Double or triple chainring?
 

I've decided to graduate from sporadic to regular rider, and I'm looking to upgrade from my old Cilo. I ride in 50 mile tours, and would like to eventually work my way up to century rides. I live on Long Island, which is relatively flat with some rolling hills. I'm looking at the Bianchi Campione and Eros. The bikes are similar except the Eros has a triple chainring. The guys at the LBS seem to look down on the triple chainring, but if I'm not racing, I wonder if the triple chainring, wider tires, and 90 degree stem would be better for me?

If you aspire to hill work or loaded touring, go with the triple. Otherwise, get the double, but do not be shy about asking for a larger low-gear cog, such as a 25T or even a 27T, if you need it. I have two triples and two doubles, and no complaints about shifting on any of them.

I have never been on a ride on my road bike when I wished I had a triple -- sometimes I've wished I had a 26t, or even a 25t cog -- but never a granny gear. But that's me.

Do I look down on triples? Nope. Do other people? Yep -- particularly some racer types. Should that matter to you? Nope.

The advantage of a triple is the extra low gearing. The disadvantage is that the cross gearing problem is even more pronounced than on a double, it's heavier, it can be tricky to get perfectly aligned [only a problem if you do your own maintenance]... and uber-roadies don't like it.

I do a lot of hill work and I think the 39x26 combination [both bikes have 26t cogs] would do well enough for most hills this side of Mont Ventoux.

Aside from that. there's really not much difference between the two bikes, except the Campione has Look pedals and the Eros has Ritchey SPD clones and the Veloce crankset is much nicer than the Mirage crankset...

I'd recommend stepping up a notch to the Veloce [triple and all], though I know it means somewhat more expense.

Thanks for the feedback. I don't anticipate loaded touring, but in getting used to longer distances, how much of a factor are the longer wheelbase and the 90 degree stem?

I've had my eye on the Veloce as well, but that would mean 6 more months of bag lunches!

The longer wheel base gives a more comfortable ride and the stem allows you to sit up straighter.

The longer wheelbase will change the ride feel, the bike won't feel as nimble. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, maybe more comfortable on long rides. Try them both, see what you think.

I don't think the stem will make a big difference either way.

if your on 39x21 or 23, I don't see why you'll need a triple the 39 will do the work of a 29, so whats the point of having a triple, thats just adding weight on your bike

I don't race but I ride at a performance pace for long distances, My daily milage is always at least 50, most days more, on weekends I do long rides, every weekend includes 1 century, my longest day in the saddle 15.5 hours 218 miles in the hills of new england. I have 2 road bikes, a Raleigh technium, ultegra double (39 - 53), and a dura-ace cassette, ( 11 - 23) when I ride relatively flat land and (12 - 27) when I hit the hills, This bike has a relatively long wheelbase and I ride a 15 degree stem, this works well on long rides, my other and newer bike is a Bridgestone RB-T, which has a longer wheelbase and is more comfortable on long rides. The Bridgestone is my touring bike, the one I load up and go on, I built it using the new dura-ace tripple, (30 - 39 -53) and an XTR (12 - 34) rear. I find this gearing to be a great all purpose gearing, It likes to be loaded and it freights down the road when I travel light. Tires make a big difference, I find Continetal ultra 2000, 700-28C inflated to 110 psi to have good load carrying ability and low rolling resistance, straight wheels help also, I build my own wheels, I use ultegra hubs for durability, Mavic t-519 or 520 rims 36 hole for durability and wheelsmith 14/15 db spokes because I have never broken one. I have one wheelset with over 20,000 miles on it.
Oh, one more thing, Cycling is a very personal thing, ride what you want, go where you go, and wear what you what to wear, when you get to mile 100, the only one who will suffer or be uncomfortable with your equipment is you. what others think doesn't matter, it's all about the ride, and the ride starts at 100 miles.
Keep crankin

Double or Triple. . . The lower gearing of the triple will be of less use on the flats, maybe no use, and of minimal use on modest hills. However, if you find yourself on a 6%+ grade at the end of a long ride, you may want that little ring up front.

I ride a 12-27 out back with my Ultegra double. Since every road leading to my house has a 300', 10% climb the 27t makes the last few miles tolerable. Even so, within a month I feel I'll be able to jettison the 27t and go to my 11-23.

There are so many variables, including personal preference, that it's difficult to make suggestions. However, LI is flat compared to where I live in Upstate NY, so I imagine that a double would suit you fine if you stayed close to home.

The important thing is to get the gearing range you need, without too much excess at the top end (which rarely gets used) and with a low enough gear for your worst case scenario (headwind/tired/hills whatever).
Whether you achieve this range with a double or a triple is not that important.

If you dont use the high end a lot, you can gear down a double Campy rings limit you to 39t but other cranks (like TA) will permit you to go to a 36T.
You can also take the rear cogs up to 28. Dont feel obliged to use a standard racers gearing if you are not a racer.


I use a triple in a area with lots of short very steep (20%) hills and have no problems with it.

I have a triple, I like it (there are a lot of hills around).

I found that with a triple, you can tighten the rear cogset and have a more useful gear spacing. I use a 30-42-52 triple and a 12-23 cog set in back and think it is better than a 39-53 with a 12-28.

There are issues with chain crossing, but not major ones, especially with long chainstays.

I don't know all the technicallities of gears, but I do know that for hills such as around my area, the triple is recommended... nay, a must.

I have been tackling these hills for a year, and I can tell you I am still not near a level where I would climb them without the "granny' gear, and I doubt there would too many road cyclists that would disagree with me on this.

It's not that I wouldn't be able to make it up on the lower gear. I have done it, but then my cadence would be much lower. On higher gears climbing the hills feels more like doing the leg muscle workouts at the gym than a cardiovacular activity, and that's not a good thing.

I hate those "granny gears"! Get the double and work on those legs!!

All hail the Lightspeed owner! :roflmao:

Forget about the triple. You'll never be fast on the double if you never use the double. Pain is temporary, pride is permanent! Suffer all you can and reap all the benefits!

My new Klein has a triple---I've never even used the little ring yet--no need to---that being said its nice to know its there if I ever need it and the weight gain is minimal----I have no plans on doing any racing.

Just because you generally ride in one area---doesn't mean you won't be traveling with your cycle or even doing longer rides around home---the triple makes for a more versitile cycle and if you are buying new---you might as well get it.

Don't use the triple as crutch for lack of training and strength----but for when you really need it when the hills are steep and long.

It depends.

Doubles give a better "feel" to shifting and as you probably noticed from the responses, there is a bit of a snob appeal to riding a double.

Here in Central Florida, I ride a double. And we do have some hills with 7% grades for up to half a mile. We have to go to Clermont to find them, but they are there. But for half a mile, I will standup on a double before I will go with a triple. And I much prefer to sit and spin over honking up hills.

But I find that it is nice to have a triple for long climbs. By long, I mean 5 miles of 10% or steep climbs - climbs of more than 15% for any distance at all. But even on nasty hilly rides, some people will ride hills and apparantly happily with double chain rings. It depends on what feels ok for you. I like low gears because I tend to spin and I am often a gear or 2 lower than the other riders in the group at the same speed.

So should you get a triple? If you can motor up your local hills fine in the low gear of your double, you don't need one.... unless you want to ride the bike in other areas that have nasty hills. Remember, when you buy the double, you can always go with a wider rear cluster. Instead of 12-23, you can go with 12-25 or 12-27 and get a hill climbing gear.

But if you want to be able to have gears to tackle nasty hills, you can go with the triple. Remember the body has to endure what the ego decrees. A triple has only marginally more weight than a double and its shifting should be just fine. And if you come up to a long steep climb where you want another gear, it is sure nice to have it right there.

A triple will increase you uphill performance and only that. It does that by enabling you to have higher cadence on hills.

I do not know of many people that can climb a 15%+ grade hill that is more than 3km long with RPMs higher than 60 on a double ring... I may wrong, but you have to be very seasoned to do that.

Thanks, everyone - a lot of great information here. Very convincing arguments, I've gone from a triple to a double to a triple to a double in my mind. I'm pretty athletic for a 40 year old, and think I could handle the double, but I want to buy a bike that will fit my needs for the future. I've never ridden over 65 miles and want to start doing centuries. I also want to ride in other areas of the Northeast. That unknown makes me lean towards the security of the granny gear. According to many of the responses, the 13-26 gearing of the double ring Campione should be very forgiving when climbing. I guess it also comes down to whether the geometry of the Eros (longer wheelbase, stem angle, etc) is worth the drawbacks (increased weight, less efficient shifting). I do get stiff neck and shoulders after about 45 miles, and I don't plan to race.....

Sure sounds like I'm still confused, huh?

Well Syd, II know I have already posted on the thread but, I'm 47 years old and live and ride in new england. I have 5 bikes, 2 of them road bikes. I have a light sport bike with racing geometry, it has a double 53 - 39 and a 12 - 27 cassette in the rear, I like riding this bike, it's fast and fun, but I live in a hilly area and when I go on my long relaxing jaunts I ride a touring bike, I built it using the new dura-ace tripple, I chose that crankset because it is the only tripple availabe with a 30 - 39 - 53 ring set, that gives you full race gearing and gears you can push hills and carry loads with easily, In the rear, I installed an XTR 12 - 34 cassette, I chose it because it has all the important gears. The following are the combinations I find usefull.
30 - 34: Loaded new england touring, Vermont is beautifull.
30 - 32: The last hill 6% or better at the end of a century.
30 - 26: The last 1 mile long hill on the way home from work.
30 - 23: not often.
39 - 30: Loaded touring.
39 - 26: Loaded touring.
39 - 23: steeper hills on my commute, mostly in the morning.
39 - 20: same.
53 - 26: same.
53 - 23: same.
53 - 20: often.
53 - 18: My favorite gear.
53 - 16: My favorite gear (unloaded) on the level.
53 - 14: Slight down hills with tail wind.
53 - 12: steep down hills when on long rides, it allows me to keep spinning and rest, I limit my top speed to 35 mph.
so that's it, the gearing decisions were made by realisticaly thinking about how I ride and the loads I carry. I don't race, but I ride everywhere and carry things all the time.

I'd go for a double as they look better and are simpler to keep in tune. But drop the size of the front gear. There is no point having a 52-12 which you can only use going down a hill with a stiff tailwind!:D

I just bought the Eros (blue, BTW) and am still getting used to the triple, but all-in-all I am a bit disappointed with it. Granted, it still needs some tuning, but it takes a lot more fussing to get to find a gear you are comfortable with and it is noisy at the top and bottom ends. I like to ride for long periods without changing the front ring and think it is more difficult accomplish than with the double on my old Raleigh.

Thanks, Teofilo. I was hoping to get a little feedback from Eros and Campione owners. Right now, I'm leaning towards the Campione with a few modifications for comfort. I feel that 'less is more', especially when it comes to gearing - the simpler the better. I'm sure you'll adjust to your Eros and your review of it will be better.

Any Campione owners out there?

spin up a 15% grade... I don't think "spin" and "15% grade" can be used in a sentence unless the word "can't" is in there somewhere:)

I have a 12-25 for hilly stuff. I don't think a 11t is really needed as much as the 25t overall. The 25t is good because I can leave it in the 53 in a pinch and get the drop on people.
I have never needed anything bigger than that. I really don't need the 25 either, but it makes life a little easier. I use a 11-23 most of the time. I have Campy 10 speed so my 11-23 feels like a straight block:D

39x23 or 25 is plenty for all occaisions but if you got the granny ring, might as well try it out!
Anyway, the triple got popular again with Record and DA offering the "touring" triples with long cage derailleurs.