Originally Posted by eschew

Use your gears.

Rather than only using your smallest chain ring as a bailout, I propose using it in the same way you use your other two chain rings.

For those of you with doubles, during a climb, do you put it on the big ring and work your way to the biggest cog on the back before dumping down to the smaller chain ring? Of course not! Nor should a triple be shifted in this same manner.

My first road bike came with a triple crank. I heard all the negative comments about a triple and so vowed to use it only in desperate situations (as a bailout). I would mash up the hills until my heart rate went through the roof, then I would bail out to the triple and slowly finish the climb.

After using this technique for a year, I had a revelation. I thought, if I am going to carry all the extra gears around with me, I may as well use them. When approaching a steep, longish hill, I would start out on the middle ring and about 1/2 way up the rear cassette. Once my cadence dropped, I would then shift to the triple chain ring and would shift one cog smaller (which is just a slightly easier gear than when on the middle chain ring). I would then work my way up the rear cassette as needed while keeping my cadence at a consistent rate. Amazing. I was climbing hills faster and at a lower heart rate! Once I neared the top, I could do a quick shift to the middle ring and power over the hill and begin my descent as I shifted to the big ring.

Another thing to keep in mind. A triple's middle ring is usually a 42 tooth, whereas a traditional double's smaller chain ring is usually a 39 tooth.

Have any other triple-users out there experienced this same revelation?