cassette.

 

[asterix]

My area is very hilly, I tend to do fairly long rides of over 40 miles and I have a triple. Most of the time I just use the outer rings, but near the end of the ride I am often really glad to have the extra chainring, especially as I live at the top of a hill!

 

[Will1985]

Welcome to our forum Staffordshire Mamil!

This topic is covered a lot and there are fierce exponents of both camps. As raindog spotted the difference in gearing between the two is about the same as one gear (that is, the bottom gear on the Boardman would be the 2nd lowest gear on the Ridgeback), so you really need to ask yourself if you ever need to use the Ridgeback's bottom gear.

At the end of the day, the number of rings on a chainset is personal preference, but you can only find out by experimenting with both.

PS. Jimbo, your post is really not helpful to beginners - aren't you supposed to be staying in Know How with this cut and paste stuff?

 

[yello]

Greetings SM. I can only endorse what raindog says. I very much doubt you'd struggle on that compact but there could be more gear changing on the chainrings. Not a problem per se but a consideration. So, like Will says, your choice is mainly preference.

All my geared bikes are triples and I predominantly ride on the middle ring. I sometimes consider switching one of the bikes to a compact but I really don't think there'd be any real benefits to me. I'm quite happy to stay on triples and just occasionally I'm thankful for having the 'bail out' gears!

 

[jimboalee]

Welcome to our forum Staffordshire Mamil!

This topic is covered a lot and there are fierce exponents of both camps. As raindog spotted the difference in gearing between the two is about the same as one gear (that is, the bottom gear on the Boardman would be the 2nd lowest gear on the Ridgeback), so you really need to ask yourself if you ever need to use the Ridgeback's bottom gear.

At the end of the day, the number of rings on a chainset is personal preference, but you can only find out by experimenting with both.

PS. Jimbo, your post is really not helpful to beginners - aren't you supposed to be staying in Know How with this cut and paste stuff?

I'm 50 and the OP has a few years under his belt more than me, and I'm crediting him with a bit of intelligence.

Where in my post do I lose you Will?

He has a Ridgeback Flight 01, on which he could invert the stem and install bar-ends, or fit drops and it would be a decent bike to tackle Buxton and surrounds.

He's considering a Boardman Comp Road. A bike for serious milage on warm summer days. Pack it with a 30 triple and he's all set to go to Castleton and Speedwell cavern on a day trip. Have a double with a 34 ring and he's lost one gear.


'Compact chainsets' for those who want to look like a road bike and not like a tourer, but need the low gears cus they can't pull a 53/39.

'Triples' for those who want a pleasant day out up the hills and don't give a shoot what others think.

 

[2Loose]

I would also point out that the Boardman is lighter than the Ridgeback, so will probably be even easier to ride up hills despite a very slightly higher bottom gear.

When I went from my MTB to my roadbike, the gearing on the roadbike fell almost smack into the middle of the gear range of the mtb. I did use the bottom mtb gears on occasion and thought I may have to push the roadbike up hills from time to time because of this. Glad to say that it wasn't so. In fact if anything, the roadbike is better to climb hills than the mtb.

Staffordshire Mamil, I don't think you have anything to worry about

 

[adscrim]

'Compact chainsets' for those who want to look like a road bike and not like a tourer, but need the low gears cus they can't pull a 53/39.

'Triples' for those who want a pleasant day out up the hills and don't give a shoot what others think.

Compacts are for those who want compacts and those who want a specific bike that come with a compact. I have two road bikes. One has 50/36 and a 11-23 cassette, the other 53/39 12-25. All generalisations are false (including that one).

OP, if you want the new bike, then get the new bike. If, further down the line you're thinking 'I could really do with an extra gear', then you can always fit a 12-27.

 

[automatic_jon]

OP, if you want the new bike, then get the new bike. If, further down the line you're thinking 'I could really do with an extra gear', then you can always fit a 12-27.

Hear, hear.

It's actually quite satisfying fitting something as simple as a new cassette, it give the feeling that you've got a greater understanding of the bike instead of just buying something off the peg and making do.
If you like the bike then get it, you can always fine tune it as time goes by.

 

[steve52]

dont make my mistake go for the tripple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Banjo]

I am the wrong side of 50 have been cycling for a couple of years .I am very glad I opted for the triple.

On not too steep hills I can normally use the 39 tooth middle ring and 25 tooth largest cog combination On steep or long hills or if I am not feeling great I would be walking without the 30 tooth granny ring.

My top gearing is 50 12 and on occasions I think its not quite fast enough but its the bottom gears that are really important to me.

PS I dont understand all of Jimboallees posts but didnt find anything too technical in this one.

Triple Country

 

[jimboalee]

Hear, hear.

It's actually quite satisfying fitting something as simple as a new cassette, it give the feeling that you've got a greater understanding of the bike instead of just buying something off the peg and making do.
If you like the bike then get it, you can always fine tune it as time goes by.

Its even more satifying fitting a cassette that you've built up with seperate sprockets and spacers to ratios you've worked out for yourself.

When I suggested this on another thread, I got told to stut my face.

 

[007fair]

I think this depends on fitness / strength more than style or preference
I have a triple (30,39,50 - 12,27) ..I am of distinctly average fitness but can get up all hills (not tried the alps though!) but do so slowly and often on lowest 'granny' gear.
If you have the fitness / leg strength then a compact or a double will be Ok and get you up quicker .. but if you can't handle the speed then you have to get off and push. The triple means you can ease off and keep cycling

I was on a run recently with 2 guys who were both fitter than me. 1 on a double and the other (15 years younger and a good cyclist) on a single!
We had a timed effort up to the top of the campsies north of glasgow.
The guy on the single got there in about 7 mins, the double next in 9 and me last in 10

But this does not mean the single is better. If I had that I would have had to push

Next time I wouldn't mind trying a double just to see - but I like having the option of a really low gear
If there is any possibility of light touring then the triple would be preferable also