Originally Posted by
chasm54
OP, one can achieve a big range of gears with a compact, sure. But you won't get the granny gears you can achieve with a triple, ask any touring cyclist. And there are advantages to going with the triple in that having the small chainring up front allows one to have the range while keeping closer ratios on the cassette.
Exactly. For shifting that is a tiny bit "worse".
Originally Posted by
chasm54
And if you want to go low, it lets you go really low. The last derailleur-equipped touring bike I bought new had a 48-36-24 triple with a 9-speed 13-34 at the back. Now, a randonneur wouldn't need to be that extreme, because typically they aren't fully loaded, as I sometimes was. But it illustrates the point. I never needed a bigger gear than the 48-13, and I could climb anything, even tired and with a full load.
I was using a bike (with a triple) that had 30 front and 32 rear. I used that on some rides unloaded and was very glad to have it.