Originally Posted by
PeteHski
Tourers and hybrids were the main market for road triples over here. Road race bikes with drop bars were/are almost exclusively doubles, even with only 5 or 6 rear sprockets. Only bikes I've ever owned with triples were MTBs up to around 2014 when I got my first 1x MTB, which was a total revelation. It's hard to overstate how much better 1x is on technical single track. No more risk of dropped chains or having to plan front downshifts coming out of steep dips into aggressive climbs. Smaller front chainring also helps with clearance over obstacles. 1x also frees up your left hand for the dropper post. There are no downsides that I can think of for 1x MTB use. Maybe that's why 99% of MTBs are now 1x. For road use it's a lot more marginal, which is why 2x still dominates the road market. At least for now. As for triples? Bit of a niche market really. Who really needs 3x12 gearing?
Cue the guys who road ride in mountain states. They need a high gear descending, and a very low gear ascending.
There were a fair number of drop bar triples being marketed as "endurance fit" or something similar in the U.S. if I recall correctly.
I don't want to start up another row about my gearing (not referring to you), but I think you could understand why I'd have no interest in 1x for a road bike. When I had a triple on my FX3, I almost never went below the middle chain ring.