First few times out I wasn't overly pleased with the shifting. After spending some serious quality time going over the derailleur setup (height & angle), replacing the chain (tried an 8 and 9 speed), and an overall cleaning of the RD, I took it back out today.

It shifts really nice now and I am getting the feel for the middle ring. I really like the 30t chainring option. Found I was using more on some climbs than I thought I would, but not necessarily at a lower ratio than I would ride with my 38t. Overall a great day.

John

Keep an eye out at Bike Recyclery.
Stuff like that moves fast though.


-Tim-

I'm a fan of small grannies and close ratio cassettes. I have 52-39-26 in the front on all my bikes now. My singles have 11-25 or 12-27 in the back and our tandem has 12-34. The beauty of the small granny is that I have close ratio low gears. Shimano bikes, some 9-speed, one 10 speed. All shift fine. The 39 only comes in 10-speed, but it works fine on 9-speed bikes too.

I've been riding Waterford RS33 since 2007 here in Colorado. Went with a Campy Record Triple 53-42-30. Great gearing and easier on the body. I'm now 64 and have no reason to change gears or bike.

The 8 t drop will be easier shifting than a 16t drop, but its a popular way they sell road cranks ,

My Touring bike has had a 16t drop.. 24,40,50, It does take anticipation to judge the road ahead and get into the granny gear before the hill gets steep.

I put this IRD Defiant triple on my Raleigh.

Why not a triple? When faced with a really steep hill at the end of a long ride, a granny is a welcome help.

Triple and a little gearfreaking allows me a wide range of gears with small steps. Works well for me on those 10 mile climbs, averaging 7%, topping out over 11,000ft. I hate to walk and I can't stand on the pedals whilst climbing as I did in my younger days.

I run a Tiagra 4503 52/39/24 triple on my road bike with a 14-28 nine speed cassette. When it was time to select the drive train for my new build, I found an older Shimano 105 5703 crankset 30/39/50 then configured it 24/39/53 with the same 14~28 nine speed cassette.

I see Shimano is still selling the 5703, my favorite road triple because the inner ring is 74mm for a minimum 24T inner ring. The newer Tiagra/Sora triples have a bastard BCD on the inner ring that forces a 30T minimum, not small enough for my tastes.

Since the 39T is a 10-speed ring, I get better shifting from this setup by replacing the 52 with a 53T type B ring, which is meant to be used with the 39T. The 52 is designed for a 42 middle ring.

I'm running a 52 from a Tiagra double 52/39, shifts great. The 53 I bought for the 105 crankset is off a 53/42 crankset, again shifts great. In theory my front derailleur should explode if internet experts are to be believed....

All good. I never heard of a stock 53-42 crankset. Not to say it didn't exist. Anyway, running big rings which were meant for doubles, which is what you're doing, is the trick for triples with 39T rings.

Haven't seen a stock 42/53 either.

My stock Campy triple on the 1982 Paramount from is 36, 46, 54. That's what it was back then.

Finding better quality triple cranksets with a 53 (or 52) outer and a 42t middle ring requires some research, but they can be found. The 42t middle ring can be used exclusively for most of my local riding, I tend to stay in the 10 to 25mph range.

Below is a 10 speed Campagnolo Chorus 53, 42, 30 crankset.



This modern Suntour crankset is a 52, 42 & 30;





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