Originally Posted by Mithrandir

For my next roadie, I had planned on going with a Shimano 105 5703 crank and front derailleur, replacing the 30t with a 24t, and using it as my "go up anything" bike. As a fat rider, I need the low gears until I get down to a more reasonable weight, and this bike is probably going to be my main roadie for at least the next 3-5 years, by which time I may eventually be light enough to try a compact double (I'm intentionally trying not to be optimistic here).

So, I hadn't been paying attention to groupsets lately, and when I finally started putting together the part sheet, I noticed that theres a 105 5800 set out... which eschews the triple. Literally, there is only a double. Looking back further, it appears that Shimano has been abandoning triples in all of its lines, and hasn't produced a new triple crank/FD in years at this point.

Should I be worried? The 5703's are still available, but will I be burned if I spec a bike with a 5703 now, only to find that down the line, the parts have completely disappeared and are no longer available? Would it be wise to purchase an extra crank/FD/Shifter and keep them in storage "in case"? Or will it be likely that there will be compatible replacement parts from a 3rd party manufacturer in the future? As a fat rider, I notice I tend to shift a lot more than the average cyclist, and I've worn out my fair share of components before.

My other option, it seems, it to spec out a 50/34 compact with the new Shimano 11 speed 11-40 XTR cassette. That gives me nearly the same gear range, though a more annoying spread, but at least the parts are newer and not likely to disappear anytime soon. Would this be a better route?