Road Cycling - What's a triple mean as far as models go?

I'm hell bent on getting a road bike this winter in time for spring. I'm really entering the market with not much of a clue.
I've been browsing the Cannondale website. Many of the Cannondale roadbike models have a variation called a triple. What does this mean?

Most mountain bikes have a triple front cog, however roadbikes have the option of two, or three front cogs, most wimps and normal people buy a "triple" bike, but you dont see many pros using a triple...

Triple means that the gruppo that comes with the bike use three chainrings.

You have 3 chainrings instead of the normal 2. That is all. Basicly more gears. especially realy low gears.

ahh
me no wimp.. be get two...
thanks you much

Be ye not afraid to opt for a triple!

No, having a "hybrid" drivetrain on a sleek & speedy road bike is not traditional, but, if we left it to the hard core traditionalists, we'd still be wearing wool cycle clothing and rolling on sew-ups!

If you live in hilly country, having a triple will turn your road rides into outings to look forward to. You'll find that you'll use that granny gear less often than you thought you would... It does come in handy on stretches where out-of-saddle climbs aren't advisable... like in traffic. Your knees will thank you. (My knees are both 51 years old... they need all the help they can get.)

If your riding partners chide you for wimping out with a granny gear... well, call 'em what they are: Bike Snobs. These boys & girls need LIVES. The general public at large can't tell a road bike from a BMX bike, let alone discern that you're "cheating" whilst pulling that grade...

If you're really feeling anxious and embarrassed about having that itty bitty extra chainring on your bike, well, just about all the bike makers will sell you a similar model with the more traditional twin chainring.

Me? I ride a '94 Trek 1220, in purple/indigo fadeaway. Faster than a speeding mountain bike, cooler than a hybrid.

i think i really needed a triple this last sunday . . . my first ride! had a coupla hills that felt like damn mountains to me. in the lowest gear!

-trekky

Both my road bikes have triples. I have a rebuilt knee, and it's silly putting any additional stress on it. But here are the pros and cons of triples (from my point of view):

Pros:

You always have a gear that will get you home.

Much easier on your knees.

Because you KNOW you always have a gear that will take you home, you are more inclined to take chances, and go up the unknown hill.

Cons:

Triples add more weight, critical if you are racing in the Tour De France, but otherwise not really an issue.

Because they have a wider arc to swing, Triple front derailleurs are more finicky, and can go out of adjustment more easily.

The wimp factor: You CAN get addicted to the bottom gears. As you get into shape, you have to wean yourself from the habit of going to the bottom ring when you really don't need to. As you get stronger, think of the bottom ring as a "in case of emergency break glass" kind of thing.

For me, the pros outweigh the cons.

Plus another you'll notice is that the triple option will set you back another $100 in your drivetrain. Although it seems like a small price to pay for these added gears, some riders feel it can be put to better use.

A triple has three gears on the crankset, or the gears in the front. I would recomend a triple if you are interested in hilly country.

I have a triple on my bike... I have used my smallest chain ring maybe twice during the beginning of the season.. My first 50 odd miles on my bike, period... I have heard a lot of people say that they are useful on killer hills and such... If you are relatively strong, you could take the risk and get a double..


roadrash.. I aint no wimp..

One way of looking at it is it's more wimpy to have a double than a triple. Most doubles have a 39/53 chainring combination. Compact doubles with have either a 34/50, or a 36/50. Most triples have a 30/42/52 combination. I have a triple, but it's very rare I use my 30 chainring. So someone with a 39 or 36 or 34 chainring is going to have a big advantage over my 42 chainring that I use for 99% of my climbing. So perhaps I wimp out 1% of the time, but 99% of the time I'll bet most of them are wimping out by using their lowest gear.

Just wondering, do any bikes in the $500-$1500 price range come standard with a compact crank? If so, maybe these bikes would be good for the OP to consider.

A triple has three gears on the crankset, or the gears in the front. I would recomend a triple if you are interested in hilly country.


This question was asked FIVE years ago. ;)

Just wondering, do any bikes in the $500-$1500 price range come standard with a compact crank? If so, maybe these bikes would be good for the OP to consider.

I saw one once from a less than popular brand but I can't remember what it was now. I'm sure some others do it too. The bike was equipped with an FSA compact double.

Most mountain bikes have a triple front cog, however roadbikes have the option of two, or three front cogs, most wimps and normal people buy a "triple" bike, but you dont see many pros using a triple...

You don't see many pros using a triple because they have the luxury of having multiple bikes, or at the very least, multiple cassettes. Using doubles saves precious weight and avoids potential shifting problems which aren't a real issue for most other riders, but could be disasterous for them. They use doubles because they will have different setups or bikes for mountain stages vs flat terrain. A 34/50 chainring with a 13/29 cassette gives you a much lower gear ratio than a 30/42/52 with a 11/23 cassette. But if it makes you feel like a real man to have a double, by all means go for it. Personally I'm pretty secure in my own masculinity and abilities, and I don't feel the need to pose as something which I'm not. I have a triple for the sake of practicality (I only have one road bike and one cassette).

Plus another you'll notice is that the triple option will set you back another $100 in your drivetrain.
Not always true. I have seen some with no price differential. Just shop around.

BTW, the "pros and cons" post was right on.

Is it just something you can ask for? Like could I go find a bike with a tripple and be like "I only want a double"? Or is that just how they are sold? I have only ever owned one road bike (and a hybrid) both were tripples and I only used the middle and larger of the 3...

Elvish

Is it just something you can ask for? Like could I go find a bike with a tripple and be like "I only want a double"? Or is that just how they are sold? I have only ever owned one road bike (and a hybrid) both were tripples and I only used the middle and larger of the 3...

It depends on the bike and it depends on the shop. Some manufacturers sell each of their bike models (or selected models) in two variants (double and triple). Others sell you a frame coupled with a parts-kit that can be configured as a double or a triple. And still others just sell their models in one specific version or the other.

Some shops will make substitutions and conversions for you at cost or cost+labour. Others will simply refuse to sell a bike as a double if it came from the manufacturer as a triple and vice-versa. The reason for this is that they may feel that the parts that would need to be swapped could not be easily sold seperately or the parts that would need to be sourced would could not be done without taking a loss. That's pretty rare though. Most shops I've encountered will work with the customer to reconfigure a bike with a triple-crankset into a double-crankset. The point in all this is to do a little research ahead of time and talk with the shop.

I ride a triple and if I have to go to another crank, well I will go triple again, sure a double makes you work harder but when I am out pumping hard hills and doing fast rides I am already working my legs out enough, I need no more additional stress on either my knees or legs.

RacingPain

oh, THAT kind of triple, and model BIKE, not a group of MODELS..... I had a different answer. :D

Most mountain bikes have a triple front cog, however roadbikes have the option of two, or three front cogs, most wimps and normal people buy a "triple" bike, but you dont see many pros using a triple...

There's always one of these people. I have found that after some of my longer rides, I was darned glad to have the "wimp" gearing on my roadie. I don't care what these REAL cyclists say, it sure beats walking home. I also (so far) haven't had any shifting problems as I rarely use the granny gear. I don't race, and at 6'1", 208lbs I don't care one bit about the weight difference.

If you feel that you may need a triple, go for it and feel no guilt about it. As for myself, if getting a triple gets more people on bikes, I am happy.

I do have to admit that the idea of a compact double does intrigue me, though.

There's always one of these people. I have found that after some of my longer rides, I was darned glad to have the "wimp" gearing on my roadie. I don't care what these REAL cyclists say, it sure beats walking home. I also (so far) haven't had any shifting problems as I rarely use the granny gear. I don't race, and at 6'1", 208lbs I don't care one bit about the weight difference.

If you feel that you may need a triple, go for it and feel no guilt about it. As for myself, if getting a triple gets more people on bikes, I am happy.

I do have to admit that the idea of a compact double does intrigue me, though.
it intrigued me, too... so I bought it... and I'm quite happy with it. 34/50 on the front, 11-23 on the rear. We don't have any huge climbs here, just a constant bunch of small to medium rollers, so the gearing works great. I haven't found any hills here that I can't get up in my 34-23 gear. A compact double and a 13-29 Campy cassette would give you some wicked climbing gears.

A compact double and a 13-29 Campy cassette would give you some wicked climbing gears.

I just used exactly that for l'Alpe d'Huez. I made it, but there were times when I wished for my old 30/28. :p

Yes, some come with compact double, though the only one I know of off the top of my head is the redline commuter disc-r. i know there are more, though, including some more 'true' roadie bikes. And of course you can always just sell your crankset and replace it.

Another factor which is not mentioned much in the perpetual double/triple debate is your body weight- if you weight 300 lbs climbing will usually be a lot more difficult than for someone who weighs 150 lbs.

Hence a 150 lb person who rides mostly on the flats will of course not see the need for a triple.

Most mountain bikes have a triple front cog, however roadbikes have the option of two, or three front cogs, most wimps and normal people buy a "triple" bike, but you dont see many pros using a triple...

Wimps?
Perhaps people who do not need lower gears because they do only one thing on their bike?
Perhaps people who have never climbed hills so long and so big that you have to go into a lower gear?
I personally use only 3rd and 7th and 3rd and 6th while climbing hills, however I would by no means call anybody who bought a bike that had extra gears for unforseen times a wimp.

It is a lot of fun to pass a guy on a "man" set up with a "whimpy" set up and your triple will most likely come with a 30/42/52 and that 42 will cruch a 39 that comes with a standard double [39/52] any day of the week interms of big gear climbing.

oh that reminds me, a 52/39 is a compact crank that was normalized. The real deal in terms of a "man" set up was the 52/42 old school set up.