Road Cycling - so specialized

Well... heres the deal. I'm 18, 6'4, 178lbs. I'm certainly not fat, although I used to weigh 240. I've been riding for a while. I want to buy my first road bike soon, and here are the 4 ones i'm looking at... Allez Cromo triple, cromo double, comp triple and comp double. Obviously the cromo would have a smoother ride, but would be a little heavier. What are the other differences between the two models, and how would it affect the ride, and do I really need a triple? I do have some strength, but I don't want to kill myself on the local hills. Is the difference pretty big between the two for a rider of my type?

If you can, test ride a bike with a double and one with a triple in a hilly area that you may ride. If you can make it up what's considered a hill in your area (some people's hills are slight inclines, others are mountains) on a double, then definitely get the double. If you struggle, get the triple. My current bike is a Sequoia Sport with a triple and I'm glad I have the extra gears. My next bike will be a double though b/c as I improve, I notice myself using the low gears less and less. And with the new 10 speed rears, I won't be losing much low end anyway.

Well FWIW, I am picking up my new '04 Allez Comp Cr-Mo double this week and I can't wait! :)

I chose the double over the triple due to the fact that there aren't any serious hills in this area, and I already have a triple on my current bike. The Cr-Mo should weigh in ~19lbs a tad heavier but not by much IMO. If you have access to both the aluminum one and the cr-mo I suggest riding both and then making your decision. In my case no-one stocked the cr-mo in my area so I based my decision off research, past experience, and advice from the LBS.

I think the components are identical on either bike (Comp vs Comp Cr-Mo) so it's just down to chainrings and frame material. Also it's not like when you go to a double you are just losing the one chainring, the gearing is different, so you have a different range...for instance gear 2-7 will feel different on a double vs a triple. Does this make sense?

Also make sure to get fitted before you buy / order. I ended up being closer to the 58cm (6' 3 1/2") vs the 62cm frame. I was suprised as I ride a 60cm now and was sure I'd need to larger frame size, according to my LBS and the computer fitting that is not the case. They fitted me on a "large" TCR and it was closer to my sizing than the "XL" frame. I was told that it's always better to ride a frame size smaller vs a larger one as you can make the smaller frame adjust (stem length, seat position, etc)and get the right position, but you can't make a larger frame smaller.

I'd go for the triple, because the extra ring doesn't hurt anything (you'll never feel the few ounces of weight) and it will come in handy if you move to Colorado. I live in the Sierra, with 7500-9000 foot passes all around, and I use the granny on nearly every serious ride. Even if I CAN climb a hill in a higher gear, I often don't, to save wear and tear on my knees (I used to be a runner, and they're troublesome).
If you think the triple will give you shifting problems, you can lock the granny out with the limit screw until you need it. But it won't--it takes about three shifts to get the feel of it.