Originally Posted by
Steve530
I've been thinking about going to a triple lately, so I've been looking into this a bit. It appears there are three possibilities.
1) Buy a TA tripilizer to replace you 42T ring. The tripilizer is a 144mm BCD 42T chainring that has extensions that allow you to bolt a 74mm BCD chainring to it. You can get a 74mm TA chainring a small as 24T.
2) Buy a newer triple crankset. I've read that some people bought a Campagnolo Mirage crankset for that purpose. Those are realatively cheap. Others may work, but are expensive.
3) Buy a NOS or used Campagnolo triple crankset, if you can find one.
You'll probably need a longer spindle to make room for the third chainring and maintain chin alignment. I think the longer spindle would fit your bottom bracket, but I'm no expert.
I have a Campy triple on my Paramount I could use, but I'd like to go lower than 36T (the hills where I'm going are REALLY steep). The tripilizer sounds tantalizing. Would it fit on my Campy crankset? And who might stock such things? Just checked Harris Cyclery and see that I could go the Phil route for $160 (plus $16 for the mounting tool, presuming I can't find someone to do it). I'd still need a crankset, but see that a Mirage in a 52-42-30 is available for $50 So, worst-case scenario, $210 or thereabouts to make it happen (plus, of course, new derailleurs, freewheel and chain). Hmm. That's doable. Some might say crazy, but doable. For those who haven't had the pleasure, there's nothing like a PX10 for touring. More than what I paid for the bike, but worth it.