So, everyone is going to recommend the bigger cassettes, or the triple chain ring. I’m not. I think that spinning on climbs is great for some people, but not for others. Lance spins, Merckx didn’t. It may be comfortable for some, or not for others.
There can be a number of reasons for getting it handed to you on climbs - gearing, power, strength, muscular endurance, and of course, frame geometry. With the steep geometry of a tri bike, you can lay the power down on the flats when you are aero, but it truly sucks on climbs. Anyone who says it doesn’t is really kidding themselves.
If your only bike is a tri bike, you can goof around with new gear ratios or triples, the M2 Racer gadget, etc. and try to make it a climber. But, if you are doing lots of races with lots of hills, or just regularly ride with a group of mountain goats, you may want to look at a road bike.
Well EXCUSE ME, Mr K. For illustration purposes I was using Archaic Rudimentary Roadie 'Rithmetic. Just multiply my figures by Pi to get a (rough) indication of the distance travelled per revolution of the crank. In the absence of EXACT circumference measurements for the bikes we were trying to compare, I felt unable to use Tight Sphinctered Tri Math which, as we all know, is SO much more accurate.
Ela re Katsoudas, Ellinas eisai? With a name that like I thought you might be. Anyway, just to put you straight. In no way do I believe that anyone who rides a triple is a loser. In my book, anyway who wants to race triathlon, at whatever level, at whatever speed, on whatever bike, in whatever shoes wearing whatever he likes, is certainly not a loser. The guy or gal with the biggest grin at the end of the race is the winner as far as I’m concerned. I know full well that there are people of all abilities out there and that a triple is eminently suitable for those who are not so strong on hills. I just feel that for the guy who started this thread, Mr Highlighter (who, by the way, now appears to have sunk without trace) the simplest solution would be to change his cassette and maybe a front chainring rather than go through the whole process of changing to a triple. Also (and I would like to confirm this with Mr Highlighter) if his bike is a steep-angled tri-specific design and he is not so strong on hills, may I be so bold as to suggest that, if he wants to ride hills faster, then maybe this is not the bike to do it on? Steep angled bikes CAN be ridden fast uphill, but not everyone has the strength and technique to do it. Maybe he should keep the tri-bike for flat races and get a trad angled triple bike for hilly races? Just a thought.
Gears, as you so rightly state, are gears, but a well set up 10sp double will give you 16 to 18 usable gears (depending on chain line, chainstay length and chainring size) with minimal big to small chainring changes which is a big advantage in a race where speed is the most important factor. OK, if speed is not your main concern and you need a smaller gear on hills, ride a triple.
By the way, I ride 8 speed Dura Ace and have done since 1988 as parts are WAY cheaper than the new 9 and 10 speed stuff. Golf, I believe, is something that you do when you’re too old to do anything else and your mental health has deteriorated to the point where you don’t worry about the amount of money it costs. I well appreciate that it is a popular game and that millions of people enjoy it. I, however, am not one of them, but I do not begrudge them their fun.
If I see someone laughing their ass off whilst riding a triple up a 12% grade, I’ll assume it’s you. In my experience though, 12% grades tend to evoke emotions other than laughter. I’ll keep on spinning my double, you keep on spinning your triple and let’s see if we can’t show a little mutual respect for each other’s doctrines.
I apologise that my cheap jibe about wearing a paper bag over your head at races if you ride a triple upset you so, but amongst my immediate peer group a little playful banter of this nature is the norm rather than the exception and ‘taking the piss’ is considered, by some individuals, an art form which adds a little fun to the proceedings at hand. We all know we’re not going to be the next Mark Allen (although I did get within 2 hours of him at Nice once) but we can at least have as much fun as him.
Have a good one.
Well EXCUSE ME, Mr K. For illustration purposes I was using Archaic Rudimentary Roadie 'Rithmetic. Just multiply my figures by Pi to get a (rough) indication of the distance travelled per revolution of the crank. In the absence of EXACT circumference measurements for the bikes we were trying to compare, I felt unable to use Tight Sphinctered Tri Math which, as we all know, is SO much more accurate
Didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers. Just pointing out that a 650c wheel does not actually measure 26" diameter. It’s more like 24", including a 20mm tire. A 700 x 23 is around 26.3" diameter. As I stated, this does not matter if you aren’t comparing between bikes. I actually use Euro Geek UCI math (metric), just converted to Tight Sphinctered Tri Math for the metrically challenged.
BTW, I can’t stand triples. not because of the 3 rings (well yeah, because of that too, they are geeky), but because the increased Q factor makes them feel like I’m riding a horse.
Yassou re Noggin. I’m having a good laugh right about now at both my last post and your reply. You ever go back and re-read some of your old posts and realize that you came off a little strong? Well, I guess I’m guilty as charged. I took no offense to your post- I was simply trying to convey my amusement at the mentality of some (mostly roadies that I ride with) that more gears in back = good, more gears in front = BAD! Huh? Anyway, as you point out there are many ways to skin this cat.
Sorry I took so long to reply, but I was out playing golf yesterday. I guess the mental faculties are already slipping a bit. Have a good one!
Jasonk, I stand corrected and take my foot out of my mouth long enough to seek your humble apology and to acknowledge that my ‘rough’ calcs should have been based on approximate diameters of 26 and 24 and not 28 and 26. Next time I will endeavour to engage brain before putting digits to keyboard.