Double to Triple... what needs to change?

[Marcellus]

OK I'm struggling with those damned hills!!

Try as I do I just can't get any sort of rhythm, I get there in the end but have grind them out and it's not pretty or good for me......

I'm currently running a compact 53:34 with am 11:26 on the back.

As I see it I have 3 options;
> spend more time riding - I already ride 2 out of 3 days for a couple of hours so not really possible.
> change the rear to something like an 11:29 - is this feasible and will it really make enough difference?
> go for a triple - but what do I need to change? - chain ring, front mech, front shifters.. but someone suggested rear mech too is this necessary.


(oh and before someone suggests a 4th option of "Man Juice" my current sources have run dry)

[rhinochopig]

Marcellus said:

OK I'm struggling with those damned hills!!

Try as I do I just can't get any sort of rhythm, I get there in the end but have grind them out and it's not pretty or good for me......

I'm currently running a compact 53:34 with am 11:26 on the back.

As I see it I have 3 options;
> spend more time riding - I already ride 2 out of 3 days for a couple of hours so not really possible.
> change the rear to something like an 11:29 - is this feasible and will it really make enough difference?
> go for a triple - but what do I need to change? - chain ring, front mech, front shifters.. but someone suggested rear mech too is this necessary.


(oh and before someone suggests a 4th option of "Man Juice" my current sources have run dry)

You can also get smaller rings.

In answer to your question it depends. You could be looking at the lot if you've never changed the chain as you could have got to the point where they have all mated, i.e. a new chain, or block, or something else will cause the chain to jump.

Typically though you'll need new arms/rings, and rear mech possibly (depends though on the length of the cage). Most road bike front mechs will cope with a double or triple AFAIK.

If you do decide to change, you may be better off buying an 08 groupset rather than buying separates as there are some cracking deals around at the mo. I bought a full 08 capag veloce version inc. wheels for £399 recently.

[Nick_F]

If you're on 9-speed then try an MTB cassette?

[a11y_m]

Marcellus said:

OK I'm struggling with those damned hills!!

Try as I do I just can't get any sort of rhythm, I get there in the end but have grind them out and it's not pretty or good for me......

I'm currently running a compact 53:34 with am 11:26 on the back.

As I see it I have 3 options;
> spend more time riding - I already ride 2 out of 3 days for a couple of hours so not really possible.
> change the rear to something like an 11:29 - is this feasible and will it really make enough difference?
> go for a triple - but what do I need to change? - chain ring, front mech, front shifters.. but someone suggested rear mech too is this necessary.


(oh and before someone suggests a 4th option of "Man Juice" my current sources have run dry)

Changing to a triple would be more expensive:
- front mech might be OK (some have enough movement range in them IIRC)
- certainly need a new shifter
- new chainset, not just rings, as a double-specific chainset won't have mounting bosses for a 3rd ring

My 'cross bike came with a 25-11t 9-speed cassette on the rear, and double chainset with 50/34t. I changed the cassette to an MTB 32-11t one but also had to change the rear mech to a long-cage one (XT MTB "shadow" one, total overkill!): the short-cage Shimano 105 one couldn't cope with the amount of change in chain length.

[Lord Pikey]

Marcellus -

is this on a road bike? I might be able to help. When i ordered my 05 Specialized Allez i got a tripple instead of a double by accident.

I might be interested in a straight swap if our items are similar spec and condition?

[Salgar]

Just browsing the forum when I came across this thread.

Just would like to say, I've never understood a thread less than I have this one, it sounds very interesting though.

That is all, carry on.

[rhinochopig]

Salgar said:

Just browsing the forum when I came across this thread.

Just would like to say, I've never understood a thread less than I have this one, it sounds very interesting though.

That is all, carry on.

It's engineering talk. The knitting thread is third door on the right :

[Marcellus]

Lord Pikey said:

Marcellus -

is this on a road bike? I might be able to help. When i ordered my 05 Specialized Allez i got a tripple instead of a double by accident.

I might be interested in a straight swap if our items are similar spec and condition?

Yes it is for my Road bike.... but I fear it wouldn't be a fair trade..... mine is a couple of years and a fair few thousand miles old and has hit the tarmac a few times.......... I would have thought to go from a triple to a double would be a lot less as you'd only need to change the chain wheels wouldn't you?

[Alicat]

Surely a 53:34 is not a compact??

Switch to a compact and you will be on 50:34

Alicat

[Marcellus]

Alicat.. not interested in reducing the top end (53) I need to bottom end lower.....

[smifffymoto]

I know what you're going through.The steep ones are a bugger.

[b2hbm]

Marcellus said:

I would have thought to go from a triple to a double would be a lot less as you'd only need to change the chain wheels wouldn't you?

I put a triple on my bike if I'm going near serious hills, and it's more than just bolting on another set of chainrings. You need a complete chainset (cranks + rings) and bottom bracket axle as well because they are longer to space the 3 rings correctly. You might get away with the standard axle, it depends how much clearance there is from your frame. I keep the same brake/gear levers as they work with both double & triple. I also keep the front change mech because the cage is deep enough to work with a triple, but some of the more recent front mechs (shimano) are shallower and I doubt they'd work. I also keep the rear changer.

But it's a bodgy conversion because the rear mech isn't able to cope with the length of chain you need to cover a 30-42-52 chainset & 12-25 rear cassette. So there's a lot of fiddling to get a usable chain length and the best I can get is normal operation on 42-52 but the 30t will only get the bottom 5 sprockets before the rear mech is unable to take up any more chain slack. Which is ok for me, because I would only use the 30t ring on the bottom few gears anyway, but you might find the limitations a pain.

If I were you I'd get a 29t bottom gear by changing the rear cassette, in fact you used to be able to get a cassette with a 30t bottom gear which would be fractionally better. Why ? well, the lowest triple ring is normally 30t or 32t and going from 34t to 32t isn't a great deal, in fact I doubt you'd notice. However you would feel a difference from 34t to 30t ring, but that's almost identical to a 34x29 set up.

/geek mode on

your current 34x26 is a 34" gear and a 30 x 26 setup is roughly a 30" gear. But a 34x29 setup is a 31" gear and that's so close to the 30x26 that you will never tell between them. And changing the rear cassette is significantly cheaper & easier.

/geek mode off

[mikee boy]

Get a cassette with a big cog of at least 28t. That would give you an 8% improvement in ratio compared to your 26 which would feel quite dramatic. My Scott has 34/28 as it's lowest gearing and I find it fine for 1 in 6, a bit cheeky for 1 in 5s but I have to stand for 1 in 4s.

[936ADL]

Switching to a triple from a double set up is never a cheap option.

As has previously been stated a 53/34 is not a compact. I'm also not sure that i've ever seen one. Are you sure it's not a 39?

I went to a 50/34 set on an Allez that i had and it certainy made a difference.

I ended up selling the allez and getting a tricross, and this certainly has the gearing to get up most things that i've thrown at it.