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Is there still a stimga to triple cranks?

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Is there still a stimga to triple cranks?

Old 03-07-07, 09:37 AM
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Is there still a stimga to triple cranks?

After many, many years off the bike, I'm getting back into it ever so slowly. Back then, anyone that had a triple on their bike was looked down on, but I know they've become more and more common in recent years. I have my eye on a used Bianchi Veloce that has a triple crank on it so now I'm wondering if I should take it off or keep it? My legs certainly aren't what they were in my teens and early 20s, but the terrain around is pretty flat so I don't know that I'd actually *need* to have a triple..

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Old 03-07-07, 09:44 AM
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There may be snobbishness still, but why should that bother you? If the one you want has it on there already you might as well get it...

As the saying goes: better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
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Old 03-07-07, 09:45 AM
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<---triple in Colorado

If I am looked down upon I am not aware of it. (probably better that way, I'm sensitive)
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Old 03-07-07, 09:49 AM
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I live around Seattle and hill climbing is part of my daily commute. That said, I don't routinely get into the "granny gear", even on my 35lbs hybrid.

some practical arguments I've heard against a triple:

1) extra weight - assume posting clydesdales forum makes this moot (eat a bit less to save 100 grams)
2) cost - at the high end new bikes sometimes charge $50-100 more for a triple

I wouldn't waste time and money replacing parts unless you are really performance oriented and have some strong emotional reason to change your particular bike.
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Old 03-07-07, 10:00 AM
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Brian:

I think it all depends on your application. Do you commute with it? Do you plan on touring with it? If you plan on racing and doing crits, you might want to swap it out for a double. If not, I wouldn't touch it. Let people believe what they want. It really doesn't change anything.
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Old 03-07-07, 10:43 AM
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Thanks for the replies so far! I'll basically be using the bike for fast recreational riding of distances around 20-30 miles or so.

Brian
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Old 03-07-07, 10:46 AM
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Excuse me, but WTF cares? If it works for you, ride it. I built up my Atlantis four years ago with a 46-36-26 triple, and I liked it so much I ordered the same crank (Sugino XD) for my other road bike. What other riders think about it ranks so far down my list of worries that I'll never get to it.
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Old 03-07-07, 10:50 AM
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Put it this way, as you climb that 19% grade hill, will you be happy you saved the 100 grams or will you be wishing for a lower gear than 39-27? At that point in time, I don't think other's opinions are that helpful.
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Old 03-07-07, 03:23 PM
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There is.
When used on road bikes not hauling anything. The premise is these bikes are for going fast and if you're not fit enough to haul yourself over the hill (mountain passes exempt) with a double then <arnold voice on> you're not worthy.
With the advent of compact cranksets (where a remarkably low 34/25 is the normal low gear and 27 or 29 rear cogs readily available) there may well be a point to that.
At the end of the day, in some circumstances, you may have to choose between saving your knees or your pride.
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Old 03-07-07, 04:00 PM
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Old 03-07-07, 08:17 PM
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I'd say leave it on, unless it's causing you issues.
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Old 03-07-07, 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by DogBoy
Put it this way, as you climb that 19% grade hill, will you be happy you saved the 100 grams or will you be wishing for a lower gear than 39-27? At that point in time, I don't think other's opinions are that helpful.
At that point in time, I will be barfing up a lung and calling for a medic whether I have two, three or seventeen chainrings.
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Old 03-07-07, 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Pwnt
<---triple in Colorado
=necessity. I don't have a bike with a double. I've had a couple but I wouldn't even consider going past McIntyre St. (about 2 miles west of Lookout Mountain...where the real climbing begins) on it. My knees still function and I want to keep 'em that way
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Old 03-07-07, 09:23 PM
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I think the stigma is on those who make an issue of whether one uses a triple or not - they tend to be considered a$$hats.
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Old 03-07-07, 09:32 PM
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gees chip...got enough bikes?
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Old 03-08-07, 12:08 AM
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Enough bikes? You never have enough bikes. There is always something out there that draws you to it. My question to the Chipmeister would be where are the rest of them?

Triple cranks good.................

Blown out knees not good...............

Ride what make you feel good!
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Old 03-08-07, 01:09 AM
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I guess it's been said here plenty already, but using a Triple or not really depends on your terrain. I'd definitely go with a triple if I lived in say, San Francisco or Seattle, but it is really not needed in the flatlands of Florida
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Old 03-08-07, 02:21 AM
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In San Francisco, three rings in front is good since you don't have to stand off the saddle to go up every hill. Not sure how the fixed gear riders in this city handle hills, but I feel sorry for their poor knees!! Triple cranks are also necessary if you use your bike to haul things in panniers, such as groceries.
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Old 03-08-07, 09:42 AM
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I've got a triple and an 11-32 rear cassette. The only comments I get about it are from people saying they wish they had my setup. I see comments on forums about triples, but no one's ever had the nads to say anything to my face. Helps that I'm 250 I suppose....
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Old 03-08-07, 10:42 AM
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+1 on the pie plate cassette.

I have a 12-25 on at the moment, but the 11-34 is still in the toolbox for days of evil, incline and terror

I don't have a desire for a compact or regular double... though I do have one on my beater I would swap in a heartbeat for a triple.
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Old 03-08-07, 11:34 AM
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Originally Posted by cohophysh
gees chip...got enough bikes?
Is that a trick question?
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Old 03-08-07, 03:57 PM
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Still a stigma? I never knew there was one.

I was off the bike, too, for many years until I ended up buying a Bianchi Vigorelli last November. It is a triple, as was my road bike 15 years ago. A triple or double wasn't something I have ever considered in my purchasing decision, it is just what came on the bike I wanted to buy.
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Old 03-08-07, 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted by vwguy
After many, many years off the bike, I'm getting back into it ever so slowly. Back then, anyone that had a triple on their bike was looked down on, but I know they've become more and more common in recent years. I have my eye on a used Bianchi Veloce that has a triple crank on it so now I'm wondering if I should take it off or keep it? My legs certainly aren't what they were in my teens and early 20s, but the terrain around is pretty flat so I don't know that I'd actually *need* to have a triple..

Brian
I would leave the triple on, and see whether you actually use the lowest gears, if you do, leave it, if you don't you can always change it out later, considering that the one gear weighs 100g or less, unless your a complete weight wiennie, it isn't going to really matter, and it can be expensive, in that you may need to swap the bottom bracket, and the shifters. It also depends on the kind of riding, you will eventually do, some folks add racks and panniers, or a trailer to carry a load, and that is where the extra range can also help.
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Old 03-08-07, 07:51 PM
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Weight weenie? I don't think we'd be able to afford being weight weenies
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Old 03-08-07, 08:09 PM
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If you let other peoples opinion dictate what you ride, then you should forget about biking and go play tennis or golf. Who cares if some bonehead on a $4,000 bike snickers at your triple set up. Ride what fits you. Wear what is comfortable, eat what tastes good. Do not let anybody ever tell you what you should do.

Your question is almost as bad as the idiots that tell somebody to "flip" their stem because it is installed at a upright angle. Those guys are morons.
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