willmac

why do better bikes have 2 gears, and cheaper bikes have 3 gears? I'm looking at a trek 1500 or a bianchi eros for my 1st bike. Thanks

LordOpie

For the same reason why better bikes are equipped with Campy and not as good bikes have Shimano.

Doggus

Stubacca

lol

willmac - it's not about how expensive the bike is. Triple vs. Double is just a preference thing. Search the road cycling forum and you'll find much debate about this contentious issue...

fogrider

I think the thouht is that less expensive bikes are for less experienced riders that might need more gearing. get what you think you will need.

goodall

The triple chainring is really small, and makes climbing hills easier. If you live in a really hilly area or are out of shape, they're for you. More expensive bikes are generally sold to racers, who don't need help getting up hills and don't like the extra weight and annoyance of the third chainring.

willmac

Thanks

Patman1776

An awful lot of cheap bike in the TDF, eh?.......I mean WINNING the TDF ..............I....D.....I.....O....

trayer350

Oh yeah? Young racers who live in hilly areas and who want to blow out their knees at a young age don't need triple or compact cranks.

javna_golina

Heaven forbid young people should ever run then

my58vw

Face it, people like triples, people like double, people like shimano, people like crampy. What you like is a personal preference, and it does not matter what you get. If you like hills, get a triple, other wise who cares!

VeganRider

Yup, new guys (but some not so new) that haven't gotten their legs yet. They have he security of that little chain ring so they don't have to get off and push her up that hill. They can just sit there and crank away at 2 mph; legs spinning.

henesse

it's about the dood on the bike and the amount of power he has up hills, its not about campy or shimano!
Don't listen to fanboy comments about how campy is better. try them both out and figure out which one feels better. I like them both because i could adapt to either one very fast. See if the bike fits you and don't worry about the group set on it.

brinstar

i dont think i could keep my balance at 2mph

VeganRider

Ahhh, I don't get it, what "same reason" is that? and which of the three bikes in your profile have Campy? The Fuji Finest (very low end Shimano, yes?) or Giant mountain bike? I know, it must be on your motorcycle! cool! So...... what's Campy like anyhow, I never tried it?

catatonic

campy is nice...very smooth shifting, also I haven't felt as much chain slop (where you feel the chain "skip" when on choppy roads) as I did with my old 105 setup. Given the new drivetrain is mostly Chorus, and I did go to a double (less crap...I barely use anything but the 53 anyways), but still the overall feel is quite nice.

The brake levers will take some getting used to, but that could be just from me using shimano 105 calipers and kool-stop salmon pads (which have a weird lip on them....going to campy calipers once I have the extra cash to blow)


edit: note that campy does have some weird cable routing, you either have "inner" or "outer" routing on the handlebars....inner makes it run along yourr brake cable, but has a lump in the center ofthe top of the bar right behind the hood, as the cable makes the crossover (doesn't bug me this way, since that cable fits in the groove of my hands...BTW I don't use gloves). Outer is good for those who don't like the feel of inner, plus it also works well with some handlebars with outer grooves. Also the shifting is backwards from shimano, the trigger lever is a downshift, while the thumb is an upshift. In shimano trigger is downshift, brake lever is upshift.

VeganRider

I don't really know what 105 is like; I've only owned Ultegra and dont know how the two differ. A guy I respect in the club has a Merlin Extra Light with Campy and he swears by it. But I can't find any fault in the Ultegra set up on either of my road bikes. They are silent and shift smooth and are right on. Would still like to try Campy.

catatonic

It's pricey, but I love it, and I'm not even a racer type.

Given I should have went for regular alloy deraileurs and not went to carbon, and went for oddsandendos wheels instead of my sciroccos to lower the theft factor (right now it's a rolling crowd maker...at the least I got notice from some rather cute women on bikes...sadly i had to get to work before the boss gets out the firing whip....).

The Sciroccos are pretty nice wheels too, my only gripe is the spokes are NOT stainless steel, therefore require somewhat frequent maintenance. I need to buy some gun oil I guess, that stuff is great for corrosion prevention. Other than that, after a week of me pretty much wailing on them, everything short of going airborne, those wheels have taken all 220lbs of me just fine...they track well, and they also seem to transfer less vibration compared to my old 32-spoke MA-3/105 wheelset. A heck of a lot lighter and more aero too.

My only real gripe about the group is price...basically everything is very expensive...that's why I kept my 105 calipers....dropping over $150 on a pair of brake calipers seems a bit steep considering my 105 calipers were what, $75? Also note that those kool-stop pads were NOT a good idea, as they chatter like mad on the scirocco wheelset. Only reason I am still using them is I NEED the wet weather braking that those pads offer.