Originally Posted by
Trakhak
Remind us why past triples were less than ideal?
There are those of us who (1) find shifting our triples completely trouble-free (I use Grip-Shift with a friction left shifter on a flat bar, along with bolt-on aero bars for ideal versatility) and (2) appreciate small incremental jumps between gears versus big jumps between chainrings and between cassette cogs.
I'm sure there's some way that 2x or 1x is superior for some people; just curious what that advantage might be.
Well, if you don't really look to having a close ratio in gear selections, a 1x certainly is less complicated, especially when 11,12 and now 13 rear cassette. You have only one shifter to consider, and cassette ranges can be very broad for almost all applications. My gravel bikes are 1x and work great, and are still quite nice and fun when on-road rather than dirt... Then there's the Hi-Lo chainring and clutch RD which pretty much eliminate chain drop.
Even banging over some rough terrain, I have never shipped a chain.
Now I do also have an older Roubaix with 10 spd triple -52/39/30 paired with a 13-25. Very nice and covers every possible gear combo I could need. And also never ships a chain. One does need to know the best shift points when moving on the chainrings and for many riders they haven't even figured out the best shift points on a 2x...
I love the close gear ratios on the 3x, but that's a left-over from the racing days. The 2 tooth jumps on modern cassettes in the 13-19 range just annoy me... I live in my 16 and 18,and a 14 sometimes is the special sauce.
... as I age further, the 3x seems to find more favor from me...
Ride On
Yuri