Originally Posted by
mambac
the double is better IMO. It's lighter, if you count grams, it requires less width in your pedal motion, and having a triple is really unnecessary. I currently roll a triple with 52-42-30 in front and 12-26 in back. I rode from Vail to Breckenridge in the Colorado Rockies, which from Vail to the pass, is as steep as a climb can get,
Most of the climbs in the Colorado Rockies don't get worse than 5-6% which includes going over Vail Pass (mostly 2-4%)
http://mybicycleroutes.com/xvailinfopage.html. Tough climbs get 2-4X steeper.
You need to try a little to find truly steep routes. Try Magnolia road in Boulder which hits 12%. This year's Mike Horgan Hill Climb heads up that route, so if you want to have fun with partial road closures give it a try on July 2nd.
Mt Zoncolan in the Giro hits 22%