Originally Posted by Andy_K

This really makes me sad. I love triples.

I feel like most people just don't understand the triple mindset. Or maybe it just doesn't appeal to them. I use a triple very much the way everyone else uses a 1xN setup, except I've got a couple of aces in the hole. I do almost all of my riding on the middle ring and then use the small ring as a bailout gear and the big ring when I really want to hammer. I choose my cassette for the gear range I want with the middle ring.

The "equivalent" range argument just doesn't hold water when you look at it like this. Suppose I've got a 50/39/26 crankset with an 11-34 cassette. Using just the 39T ring I've got a range from 32 to 100 gear inches, but when I hit that 32 inch gear and I need a little more help, I can drop to the small ring and go as low as 21 inches. And when I top out on the 39x11 gear and want a little more, I can pop up to the big ring and go as high as 128 inches. I've got the simplicity of a one ring setup, but I've got a LOT more range. What kind of cassette is going to give you this range with a 1x? Even 10x50 doesn't get you there, and if it did (say I'm only comparing to a 50/39/30) I'd have fully one third of my cogs used for parts of the range that I rarely use.

Long live the triple!!!