Changing a triple to a double – worth it on PITA?

[CCrew]

Depends on the shifters really. Some can be either, some mean you replace the shifter and front derailleur in addition to the crank. You may want to list out what you have for components so others can look and comment.

Have to ask though, what are you trying to accomplish? Sometimes a granny small ring is nice to have.

[JustinW]

Am in the process of looking at used bikes to purchase, and have mixed feelings about going with a triple (increased complexity that may require more frequent adjustments, etc.). Have a triple on my urban assault bike and love it in that context. Just not sure if my eventual road runner will need that gearing flexibility as well….

[CCrew]

@JustinW 2113 wrote:

Am in the process of looking at used bikes to purchase, and have mixed feelings about going with a triple (increased complexity that may require more frequent adjustments, etc.). Have a triple on my urban assault bike and love it in that context. Just not sure if my eventual road runner will need that gearing flexibility as well….

Not really more complex, if the high/low limits are set right and it indexes correctly then a double and a triple will pretty much shift the same. The mechanics behind each are identical, it’s just that the triple has an in-between index point.

So much so that the 5600 series flavor of 105 road shifters the left shifter (front derailleur) is the same and just adjusted differently between double and triple.

What you can’t do in the front is freely mix road and mountain parts to the level you can on the rear but even then you can get away with some. I certainly wouldn’t rule out a nice bike that fits well because it had a triple. All of my wife’s bikes are triples and they’re no more maintenance than any of mine.. and they have a picky owner, trust me!

[Author]

Posts