For my next roadie, I had planned on going with a Shimano 105 5703 crank and front derailleur, replacing the 30t with a 24t, and using it as my "go up anything" bike. As a fat rider, I need the low gears until I get down to a more reasonable weight, and this bike is probably going to be my main roadie for at least the next 3-5 years, by which time I may eventually be light enough to try a compact double (I'm intentionally trying not to be optimistic here).

So, I hadn't been paying attention to groupsets lately, and when I finally started putting together the part sheet, I noticed that theres a 105 5800 set out... which eschews the triple. Literally, there is only a double. Looking back further, it appears that Shimano has been abandoning triples in all of its lines, and hasn't produced a new triple crank/FD in years at this point.

Should I be worried? The 5703's are still available, but will I be burned if I spec a bike with a 5703 now, only to find that down the line, the parts have completely disappeared and are no longer available? Would it be wise to purchase an extra crank/FD/Shifter and keep them in storage "in case"? Or will it be likely that there will be compatible replacement parts from a 3rd party manufacturer in the future? As a fat rider, I notice I tend to shift a lot more than the average cyclist, and I've worn out my fair share of components before.

My other option, it seems, it to spec out a 50/34 compact with the new Shimano 11 speed 11-40 XTR cassette. That gives me nearly the same gear range, though a more annoying spread, but at least the parts are newer and not likely to disappear anytime soon. Would this be a better route?

I wouldn't worry too much about it. A third party ring, especially for the inner ring, is that big of a deal. You'll probably have to use one anyway because Shimano doesn't appear to make a 24 inner for a 74mm bolt circle. The inner ring is also flat without shift pins and ramps since it doesn't need them. There are also enough 130mm BCD cranks out there that the rings should be available for years to come.

You've also notice the same problem I've noticed with the compact doubles. They have awful shift patterns. Stick with the triple.

Yeah the 3rd party ring is fine, I see compatible ones all over the place.

I'm more worried about the shifter/derailleur breaking and not being able to find a replacement.

Shimano is following the market here. Triples are out of fashion for high end bikes. If you want to buy a bike with a triple these days, it'll be the low-end. Triples are considered to be "for beginners" the sort of people who buy sub-$1000 bike. For this reason the only Triples that Shimano makes now are on their low-end groups: Sora, Tiagara (I which when it gets updated next year, may lose the triple), Claris, lower end stuff.

I doubt triples will go away, but you may have to put up with using cranks from low-end Shimano groups like Sora. 9-speed though of course, but in a few years they won't be.

That said, trickle down means that Shimano's lower end groups are pretty nice now. The latest Sora shifters are basically Tiagara shifters (for better or worse) with more plastic.

Check out Sugino cranksets. They make some really nice triples with much more favorable and useful gear ratios than Shimano.

Don't worry about ít - parts will be available so get what works for you. A compact set is not the best choice for everyone.

Get the 5703, replace the 30T granny with any 74 mm bcd 24T chainring you can find and come back in 40,000 or so miles and then worry about replacement parts.

It's the shifter parts that'd worry me, but hopefully, that problem is a long way off. Go for it.

I have a couple 110-74 Shimano triples and a couple 135-74 Campag triples (but i never adopted Brifters, use Bar end shifters..)

NB now that a cassettes have made 11 t top cogs , any big ring on a large wheel bikes over 46 is overgeared ..

Hence a lot of tour bikes built with new parts put an MTB 44 32 22 t triple on & places like VO get 46-30 doubles to sell ..


On my rides, the up shift from the 24 t to the 40t is done at the crest of a Hill.


The "market" is more the Product Managers for the various bike brand Importers specifying what goes on New Bikes at factories ,
Not individuals Buying components by the each for a specific Bike they are Building..

So its fashion choice , not a Function choice.. and truck load orders, of Pallets of cases is what matters to Manufacturers.

Plus all of the nonsense postings on this and similar bike forums telling us that triples shift badly and how "real men" don't ride triples. So, that dried up the demand for triples and we are left with the compact double as an inadequate substitute. Yes a compact or other wide range double can be configured to give a similar overall gear range as a triple but only by leaving huge gaps in the intermediate gears.

Here's the thing. I had a Shimano 6700 10-speed shifter conk out on me after just 10,000 miles. That's what has me worried about being able to find replacements; I've already run into problems with the higher-tier stuff in just 2-3 years of riding. Now granted, the 3-speed shifter doesn't get used nearly as much as the 10-speed shifter, but still...

Edit: And God forbid I get hit by another car, which totaled my initial 5703's 4 years ago.

Keep in mind that with eBay etc it's really easy to source old parts, so if you need a 5703 shifter down the line, you'll probably be able to find one at low cost. Also, it's likely that Shimano will keep triples around on their low and mid end cranksets, so years down the line you can likely use 10sp Sora triple parts. Last of all, shifters really don't brake very often unless you crash.

I ride my 3 speed the most now , so I get used to big Gaps. You just adjust your pace a little bit, to suit the gear ratio ..

You can read all the salesPromos on tiny gear changes being the Racers in the Peloton advantage ..

But remember the Racers are Hired to Ride what the sponsors want to sell to the rest of the rabble ..

& so 10 & 11 speeds is about Marketing and Selling something New , and the Upgrade-itis is like the Screen addiction needing the latest I- thingie ..


Your skeptical Friend .. happy shopping therapy, Comrade.

Something to consider on shifters is that while the higher end stuff is spiffier, the functionality of the lower end isn't bad. Tiagra and Sora will likely still be available in triples for some time to come. And, as with the lower level front derailer, there may be advantages to going to the lower end components. The "traditional" cable routing on the Tiagra and Sora is a plus. Cable replacement on some of the newer 105 and Ultegra shifters is awful and the shifters may not be as robust.

Worse case scenario is that some models, available today, become more scarce. I'm keeping a pair of brifters that match my bikes, but I could use any left hand, 9 or 10 speed triple shifter from Ultegra, 105 or Tiagra if the exact model was scarce. I could also use any right hand 10 speed Ultegra, 105 or Tiagra made.

Compact doubles are a fad. Stick with the triples to give you a really smooth wide range of gears. I have two road bikes with triples, and they are great. If I were going to replace either one of mine it would be the Sugino.

OK, here is an out-of-the-box suggestion: look up Gevenalle.com (aka Retroshift). These are brake levers with brackets that take any downtube shifter or barend shift lever and can use levers you already have or come equipped with 9, 10 or 11-speed indexed rear levers and friction front shift levers.

These are much less expensive than all but the lowest cost brifters, are durable as an anvil and can be upgraded cheaply. Friction front shifting is very easy to learn and will allow nearly any crank and front derailleur mix-and-match choice, double or triple. I have them on three bikes, two 10-speed and one 8-speed, all with triple cranks, and would not go back to brifters for both cost and durability reasons.

True that. My Salsa has a Sugino triple that is 26 -36 - 48. Very useful gear range, and I especially like how the 26 and 36 tooth chainrings integrate together. Many a time I have been riding up a long hill in the small chainring and I get to a flat section of road, shift to the middle chainring and drop one gear in the back and it makes for a very smooth transition. I imagine if you go with a 24 - 39 - 50, you might find there is a huge jump from the middle ring to the granny gear. Anyhow, something to think about.

Which are the gears most riders need, most of the time.

Second Sugino. That was my first thought when I saw this thread. Find a Sugino crankset that matches your chain and cassette. You may have to go to a bike shop and have them look, but Sugino makes a great selection of options, BCDs, crank lengths, etc. Good quality stuff. You will be able to get rings for years. I'll bet you can do almost anything you could possibly want with a 110/74 BCD crankset. That standard hads been around for 40 or more years and isn't going away. Sugino will keep making those parts for the very solid business they do with bike manufacturers. I've run 52-42-28 Sugino for decades on various bikes. Since it is 110 BCD, that 52 and 42 can go much smaller. I use a 24 inner on one bike (SunTour, not Sugino but same bolt pattern).

The Suginos work well with Shimano sealed BBs. (I've heard the tapers are a little different and one shop will not sell me a Shimano BB to go with my track quality Sugino 75 cranks, only a Miche BB but I have been mixing the lesser Suginos and Shimano BBs for years with no ill effects.)

Ben

Most of the sugino cranksets I see are for 7/8 speeds. Is there any problem running them on a 10 speed system? Are the rings too fat for the chain? Does the chain get stuck between the rings? I do like the looks of them a lot more than the shimano offerings, and I've only ever used square taper BBs, so I don't have any feeling against them.

The Sugino Alpina 2 triple crank is designed for 9-10 speed drivetrains.

Cranksets, Road Cranksets, Sugino Alpina 2 Triple Crankset 48/36/24|Bike Touring News

+1 on the Sugino XD2-600. It is aesthetically composed, beautifully finished, the 48, 36 and 26 chainrings provide a wide gear range, shifting is quick since the chainrings feature ramps and pins.

If you enjoy cycling and want a gear range that makes a hilly century an easier and fun ride, this is one of the finest square tapered triple cranksets you could own.

Yeah, right. That'll never happen. That's the joy of ebay.

AFAIK, Suguino track cranks uses an ISO (Campy) taper but their other road cranks use the JIS (Shimano, et.al) taper.