Originally Posted by
pgjackson
I'm sure the weight difference is a mere few grams, and at 42 and a new rider I'm all about the low gears to get me up the hill. I'm getting the idea that if I want to be a competitive racer I want the lightest bike I can get, which means a compact. But a non-competitive "older" new rider like myself with knee surgery upcoming, the triple sounds like the way to go.
Well you can 'almost' get the same gears as a standard triple with a compact. A double will shift a lot better then a triple, this has been discussed here ad naseum and people will argue but a double is much better shifting then a triple period. Friction shifters work well with a triple and I have that on my touring bike but a compact will give you so many gears that if you can't climb then you just need to walk
