FlashBazbo

Okay, I know that, on this forum, admitting you ride a triple (three front chainrings) is tantamount to admitting you have leprosy or some debilitating sexual disorder. But, in the survey, you can remain anonymous!

I'll admit two things. ONE, I don't now own a triple. TWO, this year, as I have attacked some SERIOUS mountains for the first time, I've decided that it is stupid not to consider one. Granted that I'm a geezer, but a triple would effectively open some mountains to me that, with a traditional double, aren't any fun.

So, participate in the survey! Do you ride a road-going triple? Sometimes? Never?

Pharmr

my first bike had a triple and it was fine....now I have a compact double(best of both worlds IMO)

the beef

I used to, but I haven't done any serious climbing lately and currently run a standard double.

10-speed cassettes paired w/ compact cranksets are a great substitute for a triple. Specialized is pairing compact 50/34 cranksets with 12-28 cassettes in the back these days, which offers the virtual range of a classic triple with a 12-25.

JMT114

I ride a triple because that is what my bike came with. Someday, if my crankset gets worn out or broken I will consider a compact double, but I am certainly in no hurry to switch to a double.

Patriot

On my MTB.

Retro Grouch 

Life has 3 stages:

In the first you worry about what other people think of you. In the second stage you stop worrying about what other people think of you. In the final stage you come to realize that other people never cared.

nwduffer

.....AND I flipped my stem back up after the first 3 weeks of riding my new bike.

Paul

(double admittance there)

FlashBazbo

I HAVE ridden and owned a compact double before. NEARLY the same range as a triple -- you lost a little on the high end and a little on the low end. I've never ridden one with a wide-range cassette, though.

Going back to a compact but with a wide-range cassette might be "the deal" for me. Advantage: No additional investment in shifters and derailleurs.

Murrays

Me: started with a triple, got stronger and didn't need it, switched to double, got older and now have a compact.

Still don't want a triple for the shifting performance and a bit of vanity.

-murray

BlueDevil

A close friend of mine convinced me to move to a double setup. Definitely got me in better shape! That being said, I am in the process of moving back to a triple, as my wife and I are starting to get into touring, and climbing a mountain pass on a double with 40lbs of gear is not exactly my idea of fun .

MillCreek

Here in the hilly Seattle area, I see a fair amount of triples on road bikes. I have a triple on my MTB, and I have to walk some hills on my road bikes, all of which have standard doubles.

deanp

If you need it, you need it. It comes in handy.

1bluetrek

I'm in eastern Wa, no hills to speak of in my area so I love my triple when I get over to the west side for a ride!

dark13star

Compact double in Colorado, where there are some hills.

the_drain

im in a hurry to switch to a double...cause that is what all the cool people ride.

akatsuki

Triple for now, but switching to compact double the next time.

scotch

gotta CX bike with a triple, but i'm still a good person.

Steveredsun

I ride a triple, but only because it was they didn't have the double at the store and was the end of the season so they wouldn't be getting any more stock.

LanceFanBoy

I use a triple just so i can "bail out" without stopping on crazy climbs. Stopping in the middle of a climb is much worse than just spinning the rest of the way up, i don't care about the extra "weight"

RazorWind

I have two bikes. One has a triple. I'm a pretty weak climber, so the granny gear is actually nice to have when I do rides with a really steep climb.

There's one near me that I made the mistake of riding once that has this climb that feels like a 15% grade for like an entire mile. I'm sure I just need to HTFU, but I sure was glad I had the granny gear that day.

patentcad

More like:

You start out on a 53/39.

You degenerate to a Compact.

You descend towards the ultimate decline with a Triple.

FlashBazbo

I did triple first. I lived on flat land (Kansas) and I literally NEVER shifted onto the little ring.

Then, I did compact. Didn't like the four- or five- gear multishift every time I changed rings.

Then (now), I'm doing conventional double. With a DA 10-speed, I find I don't like the cross-chain problem I never had with an Ultegra 10-speed compact. Also, when the mountains are steep and LONG, I really need something with lower gearing. (Yes, again, I am a geezer.)

I'm undecided. And since an R700 and a DA triple have about the same nerd/cool factor, that's not part of the equation.

Flak

I do currently, and im looking forward to dumping it in a few weeks for a standard double.

banerjek

You need what you have. I started out with a triple, but when I bought a new racing bike, the guys at the shop insisted I didn't need one. I reluctantly agreed to a 53/39. Strangely enough, some of the climbs that had challenged me with the triple were even easier with 39/25. I now ride with a compact on my racing bike.

For most people, the best reason to ride a triple is that you can have nice tight gears in every range. A lot of people who ride compacts find themselves in a situation where their cruising gear is too close to the bottom of the big ring, but is too high for the bottom ring.

BTW, I ride triples on my bents, but that's how they came. Chainline and shifting are not an issue like they are on uprights though.

AEO

Triples trick you into spinning a way too easy gear on the hill that doesn't need it.
Especially when you can't pace yourself.