Chianrings are an important choice in your biking arsenal, particularly when purchasing a new bike. The choice between a double, compact, or triple chainring up front has been a source of controversy for years. Some cyclists swear by two, others prefer three. There are advantages for both types depending on riding conditions, geography, and your own personal fitness.

Double or Triple Chainring

The trend toward smaller gears in the mid-2000’s gave birth to the compact double chainring, which is used on most contemporary road bikes. With the invention of the compact double, some thought that the triple chainring had gone the way of the passenger pigeon, but it didn’t happen that way. Cyclists realized, probably because of the mountain bike, that bikes just climbed better with three gears up front. So the triple chainring, although maligned by the popularity of the compact double, still remains viable, and is considered mainstream for road bikes.

Forget Ego

There has always been a certain amount of snobbery in running a triple chainring on a road bike; that it was designed for those who needed a little more help. Don’t listen to it. The decision has typically centered around ego — ” I don’t need three gears to climb.” It’s a macho attitude that doesn’t take into account terrain and personal fitness.

Tooth Count

For the purpose of comparison, a typical double crank-set has a 53-tooth big ring and a 39-tooth little ring. A compact double might have a 36-tooth or 34-tooth little ring, and a 50-tooth big ring. A standard triple had a 52-42-32 gear combo but has since moved toward a 53-39-30 which is a standard crank with a “granny-gear”. But stating that any tooth count is “standard,” gets you into trouble, because manufactures use any and all combination of gears they choose to. Some manufacturers offer over 100 different combinations of crankset-cassette gearing.

Gear Ratio Science

Some road bike techies can state gear ratios off the top of their head. But reading about gear ratios make your eyes glaze over. It takes a mathematician to calculate how they effect your performance on the bike. For all intents and purposes, the differences between a double and triple is how they affect you, and your own personal style of riding. To sum it up, bigger rings with more teeth mean higher gears, which are harder to push. Smaller rings with fewer teeth mean lower gears, which are easier to push.

Characteristic Differences

There are characteristics common to doubles and triple chainrings. The basics are in the performance of the bike, and how it feels shifting, climbing and cruising.

Compact  and Standard Doubles

• Gear changes can feel chunky. It’s because you’re  moving the chain from a small gear to a large one, further than a triple requires.
• Doubles are less complicated. Given the fact that you’re only moving it one gear at a time instead of three, the derailleur doesn’t require such a large range of movement, like a triple.
• Doubles weigh less. Chainrings can weigh up to about 8 ounces, making the compact double set-up considerably lighter than a triple.
• Doubles are cheaper when compared to a similar make and model of a triple.
• Doubles can make you stronger simply because you’re using fewer gears to accomplish the same thing and have to push harder at a lower cadence.

Triple Chainrings

• You need to shift more often using a triple. With a wider range of gears, there’s almost always one that’s perfect for your riding conditions. The gears are closer together, so you’re more likely to find something that works well at the right time.
• More adaptable. If you’re not a particularly strong cyclist or you’re carrying a lot of weight, a triple offers you more choices of gearing and lower gears as well to more easily get up the steep stuff.
• Triples climb like crazy. It’s already been established that triples climb better than doubles. If you live in an area of rollers, hills and valleys, and do most of your riding there, the triple might be the gear of choice for you.
• Won’t Spin Out. Triples, with the bigger, higher tooth count, typically top out higher than compact doubles. Spinning out is a term used by professionals to describe the point where you can’t pedal any faster.
• Better chain line. Triples have a better chain line than doubles. Cross-chaining is a condition where the chain is operating at an angle. It’s hard on the chain and gears. Triples help to align the chain straighter, and are less likely to cross chain.
• Easier on the knees. Since you have more gear options you’re less likely to mash the pedals using a triple. Mashing continuously can hurt your knees. Triples are more friendly to your knees.

Typical May Not Be Average

The obvious differences between the two are based on typical gear ratios for an average road bike. But as stated before, there is no real average when it comes to production road bikes. In as much as the front chainrings affect a bikes performance, the rear cassette also plays an important role. The options for customizing a bike to fit your needs are as varied as there are roads to ride.

Bolt on-Bolt Off

Chainrings are made to remove, replace, or swap. It’s easy enough to accomplish if you’re working with the same model. For example, it’s difficult to modify a double to work as a triple, or vice-versa. It’s primarily because the derailleur may or may not have the necessary adjustments to accommodate new gears, or fewer gears.

In Summation

Your choice between a standard double, compact double, or a triple chainring comes down to your personal fitness, and what you’re intentions are. If you have a moderate amount of fitness, don’t be afraid of the compact double. If it feels like a bit to much to push at first, don’t worry about it, you’ll get used to it. If you plan on racing, definitely choose a compact double or standard double if the terrain isn’t too hilly and you can push the gears. If you’re a recreational cyclist or commuter, ride on weekends only, live in the hills, or are not as strong as you used to be, then choose a triple chainring. It really doesn’t matter as long as you’re comfortable, and it gets you out there enjoying it.