Originally Posted by Peter2

My wife & I recently bought new Trek Madone 4 series bikes, both with triple set-ups.
I'm still torn in the triple vs. compact debate, because I like the close gear ratios on the triple, and I can spend most of the day on the 39t middle ring, with almost no FD shifting, and a near-perfect chain line. She likes the wide range of gearing options. On the other hand, the compact is simpler, lighter and just plain looks better.
But now I'm a little concerned about Q-factor, especially with my wife. I have had no issues with pain (now that my fit has been tweaked), but my wife has. When she first started riding, she ha lower back pain & spasms, but a tweak to the fitting & a lift on her cleat one of her cycling shoes (She has a 3/4" discrepancy in one leg, and wears orthtics in her running shoes which are different thicknesses) which got rid of the back pain. After a couple more of weeks of rides, she developed hip bursitis (which she has had before) and had to stop riding. Her fit was checked again, but looked good. She even tried a different size bike, but the one she has fits really good. She is petite, at ~5'3" & 115 lbs. She does have relatively long legs, so has a WSD 52 cm (the 50 cm had her leaning over too much, especially on the drops).

Does a wide Q-factor just affect the knees?
Could the wider Q-factor have contributed to the hip bursitis?
Should I be concerned (I'm 5'7", ~172 lbs) about Q-factor?

Would changing to compacts be of any benefit?

Thanks,

Peter