Originally Posted by
Maelochs
I think triples fell out of fashion because most riders simple never used the small ring once they got seven or eight cogs in back.
I joined a 500 member road club in 1989. Very few members had triples on their bikes but some did. Once compact doubles came out it was pretty much the end of triples for recreational/performance type riding.
I've had 2 touring bikes, multiple mountain bikes, and 2 sport bikes with triples. Still have a road bike with an Ultegra triple but I don't ride it often. I have nothing against them but when I got the bike with the compact double I found it has enough range for what I do, even with the 34x29 low. Modern compacts have way more range than the one I have and more range than the road triples I used to ride.