Double or Triple?

Hi,

I just bought a Trek 5200 with a triple, and it shifts just fine. I rarely use the bottom ring, but
there are times when I'm tired and just need the low gear. Sometimes if knee pain begins the low
gear is a good thing to have. Also it depend on how old you are. If you're over 40 get it...

"Steve Gerdemann" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple or
stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured
10,000 feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand
doubles shift better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road
bikes. Am I just being retro and should go for the triple?

Steve Gerdemann

Rick said:

[censored]. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which ain't exactly midwestern
regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27 (which would be
considered a bailout, [censored] gear by most in here).

i use my triple when riding up the hill on lakemont blvd, near issaquah and newcastle. the hill
starts near the exchange for I-90.

does anyone know the one i'm talking about? is it possible for anyone reading to ride up without a
triple? just curious. i'm not a very strong cyclist, but i do ok on hills. that one kills me.

posting way too much in an attempt to avoid going out into the crappy rain, heather

Heather, et al.

Benefits of having a triple:

I put on a triple after I got out of the hospital in September 2001. With the triple I have 28/40/53
you can leave a close gear cassette on (I use 11-21 or 12-23) and not make too many 2 & 3 tooth
jumps which screw up your cadence but still have that triple chainring in case you do have hills
which you cannot power up with a 21 or 23

With 9-speed 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21 Cassette 28 40 53 11 66.9 95.6 126.6

12 61.3 87.6 116.1

13 56.6 80.9 107.1

14 52.6 75.1 99.5

15 49.1 70.1 92.9

16 46.0 65.7 87.1

17 43.3 61.8 81.9

19 38.7 55.3 73.3

21 35.0 50.1 66.3

Compare that with a 39 - 53 with a 9 speed 12 - 27:

With 9-speed 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27 Cassette 39 53 12 85.4 116.1

13 78.8 107.1

14 73.2 99.5

15 68.3 92.9

17 60.3 81.9

19 53.9 73.3

21 48.8 66.3

24 42.7 58.0

27 38.0 51.6

heather halvorson said:

Rick said:

[censored]. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which ain't exactly midwestern
regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27 (which would be
considered a bailout, [censored] gear by most in here).

i use my triple when riding up the hill on lakemont blvd, near issaquah and newcastle. the hill
starts near the exchange for I-90.

does anyone know the one i'm talking about? is it possible for anyone reading to ride up without a
triple? just curious. i'm not a very strong cyclist, but i do ok on hills. that one kills me.

posting way too much in an attempt to avoid going out into the crappy rain, heather

"heather halvorson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rick said:

[censored]. I'm fat, slow, and 45. I live in Western Washington (which

ain't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

exactly midwestern regarding flatness). I trudge up some pretty steep terrain with my 39/27
(which would be considered a bailout, [censored] gear

by

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

most in here).

i use my triple when riding up the hill on lakemont blvd, near issaquah and newcastle. the hill
starts near the exchange for I-90.

does anyone know the one i'm talking about? is it possible for anyone reading to ride up without a
triple? just curious. i'm not a very strong cyclist, but i do ok on hills. that one kills me.

posting way too much in an attempt to avoid going out into the crappy

rain,

Quoted message said:

heather

Yep Heather I know that hill. That's one of the hills we trained on for the mountain rides. If ya
want a better one, do Cougar mountain, from the I90 access road not to far from the base of
Lakemont. You can get about 1200 feet in less than 2 miles as I recall? But we used doubles 39/26
and you know we are all well over 40. I miss those hills now in Michigan and I barely get out of
my big ring.

Ken

Kendall said:

Yep Heather I know that hill. That's one of the hills we trained on for the mountain rides. If ya
want a better one, do Cougar mountain, from the I90 access road not to far from the base of
Lakemont. You can get about 1200 feet in less than 2 miles as I recall?

ok, i'll look for it, but i'm gonna need a fourthle to ride up it!

the thing i hate about lakemont is that after a bit it goes around that curve and you think you're
gonna be done, but then as you round the bend, you see that you have twice as much hill left to
climb. this is when i normally resign myself to my suckiness and shift. i have skated up lakemont
more than once, too, and that's always interesting (when will i blow this time????)

Quoted message said:

But we used doubles 39/26 and you know we are all well over 40. I miss those hills now in Michigan
and I barely get out of my big ring.

well, you certainly never looked like you needed a triple to me. actually you don't look well over
40 either, to be honest. i didn't know until you told me 🙂

heather

When I could finally afford a triple for my road bike I got one. I ride in the Bridge 2 Bridge
century every year in the mountains of western NC. Every year since I have had the triple I've never
ridden that century as fast as the first year when I had a double. You will grow to rely on that
triple... maybe too much.

Steve Gerdemann said:

I'm going to buy a new bike soon (probably a Specallized Allez Elite). Should I buy the triple or
stay with a double. I've always ridden doubles including riding a 100 mile tour that featured
10,000 feet of climbing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a lower gear but I understand
doubles shift better. I know almost everybody is going with the triple even on higher end road
bikes. Am I just being retro and should go for the triple?

Steve Gerdemann