Waxbytes

I use triples on my bikes.
Triples sure beat bringing up breakfast on a steep grade.

Deanster04

I am about to turn 65 and have been riding a triple for the last 7 years...here in Colorado...and can climb about anything...Mt Evans yearly and Estes Park to Grandby several times a year. Started riding in 1955 and could say that REAL MANLY riders go with a 48/52 front and 11-18 rear cassette and nothing less (but I won't). The poor fragile egos that have to pound their chests and look down on any other cyclist are really wannabees who are the same J***O**S that pass you and don't acknowledge your presence...Takes all kinds.

st0ut

Deanster04 i hope to be like you when i grow up.

as most of you know i am loking for a new bike to replace my roadie. As a dad and family guy justification ofreplaceing the 5200 isint in the cards.

So i am bumming my wifes WSD trek 7100 step tru with flowers and triple. (how embarassing) Wiat a minute i can go to the store and not dress like i am from Belgium and and getting cooffee since i only a domestique.

Kids want to go for a ride shorts and tee not dad has to spend 20 mines getting ready.
My son can go into the woods on his bike and i can follow.

yep i am not a roadie anymore. But i am still a cycelist.
BTW Every bike i see wehre the riders are riding from here to katmandu all those bikes are triples. Yep they are not cycelist at all.

Guess i got tired of posing.

conurejade

And we care what other people think because.........????

It's the internet for goodness sake - don't take what you read so seriously.
If it's mechanically safe and it works for you, then ride it and forget what other people say.

East Hill

Hahahaha, I ride only doubles and ONLY because all my bikes are vintage.

They are either 10 speed, or 12 speed, with the exception of my 'modern' Rodriguez .

East Hill

cyclokitty 

I decorate my bike basket, and change the decor with the seasons

conurejade

A person after my own heart.

I decorated my saddle bag and bento box with parrot appliques and buttons. Oh, and let's not forget that I'm trying to dye my cycling shoes because they don't 'match'.
Hey - a girl's got to accessorize!!

The guys at my LBS are all roadies and most are either current or ex-racers; they just shake their heads at me and smile. They know that whatever keeps you happy and riding is a good thing!

andrelam

I am not here to diss the roadie forum. I have noticed however that when I am out riding whether on my hybrid (the year round commuter) or my road bike (the light fun fair weather ride), I have noticed that most riders will somehow acknowledge me as we either give a slight wave with the fingers or a head nod. I have noticed that the roadier are the more likely to act like you don't exist. To each his own.

Triple - Check
Mountain SPD - Check
Polypro shirt - I buy all my shirts either on sale at Dicks or Target, so I think that matches - Check
Eyeglass mirror - Substiture in Blackburn brifter mounted mirror - Check
Camelpack - No Check

My additions:
- Handlebar bag its my man purse Most importantly it holds my tools, food, maps, wallet, phone, etc
- Road Morph G pump mounted on frame (swaps between hybrid and road bike)
- Wedge under seat - hold my spare tire and is big enough to hold a vest when the temps warm up
- Trek LED front light mounted on Carbon fiber front fork
- PB SuperFlash rear light on seat stem
- Helmet I bought at Target and paid less than $30. I do remove the visor... but only because it blocks my view on the road bike. It gets take off when I need the rain cover as well on bad weather days on the hybrid. Otherwise I LIKE the visor on sunny days.

My two items of roadie gear:
- Cycling shorts... because they work!
- '06 LeMond Buenos Aires road bike with lots of carbon fiber, and ultegra components. I got it because it fit well, and was a 2 year old model so the price was excellent, not because I needed flashy carbon fiber for show. I do love the bike and have greatly enjoyed the long rides.

Happy riding,
André

douchebagonwhlz

When someone talks about how they think there's nothing wrong with riding a triple, and then they say, "but i'd never do it", I just hear this condescending tone to it. implied or not. as if a person who is a double chainring rider is a former minor league journeyman baseball player, and tells everyone about it, and someone who was a star (triple), never mentions it. make sense. that has nothing to do with whoever just put something on here about minor league baseball. That person just said I did it, and left it at that.
I probably should just look at pictures of bikes on the internet and sparingly view these forums.

solveg

My opinion?

Guys who ride triples are the coolest because they think for themselves! Not that there aren't good reasons to choose a double, but if you choose a triple it shows that you thought things through and chose something practical despite fashion. A good mind is a guy's best feature, and you can tell the guys on the road forum I said so!

wrk101

I don't know if I will ever be good enough to ride just a double. All of my bikes are triples, I don't worry about what others think. It is my life, my knees, and my ankles. I would be mashing a lot with a double.

BigBlueToe

I'd consider a bike with a double for weekend rides, since I seldom use my granny. But I'm a tourer so I always will have one bike with a good, low gear ratio. The granny on my LHT has 24 teeth, and I'd get a 22 except they won't fit on my crankset.

But I could care less what someone else uses, and to insult them or consider myself superior because of my choices, well that's just plain childish.

I just laugh at childish posing like this. Who cares! I'll ride whatever the heck I want with whatever the heck components I choose and if someone wants to categorize me because of it....what an idiot!

Dragoneyes

Hmm, I ride my Specialized Stumpy full suspension bike with a set of road wheels when I'm not off road. I also use my mountain shoes, Have a visor on my helmet and use a camelback. So What....

Air

Had to fight my bike shop to put on a triple - and every time I climb up some huge hills I remember those conversations and am incredibly glad I stuck up for myself.

RubenX 

Hi dude, I'm in Longwood FL... I use the 2 biggest rings 99% of the time but there are a few hills where I use the third. Especially that I-4 bike overpass... it's a killer. Granted, sometimes I just get up the saddle and go up flying, it's doable. But at 205 pounds and after 20 years of sitting on the couch I don't always have the will.

Not to mention that I often climb the same hills with a 50 pounds trailer, a 30 ponds baby girl and a good 20 extra pounds of baby gear. All that plus bike and myself is a total of 325 pounds. Therefore I approve the ownership of triple cranksets.

Pinyon

Even though I don't like triples, I think that I can at least match the above. All my bikes have double-sided SPD pedals, I ride with mountain SPD shoes, I have trunk-rack on the back of all of my bikes and commonly carry a BIG bag that is full of repair equipment (and my clothes for work), I have reflective tape plastered on lots of my gear (ankle and wrist bracelets, helmet, trunk bag, backs-of-shoes, etc.), 2-3 pairs of bike shorts and a couple of jerseys that I regularly wear that are well over 5 years old and look it (old logos, big holes, etc.), a little flashing red led light on the back of my helmet, another red and flashing 5-led light on my trunk bag (or jersey pocket if using a seat bag), a 1-watt light that points at automobile driver's faces instead of the road, and my standard took kit sounds like something out of a damn boyscout manual (first aid stuff, 3 ft of duct tape, 1-2 spare road tubes, 1 spair mtb tube in case someone else has a flat that I pass, a well-stocked patch-kit, mini-multi-tool with chain-breaker, tire levers, 1-2 spare chain end-links, and an extra set of batteries for my lights). Oh, and I always carry my cell phone and id and insurance information in my jersey. Fred enough for ya?

Bikeforumuser0022

I have only one ring and can't coast. My bike is unknown steel. Oh the humanity.

It gets worse...

My tires and bar tape are black and red.

I wear mtb shoes and have cheap inexpensive spds. I wear sleeveless jerseys (weather permitting) and blue bike shorts and black socks -- just to piss off the roadies who think tape and shorts must be black; all socks must be white; and jerseys must have sleeves... stupid tan lines be damned.

Tho I still lend them my Road Morph when they're stuck with flats on the roadside.

Neil_B

OK, I'm in. I ride with a triple, flat bars. a slightly more upright position than most folks, platform pedals, MTB shoes, bike shoes that look like 'skate' or BMX shoes, or athletic shoes, a rack, lights front and back, panniers, a pink zip-tie holding a rear blinker in place, and an elevated right shoulder. Sometimes I carry a small backpack or pull a trailer. And, I commute by bike - the ultimate evil in some eyes.

EDITED: I forgot the big, big bell. It rings without prompting when I ride over rough pavement or gravel. (Thanks for reminding me, 10 Wheels.)

10 Wheels

You left off your Ding Dong Bell.

idig

Hmm, I think I'm pretty close on this one. I ride a mountain bike on the road, though I do use slicks. I have a mountain bike helmet complete with visor. My sweatband almost always clashes with my full Performance/Nashbar kit.

When the temperature is below 60F, I wear an older version of these with black socks.




When it is above 60F, I wear these.


I stopped caring what other people thought a long time ago. Anyone who is out there riding deserves admiration in my opinion.

Neil_B

Thanks for reminding me. And I do smile while I ride. I hope your dad would approve.

Ranger63

Here's where being 'over 50' gets nice.
I stopped worrying about impressing anyone but myself about 2 decades ago (I'm 65 now)
I run a 46/34 x 12-28 on the Paramount PDG.
Yeah, I run out of 'gear' long before the A group does but I'd have run out of 'gas' if the gearing had been different.
And, you'll find that they're usually still getting off their bikes as you roll into the lot behind them.
Decades back when preparing to do the RAAM I asked a seasoned rider for his advice.
"Where you finish is not important..only that you Finish"

Aquajag

Nothing wrong with that...in fact I'd recommend that for any cyclist. If you go any length of distance I'd go so far as to recommend the Boy Scout Ten Essentials:

https://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0403/d-outs.html

I bet most of those ten items many cyclists have in their gear already.

cs1

I stopped reading the road bike forum completely because they're so pompus over there. I'm 135lbs and have triples on several of my bikes. I don't think weight has anything to do with it. Good luck


Tim