Originally Posted by
xroadcharlie
I like a single chainring for it's simplicity and appearance and with the right cassette might be fine for many of us. But since the chainring derailleur is already there, Why don't more bikes use a triple chainring. Is it because of the room?
I like the triple because if we have the right combination of cassette and chainring we can leave the bike on the middle chainring most of the time like a single, and still have some very low and high gears for steep hills and fast rides down them. Also sometimes I want to drop 2 or 3 gears fast, and with one step up front I can do that.
My bike is now 7 years old, and has a 3 x 9 setup. 12 - 27 cassette, and 48 - 36 - 26 tooth chainrings. I have used this setup so long that for me, shifting is completely intuitive. On a lot of rides, I don't even use my small chainring. But I wouldn't get rid of it because when I need it, I am glad it is there. 12 - 27 9 speed cassette paired with the 36 tooth chainring gives me small jumps in the range where I can use them. If my chainrings wear out, I might consider going up to a 38 tooth middle ring, and/or possibly going down to a 46 tooth big ring.