Road Bike Gearing - Triple v Double v Compact

On a bike all of the gearing mechanism is often refered to as the chainset. The average setup on a road bike will have either two or three chain rings on the front (making it either a double or triple chainset) and between 7 and 10 rings on the back. When looking down at your chainset while riding when you are on the smaller ring at the font the resistance will be lighter whereas the smaller ring at the back will provide more resistance. In general a double will end up having between 14 and 18 gears versus 21 to 27 usually found on a triple.

Double Chain sets

The small ring at the front of a triple chain set is often referred to as the granny ring, inferring that only grannies require such light gears. One reason many amateurs opt for a double is that there is often thought to be a stigma attached to triples and you are somehow a weaker rider if you need a triple to get up hills.

Traditionally road bikes have not had triple chain sets. Much will depend on the sort of terain you intend to be riding. Obviously if you live in the Alps as opposed to the Netherlands then you may decide to opt for a triple. In addition a triple will obviously slightly increase the weight of your setup due to the extras chain rings, longer chain etc.

Triple Chain sets

The success and popularity of Lance Armstrong during and following his 7 Tour de France wins has helped promote the advantages of turning lower (easier/less resistance) gears at a higher rpm or cadence. Riding lower gears places less strain on your muscles/knees and instead will call on your cardio vascular fitness more so if you tend ride at higher cadences then a triple may be of more benefit to you.

Consider the terrain you'll be riding both now and in the future. If you feel you may want to ride up mountains in the future then a tipple might be the wise option. There is nothing worse than being halfway up a mountain climb only to run out of gears and wish you had a triple chain set! Consider the fact that all mountain bikes are triples....that extra chainring is there for a reason!

Triple chainsets have increased in popularity in recent years. Most bike shops now have the option of double triple or even compact in most of their bike ranges. In addition much the the stigma of triples has disappeared as different riding styles (high v low cadence) have emerged as commonplace and are recognized as not necessarily better than the other.

Compact Doubles

A compact chain set can be thought of as a halfway house somewhere in between a triple and a double. As with a double set up you have two cogs on the front but instead of a 53/39 you'll have something in the region of 50/34. The main benefit is the you'll have access to much lower gears than a standard double without having to replace you shifter and derailleurs. The downside is that you will lose some of your higher gears, however in everyday riding these may not be missed, particularly if you tend to ride at a high cadence.