Compact vs triple chainsets

[The Londoner]

Planning a few long distance rides for next year to give my riding some sort of focus, and of course no such planning comes without consideration of new equipment The question of the day for a new bike is compact vs triple chainsets? There seems to be as much debate on this subject as in the watercooled vs air cooled Porsche threads, so what views do the PH cycling massiv have on this issue?

[PtPt]

It all comes down to where you ride. I'm a Compact convert but that's probably because I love climbing, whereas if I was into Crits and Road Racing I'd probably go with a traditional set up. I would recommend it also if weight is an issue, as Compact allows a smaller cage rear mech, a smaller cassette, a slightly shorter chain and obviously no granny ring with associated mountings and bolts.

In my experience, Compact offers a great solution for climbing based riding but saying that, I never feel like I'm spinning out on fast decents either - once I'm going over 55mph I'm not normally pedalling! My 50/34 and 12/25 Campy set up has given me the gears to take on anything in the Alps and Pyrenees and even the evil UK climbs like the Bealach Na Ba and Fred Whitton route in the Lakes.

I think aesthetically, it looks better too, especially with Carbon cranks

Edited by PtPt on Sunday 11th November 17:47

[pawsmcgraw]

i use a durace triple on my gravel bike, best of both worlds, 53 big ring for down hill and tail wind and a 30 for steep climbs.I run with a 12 27 on the rear and have no issues with it.For the extra few gramms it not even worth removing the granny ring.
The only thing thats different is the q factor is 5mm wider than a normak crank
Compact cranks, for juniors on restricted gears i feel

Edited by pawsmcgraw on Monday 12th November 08:50

[Nick_F]

I have a 52/42/30 triple on my road bike and it's made me rather lazy; with a 12-27 cassette I can climb pretty much anything without getting out of the seat, although I generally keep a 12-25 on there. I've completed two Ironman events on it and never been overtaken on a climb, despite being one of the weakest climbers I know.

Triple wasn't a deliberate choice, it just happened to be what came with the bike, but for long or laden touring rides I'd opt for one over a compact just because the gaps between gears are smaller.

It's worth investing the £20 or so that it takes to have a good quality front mech if you're going to use it a lot.

[b2hbm]

Hi,
I fit a triple (52/42/30) for any touring I do. The advantage for me is that under moderate gradients you can use as your normal 52/42 gear ratios, but you also have a set of bail-out gears that you can climb trees with.
I know compacts are currently in favour but to me the 16t jump (50/34) is too much, and if you're after a set of low gears anyway, why not have a 30t on there ?