Originally Posted by
fstshrk
Same here. Love the 42t. On my other bike, I have a compact 50/34 crank and I absolutely miss not having the 42t there. Thinking about going to a triple on that bike.
For anyone contemplating a 52/42/30 triple on a modern (10 speed) bike, note that Ultegra FD-6603 (and presumably FD-6703) deraillers will not shift this combination of chainrings. Those deraillers are designed for a minimum 13 teeth difference (52/39) between middle and big rings and the 10 tooth difference of 52/42 creates an interference, unless you mount the derailler so high that it doesn't shift properly. The solution is to use a FD-5603 (or FD-4603) both of which are designed for 11 teeth difference (50/39). I'm using the former with a Stronglight Fission triple crank (52/42/30 10 speed chainrings) on my LOOK. 9 speed and older front deraillers don't have this issue as most of those were designed for 52/42 combinations.