Originally Posted by
exRunner
I am not a big fan of Tripples, but most that I have seen have a 12-24 cassette.
So your bike's lowest gear is .794 (1:1.259)
A tripple's lowest gear is .800 (1:1.250)
You would not see the difference.
There are other cassette's available, so you might be able to put a 13-27 or something similar on it, but in general there is no advantage to the tripple over the double compact at the low end, and the tripple has fewer descrete gears and does not shift as smoothly.
I disagree with this. I have a triple with a 13-26. In order to get the same gearing on a compact double, you would need a 12-29 which is a larger gap between gears. Look at the triple as a standard crankset with a small chain ring that you will only use when climbing steep hills.
As far as shifting, they shift the same on the back dr.; they are little slower on the front dr. when going from the middle to small chain ring, but how often will you shift to the small chain ring. They also weigh more by about a 100 grams. However if you have a compact with a 12-29 or a 12-30, then the weight is probably about the same.
Most people that do not like triples, don't like them because they are viewed as being for wimps. Pick the tool that works for you regardless of what others think.
Now, there have been suggestions that you will grow into a compact double. This is true. It will get easier with effort and time unless you have a medical condition as I have or you have really nasty hills like the Rocky Mountains near you; or you and in your golden years as they say. When I hit my seventies, I still expect to ride and will probably be using a triple.