Originally Posted by
Chris Pringle
A double crankset will give you a little smoother shifting than a triple, but there's no reason for a triple not to work well if properly adjusted.
That a double crank shifts better than a triple was hardly true 20+ years ago and it's even less true today. Of the 32 bikes I've owned, I've used triples on all of them but 2. The doubles on those two bikes weren't any crisper than any of the triples I've used. Any issues with lack of crispness is, as you've correctly pointed out, is due to adjustment and not due to any kind of design flaws with triples.
Originally Posted by
Chris Pringle
A triple crankset w/ a 22t small chainring, on the other hand, will give you the advantage that if you ever want to tour with heavier loads, you'll be able to obtain much lower gear ratios. They are paired best with an 11-34 cassette. This set-up will do better without so much huffing and puffing on mountain roads with steep grades.
I'll agree with the caveat that there's still a lot of huffing and puffing going on
Originally Posted by
Chris Pringle
If you ever decide to use a handlebar bag, remember that they can get in the way of your STI shifters.
Never had a problem with a handlebar bag and STI shifters.