Plastic bikes, ten speeds, compact doubles.....what is next..... steel frame bashing?:eek::eek::eek::eek:

^^^
:roflmao:


I don't know why there's all this triple hatin' going down, so I'll just say I got my first triple (on a single, as opposed to a tandem, which is another matter) as a 30+er :eek: So, yeah, it's heavier than a double of any sort, but I think it offers more gearing options than a compact for really nasty stuff, or, more likely, you're at the end of a long ride w/ nothing in the tank and you're reduced to one speed (and one speed only) on any kind of gradient no matter how slight. Going 1:1 (or less) is a lot easier on a triple than a compact, and on a compact you'd have a serious pie pan back there. But then again, if it's a pie ride, there ya go.

Having gone back to a retro ride from the '80s after a bunch of years with lighter, modern stuff, it's all about the engine. :)

I won't go that far. Still loving the Casseroll (with its triple crank and bar end friction shifters). Besides, the car already did that.:(

I have had both 105 and Sram Force shifters and derailleurs on my bike and either will work just as well. I have learned to like the double tap on the SRAM. The SRAM upshifts with a very small tap and downshifts with about the same amount of movement as a 105. I love the cable routing and if the new 105s route next to the bar it is a big improvement. I still use Ultegra Cranks and switch between SRAM and Shimano cassettes depending on the wheels I am using. I like both setups but for me the coin toss goes to the double tap for shifting from the drops. My back up road bike is Shimano but I have been thinking of upgrading to a 10 speed and I am in the same boat between Rival and 105 as you.

I think the double / triple threads are pretty funny. It is almost religion. I like the one going on in the road forum. There is a guy from NorCal who rides several 1/2 mile long 20% grades with his triple. Maybe you know more climbs than I do but the only survey confirmed 20% grade that I am aware of is the top of Mount Diablo which is only 200 meters. Even Sierra Road tops at 15%. Although, there are some grades in SF that are steeper but generally short.

This year we raced up Sierra Road a couple of hours ahead of the Tour of California and then watched the pros. We had over 100 entries. At the top, the only thing I remember anyone talking about was his or her time not whether they used a double, triple or pie plate (I love that). None of the pros rocked a triple.:D

To the OP, it sounds like you are buying a bike with the build complete, just need to decide on the component set. Can't tell you which is better, but can say that IF you are purchasing the components to build out the frame yourself you will find that Ultegra 6700 is very close to 105 5700 in price. The 6700 can be had on 'sale' while the 5700 is new and not likely to be discounted. I was planning 5700 for my light touring build, but 6700 it is for very little extra money. Both will give me the cable routing under bar tape that I desire that will make the use of a bar bag much easier.

Mark

Yep, true dat, Rich. 1/2 mile @ 20% is pretty nasty... We (you & I) generally ride the same areas, so if the last bit to the upper lot @ Diablo is the 20% benchmark, the only comparable climbs that I can equate to that kind of grade would be places like Bohlman/On Orbit, parts of Redwood Gulch, parts of Hicks, parts of Metcalf, and a couple places like Welch Creek and Mix Canyon that I haven't ridden (yet). My criteria for steepness ranges from 1) am I falling over, yet? 2) is it time to tack? 3) am I going to see a previously eaten meal, again? 4) damn, 'forgot my cleat covers again! Fortunately I haven't done #4 in a while. :)

It's pretty rare for pros to rock a triple, although a few years back before compacts (which I thought were around from waaay long ago in the form of TA c-rings that could be set up in what are today's 50-36 or 50-34 combos) some of the guys racing the Vuelta went up the Angliru w/ triples? Spain's pretty hilly, so I would imagine if there was someplace to race a triple, that'd be a good place to start.

BD, what's middle GA like? Any 1/2 mile 20% grades for us to try out?

Only Brasstown Bald has grades in the 20s. The road is 2.5 miles long and averages around 12% but with one section called The Wall that sustains 20-26% for a good distance. I don't think it is a quartermile long though.

I like my wife's gear setup. She has SRAM with XX rear and a 11-32 cassette. She could go to 11-36 if needed. The compact crank with the 11-32 gives her a wider range than she had with her Ultegra triple 30/27 low gear. Now that SRAM has come out with Apex, it wouldn't be that expensive to switch a compact with a road cassette to a mid cage rear der. and 10sp mountain type cassette.

My Parlee is currently setup with Dura Ace and a XTR rear der. and a SRAM 11-32 cassette. I use it for long rides with steep climbs. It's great.

We have some pretty tough 1/2 mile climbs here, but nothing over about 15% or so that I know about. Further north we do have Brasstown Bald which has a 1/3 mile section that is said to be over 20%. I had to walk Ribby up it in 2006 when the 30/28 low gear on my Campy triple wasn't low enough. I came back a year later and barely managed to make it with the same crank with a MTB derailleur and a 13-34 freewheel for a 30/34 combo.

Mmmm, Brasstown Bald...yeah, that's the ticket. That's really a shame about the ToG; 'hope they bring it back in the future, sometime.

http://www.brasstownbaldbustercentur...The%20Wall.jpg

Been compact on the Road bikes since 07 with Boreas and the TCR and a Metric on them is fine- unless it is hilly and then I wish I was back on the OCR with the triple. So last year I set the TCR up with a triple. Done a couple of Flattish metrics on it and never used Granny. But the compacts have 50/34 and the triple 50/39/30. I can see that if a hilly ride was going to be done with the triple- I would be using granny but that is due to the middle ring being a 39.

Did a Commute last year on the triple and it was after a long hard mornings work. Took it slow (Even for me) on the way home and that granny was nice on the one hill for 1 mile.

Don't know about the "Upgraded" frame on the Roubaix Expert compact- but better wheels are always a bonus to me.

What kind of bottle cages do people put on these plastic bikes? I have always used stainless steel cages on my metal bikes. They are lighter than most aluminum cages and don't leave black marks on bottles. But they don't seem to look right on a CF bike. Most of the CF cages I've seen are ridiculously expensive. Performance has some at about $25 each which is about twice what I'm used to. Are there some good plastic cages for cheap?

I found the water bottle cage selection for CF bikes annoying - too much dough for a piece of plastic. I held my nose and got the CF cages. There are some imitation CF cages for less $$$ that look okay. Do not forget the carbon fiber saddle with carbon fiber rails.;)

Plastic cages for cheap.... I guess you could scour fleeBay and the like for something that appeals to you, or, you could continue using SS-> lighter, doesn't leave black marks, and can be had for ~6 bux if you shop right.

Specialized cages work. They are not cheap at $16 for a piece of plastic but they hold up and don't throw bottles.

Yes, Trek has them also.

I understand that cross-chaining isn't condoned and I won't push anybody into it. The beauty of the Ultegra 6700 is the trim makes it work quite well for all the sprockets without shifting the chain ring.

I had a 12-27 on my previous bike and it was good. The Expert comes with a 11-28 and I like it better. I think if I rode primarily in the large chain ring I would definitely prefer the 12-27. I think the 11-28 spacing would not work as well in the large chain ring. The spacing work for me in the 34.

I won't try to persuade you to get the compact double and the 11-28. I don't dislike triples. I really was happy to have them on my previous bikes. I just am happier with the compact on my light road bike.

I think the Specialized plastic cages are overpriced, but I got them while they were on sale. The CF cages are so expensive that I didn't consider them even with a sale price.

I have spent some time the past two days comparing SRAM and Shimano shifters. Two friends were nice enough to loan me their bikes for the weekend. One is a generic aluminum racing frame with carbon fork and seat stays with Dura Ace from about five or six years ago and the other is a nice 2006 Specialized Allez retrofitted with a mix of SRAM Rival and Force components. Both have 50/34 compact cranks. The Dura Ace bike is on the small side for me, a 56 where I normally ride a 58. The bars are very low, about 4" below the saddle and the stem is short. So I am bent way over and scrunched a little when riding it. But it is not too bad for a short ride and the point is to evaluate the shifting, not the bike. The Allez is a 58 and comes closer to fitting me. The stem is a little longer and lower than I would prefer, but not bad.

Both bikes shift well and I had no problem switching from one system to the other. A couple of times I found my hand moving toward the end of the bar searching for the shifters where I normally have them. Both systems were great for shifting to smaller sprockets with a quick tap on the inner lever and both seemed a bit tedious when going to larger sprockets, either with a long push of the brake lever or a long push of the inner lever.

It soon became clear that I prefer the SRAM system. Pushing the same lever different ways to do different things was more intuitive than pushing different levers, especially when one of the levers on each side was the brake lever. That may sound strange to someone who learned and used the Shimano system first, but for me, they are both relatively new. I also think the SRAM shifting is quicker and more solid. The chain snaps to the next rear cog while the Shimano shift is softer and gives less feedback (but is quieter). Front shifting felt less precise with both systems with the same softer and quieter vs. snappier and louder characteristics as the rear.
I did accidentally apply the brakes a couple of times when shifting to larger cogs or rings on the Shimano. I also tried to shift to a lower than the lowest rear cog on the SRAM resulting in an upshift. Both of these are minor things that happened on my first couple of rides and would not likely happen frequently after becoming used to either system. I have read that this can be tuned away on the SRAM.

The compact cranks worked well on both. The gearing works a lot better with 10 speeds than it did with my attempts to use it on my 7 speed bike. I could see that I would be front shifting more often than with a triple where the middle ring works for a wide range of situations (or the small ring on a standard double), but I was quickly learning to anticipate whether the situation called for staying in the small ring as long as possible or to shift to the big ring as quickly as possible. Both systems allowed full use of both rings, but a glance at the chainline when in crosschain situations made me not want to be subjecting an all-too-expensive 10 speed chain to such abuse very often.

So, I think my next bike will be SRAM compact equipped. The Roubaix Comp SL2 Compact with SRAM Rival would be the obvious choice. If there was a SRAM Force option on the Roubaix SL3 Expert, I think I would step up to that, but alas it only comes with Ultegra. I would like to have the newer SL3 design frame with 10r carbon fiber and the clean lines of the internal cable routing, especially in the blue/white color. I am considering the possibility of getting the Expert, removing the Ultegra brifters and RD and installing Force brifters and RD in their place. I'll have to discuss with LBS to see how that might work.

But more likely I'll go with the Comp.

I knew you would come up with a plan. Enjoy the new bike.:p
I just came in from riding the Look around the neighborhood, I sure like the Sram as well.:thumb:

I think you have made a great choice for your new bicycle.

I've slept on it and made my decision. I'll be getting the Roubaix Comp with SRAM Rival. They are not available quite yet and it will probably be a while after it arrives before I'll be able to pay for it, but I know what I'm getting. Thanks for being my sounding board.

Are you really sure? There are many good titanium bikes that need a good home! Just sayin..... :D

Then again, maybe I had a nice long chat with my friend the LBS manager today and decided that what I really want to do is build up a carbon/gloss white Roubaix Pro frame with SRAM Force and a selection of tasty parts. I have always preferred custom builds over off the shelf. This is going to be one sweet bike. :)

SRAM is ka-chunk shifting. At least when it works, esp. the front shifter. Shimano just works - really, really well. I have '09 Force and DA 7800.

And you pay a price in friction with the hidden cables. Many threads re replacing cables with expensive, ultra-low friction cables (Yokozuna, Nokon, Gore) to improve shifting with SRAM.