Originally Posted by
PeteHski
There was never a change from 3x to 2x on road racing bikes. With only a few exceptions they were always 2x in my lifetime. So there was no marketing involved there. They basically went from 2x5 in the 70s through to 2x12 today. Triples were the domain of Tourers and MTBs until most people realised they didn’t need them anymore due to ever wider range 11,12 and now 13 speed cassettes.
Shimano Dura-ace came in a triple until they went from 10 to 11 speed, which was...5 years ago? Fairly recently.
Either way it agrees with what I'm saying about the double being about shaving a few grams. Probably should have mentioned fashion as well.