whydoibike93

Hi i was going to change my hybrid bike from 3× to 2× and was wondering how peple liked the 2× over the 3× tia.

tyrion

3x is better than 2x. It's one better.

msalvetti

Well, I have a 1x, so......

My old Mongoose was a 3x, but I rarely used anything other than the top 7 gears. I would think if you are careful with the useful gear range you'll be fine.

Mark

Trav1s

I have 2x11 on my Quick 1 and 3x8 on the Specialized M2. I find myself sticking to one front ring or the other on the Quick depending on the Trail. I tend to stick to the large front ring on the Specialized riding the same trails. If I need the next closest ration on the Quick I have figured out the gear change necessary but rarely do I need it.

Moe Zhoost

I went from a 3x7 to a 1x10 and could not be happier. You'd be luck to have more than 11-12 distinct gears on a 3x7 so you don't lose much with a 1x10 setup except, of course, chainrings, and front shifting system components.

Bogey Speedwell

IMUHO It may have more to do with the terrain you generally ride combined with the gear inches you get out of either combinations. I would think one shifter and one derailleur would be best if you don’t sacrifice any gears.

t2p

agree - the terrain / type of riding you do is a key factor - as is the condition / level of fitness of the rider

a double with a 34 or 36t small ring might not be ideal for some riders with a lot of climbing (30 or 32 might be more appropriate) ...

cassette also comes into play of course - with a 34t large cog a 34 or 36t small ring might be more agreeable

of course if the riding is primarily flat - just about anything goes ... an old road bike with a 42/23 combo will work - the same bike that will barely get you out of your neighborhood in a hilly area

t2p

is this for a 7300 FX ?

not familiar with this bike - but familiar with similar bike (FX 7.3 with a triple) ...

if your current shifters / shifting is fine - I would be hesitant to change from a triple to a double ... not sure how much is to be gained in this particular application ... ? ...

you could possibly convert to a poor man's double ... ? ... remove the small ring - adjust / block the derailleur from moving to the small ring ? ... again - I don't know how much is to be gained in this particular application

t2p

one example of a great 1x hybrid build ... bike is a featherweight ... one ring / no front shifter and cable / no FD

friend built this for his wife - for primarily level / rolling riding

but this bike was built / spec'd from the get-go for a 1x ... a lot went into the component selection (which of course still pales in comparison to the actual frame design/build)

Brocephus

I've kinda been anti triple,for years, but recently lucked into a deal on a Giant hybrid that has that 3rd ring, and I've come to love it ! Now, admittedly, my racing/hard-hammering days are long gone, and while I'm holding up pretty well, i am pushing 60 now, and torquing up the hills is simply more comfortable and enjoyable with that little ring.
I also have a Franken-hybrid I built on a Marin frame, that has the now-popular single ring, and I found that I'm not digging it as much since stumbling onto this triple.
So, my answer would be, that it depends on all the variables, like your age, weight, condition, riding environment, goals, etc. Go with whatever seems to work for you.
Edit: as alluded to above, theres not much to be gained from going triple to down double, other than just wasting good money. If that's the choice, leave well enough alone, IMHO.

Trav1s

Wisdom right there!

Dragum

the problem of 2x is: shimano 38-28 or 38-24 ir rare and expensive.

poiuyt

Very quick thought, given the question has been asked in a while. The question misses an important point: which 2x? While 3x systems are quite homogenous, choosing a better one is more a choice of having something more qualitative, it's not the case of 2x system, that are quite specialised. On upper ranges, road ones may be inadequate for hybrid bikes (to high ratios, aimed at finding the most optimum output in a race), and the same applies to the MTB ones, that have huge range ...but at slow speeds, in conditions that are unlikely met on an hybrid. The middle ground is found on gravel groupsets, but deriving from road specs (68mm bottom bracket), most hybrids are out of the game.

To my opinion, the range/ratios offered by 3x is best for hybrids. Having a 2x that reproduces it is doable, but mostly with non-mainstream components, mostly because it requires a hub capacity (47T). With a 73mm bottom bracket, the only option I'm aware of is based on an Acera 46/30 crankset and Microshift Advent 9-speed (11-42). With a 68mm and 11 speed, it's possible to use the GRX cranksets, and some Deore derailleurs that are still available for sale, but in ranges that are not used anymore (XT M8000). If not needing super low ratios, a full GRX or Acera (46/30 front, 11/36 rear) would give a nice range, but not much more than what can be offered on a 1x with 11/51 cassette — I'm considering that replacing the rear hub is considered).

I personally have 2 bikes with that kind of range: a trekking with a 3x9 SLX (48/34/24 front, 11/34 rear), that I use as "commuter", and an sporty hybrid with 2x10 (the Acera 46/30 crankset I mentioned, coupled with a 11/42 10 speed Deore — I'm off-spec for the derailleur, so I don't recommend that, even if it works fine to my taste). Between the two, I prefer the 2x, mostly because it doesn't require the mental exercice that the 3x9 requires: there's enough range with the cassette, so it's more or less the big chainring on-road, the small chainring off-road and in the steepest hills. And I also like the possibility to just drop one chainring down when stopping.

Now in terms of recommendations, to answer the question:
Go for the 3x if:
- if your budget is limited, the weight of the extra chainring is negligible, and on entry level-parts, the prices between 2x and 3x components are in fact very close.
- the availability of spare parts is important

Go for the 2x if:
- if the ease of operation is important, but you need more range than what can be offered by a 1x
- you can deal with not widely available components — except if in 11-speed and if the bottom bracket is 68mm, where it's possible to use mainstream gravel components (the hard part of the equation is in fact the crankset).