I miss my old triple on my road/gravel bike, but it has nothing to do with the overall range.
Its the middle ring I miss. On gentle rolling hills, and on quick ups and downs, I could just stay in it almost indefinitely. With my double I am having to shift the front a lot more.
With MTB its different. I ditched the big ring on my 22-32-44 triple 20 years ago and ran 2x9 ever since. But in that case the 32t middle ring worked for most conditions until it was time to grind out a long climb. So it was more like having 1x with a bail out ring.
i’m sure doubles works better for many folks, but the “triples are obsolete” notion is largely group-think, IMO.
The only two downsides I see to triples are a) a weight penalty and b) a more challenging/less forgiving front derailleur setup. The former is insignificant (a small chainring plus bolts). The latter can be a nuisance for many, and seems like a legit reason for some to go with a double.
Last edited by Kapusta; 04-20-20 at 08:07 AM.