Originally Posted by
cyccommute
He completely misses the problem with giant hole in the compact double's shift pattern. Say, for example, that a rider is riding along in 50/21 gear with a gain ratio of 4.6 (at 90 rpm, that's about 17mph) and they need to downshift at the bottom of a climb. If they just dump off onto the inner ring, they drop from a 4.6 gain ratio to a 3.1 gain ratio. But they would have to slow to around 12 mph in order to continue at 90 rpm or, more likely, they would have to increase their rpms to 130 to 140 rpm to maintain the speed. That's not easily sustainable. And it would feel like your chain fell off.
I completely understand this. I find that I must shift much more when using a 50/34 compact crankset. And like your example, dropping to the smaller ring and having to shift up a bunch of gears in the back isn't exactly simple and isn't something I like to do a lot.
Thanks for the link to the gear calculator. I like the visual representation they use, it's great.
From what I have read, it seems like the majority of cyclists appreciate a triple and feel that it brings them a whole lot of function and value. So, it seems to me that no longer are the engineers or cyclists at Campagnolo or Shimano making decisions regarding their product lines. It seems like the SUV driving accountants and administrators are calling the shots.
With this in mind, I wonder if it has even mattered as far as sales are concerned. Perhaps the triple is done for. And maybe I should start stocking up on those 7803's and 6703's whilst they are still out there.