Recycle

I'm riding a hybrid 22/34/44 with 11/32. There are times when I'd like a higher end ... maybe 48/11 ... but not if it means giving up the 22/32 for going up hill and against the wind with a load.

piper_chuck

When I was looking at a new bike I looked at a variety of combinations on Sheldon's gear calculator. I chose the option that showed me the speed at 80 rpm for each gear combination. Since I live in a hilly, but not mountainous area, and I'm just getting back into riding after a long break, I wanted something that would not kill my knees going uphill, but that would not require excessive shifting between the rings when I was in riding the rolling sections.

I chose a triple with 52/42/30 rings because that seemed to give the best range, especially going up hill. With the triple I could go 1.2 mph slower, at the same rpm, than with a compact with a 50/34. So far, this has worked well. I use the middle ring most of the time. If I'm going downhill, I switch to the big ring. When the uphill gets tough, I switch to the baby ring so I can keep spinning.

mandovoodoo

Why gearing?

I have to gear for tweeking my left knee. I can't afford to ride hard if it tweeks a bit, so I need a couple of bailout gears at the low end.

I have to gear for the load I'm carrying. Commuter v. performance.

I have to gear for position. Upright and looking around or aero and engaging muscles more effectively.

I have to gear for footwear.

I have to gear for liveliness and character of frame.

So I'm at 30-42-52 w/ 11-25 on my commuter, changing to 11-28 so I can do tours if I want and have a couple of bailouts.

And I'm at 34-50 with 11-27 on my light bike, and never use the 27, thinking 25 would still give me sufficient bailout. Except for my left knee, I'd be riding 11-23 with the compact or 11-25 with 39/53 (what I used to ride to the top of the Smokies).

Jet Travis

My priorities are different from those who are aiming for speed. Starting out doing multi-week trips with a loaded touring bike in the 1980s, I was an early adopter of the triple chainring. I liked being able to ride carrying a ton of gear day after day over any terrain without wracking up my knees. The triple has been a good friend to me. I know it. I love it. I'm sticking with it.

jppe

Trek Madone-53/39 and generally run a 12/27
Trek 5900-50/34 and use either a 12/27 or 11/32 depending on the terrain (I've changed the rear derailleur from D/A to a XT)
Cervelo P2k Time Trial Bike-53/39 and I think it's a 12/23
Trek 800-Never really looked........Triple front and pretty big stuff on the back though.

cccorlew

The older i get the lower my gears.
In my 20s I rode steap hills and had a traditional 52-42 front with a 13-26 back.

I now enjoy my compact 50-34. The bile came with a 11-23. Unrealistic,, swapped to 13-25, and yesterday swapped to 12-27.

When those climbs it double digits I don't want that worry of "Can I make one more rev?"

Tom Bombadil

The lowest gear on my recumbent is 16.5", I haven't seen anyone beat that yet.

byte_speed

No battle here.

The correct answer will depend on local terrain, fitness level, personal preference (spin vs. mash), and personal goals.

I ride a 53/39 12/25 but there are a few hills around here where I struggle (and more each year, I'm afraid).

I will look for some combination, perhaps a compact or 12/27, to give me just a bit more advantage on my next bike. I have tried a triple but I lose track of which gear I'm in and crosschain badly.

chuckb

My Trek 5200 original had a 52/39 with a 12/25. I first tried a compact crank, then ended up with 52/39/30 and a 12-27. With stock Ultegra I believe this is the widest gear range you can get. As my fitness has improved, I use the 3 front ring a lot less, but still do most steep climbs on 30/21 which is almost identical in gear ratio to a 39/27. So, I could climb nearly everything I attempt without the triple, but I like the bail out gears and the lower cross chaining when riding in the middle gears with the triple.

Dellphinus

24/34/42, 11-30. last year, only had to use the bail out a couple times. Have done two 20 mile stretches (out and backs, Front Royal - Littlle Hogback, and LHB-Skyland) on Skyline drive, and had to get down to 23 GI (24/23) at the lowest, did the majority of the climbing in 35 and 37 GI. Don't think I'll ever own a bike that doesn't have a 20 GI low end though... my knees suck.

BluesDawg

Hmmm. Not sure who's right, but you seem to be calculating gear-inches differntly than I do. On my chart, 24/23 comes out as 27 or 28 gear inches for 26 or 27 inch tires. And your 24/30 lowest gear would not meet your 20 gear inch minimum.