3 cranks vs. 2
 

My bike has 3 cranks and my FIL has 2 on his bike. I never use the 3rd crank because I feel like I'm cheating. Do a lot have road bikes have the 3rd?

It's called a triple. (as in 3 rings). I ride one. I rarely us the small ring. But it is nice to have a bail-out gear. You will probably use it when we ride the canyon.

Wusses. Unless you ride mountain bikes, real men don't use triples.

Hey and throw on a 11/21, not some whimpy ass 12-25.

FYI, cranks, or crank arms, are what the pedal attaches to. Three would be problematic except on a tandem for a team with a one-legged member. As Q points out, you are really talking about chain rings, and the more the better in my book. Weight weenies don't like triples but if you have knees over 40 those high non-hammerin' RPMs on a climb are good to have.

No shame in a triple pride. No shame at all.

You can get the best of both worlds in a compact crank, which blends easy to spin gears with power gears. My wife loves hers.

Are you really riding an 11-21? what are your chain rings? More evidence that I am the sag wagon for your Ulcer experience.

11-21s are hard to come by. I usually ride an 11-23, but I do it on any hill. Perhaps that's why my IT bands hurt sometimes. For a flat ride I'd love an 11-21, with a fiftyfive up front.

A triple. Yes... that's what I have! ha ha! I'm almost certain I'll need the small ring going up..

Whatever.. My bike just came with the triple. and I'd do it again! :) and what's the 11-21 and 12-25 crap?!... you can't just through out this mumbo jumbo to someone as slow as me and not explain!

ha ha! thanks for the explanation. I already know I have bad knees and I'm only 25. When I was 16 and working at a grocery store I couldn't squat down very to load the lower shelves... My dad has had fake knees for years and I played a lot of catcher on my baseball teams so I attribute my sucky knees to my father and baseball.

A wuss is the guy that uses the small ring. I have it. But RARELY use it.

Back cogs have a number of cogs. The smallest cog has usually either eleven or twelve cogs. The more cogs, the easier it is to spin it.

The other number is the biggest cog, usually 23 is standard on a double, but sometimes you get a 21 if you want pure power. I've heard but never seen a 19. Climbers for long sustained climbs over hundreds of miles may sometimes want a 25, or 27. They spin easier. I have two 23s, a 25 and a 27. You will need to replace the cog sets every couple thousand miles. Your gears will start to slip as the teeth are worn off.

Oh, they're just talking about the rear cassette (i.e. the cogs in the back). A 12-23 just means the cogs range in size from a small 12-tooth cog to a 23-tooth cog. Obviously, the smaller cog, the faster you can go, but you'll have a hard time going up hills. The larger cog gives you the ability to chug up steeper hills.

On a road bike, a standard double-chainring setup is a 51-tooth big ring and 39-tooth small ring. A compact crankset is 50-34. This gives you a wider range of gear ratios. On a mountain bike, a typical triple chainring is 44-32-22.

For road cassettes, a typical setup is 12-23 (for older bikes like mine that has 8 cogs) or 11-25 (for newer 10-cog setups). Mountain bikes typically run 12-32 or 12-34 cassettes.

Check out http://www.hostelshoppe.com/tech_gearcalc.php to get an idea of the gearing ratios the various chainring/cog combinations can give you.

Pride, don't listen to Arch and Q. Arch couldn't afford all three chainrings, so he had to settle for only 2 of them. If he came up here for a few rides, he'd be begging for a triple, or at the very least a compact double. 39-21 wouldn't get you over a freeway overpass around here. Maybe in the desert, but not in the mountains. Its suicide for the old knees.

Once you go triple, you never go back. 30-25 all the way for me. I have no shame (or knee pain).

Excellent link MTB. I've always wondered how the different gear configurations translated into actual mph. For instance, I am comfortable spinning along at 90-100 rpms. Anything above that and I feel like I lose my pedal stroke. That being said, I seem to max out on a flat road sprint at about 32-34mph. Now I kow why.

Once again, I'm here minding my own business and I get dragged in to the conversation. Whats up with that? ;)

I could never put one on my bike. Many times I wished I had one but I could never do it. Don't those come with a mirror you stick on your helmet.

None of my friends would ever let me live it down, on the road bike, because they all have them for the mountain bikes.

It would be akin to riding a pink bike and advertising for the Gay Pride parade.

ha ha! sounds good.

I would consider a compact or even a 12-27, something I actually own but don't use. A triple, perhaps when my grandkids are through racing.

ANd your point is?

I've got 2 mirrors on my helmet, I still have the visor and I also have hooked up a small BBQ on the back of my bike. I'm looking to get a skull and cross bones flag to fly. Isn't it recommended to have a mouth guard too?!

Get with the times RC. They stick to your sunglasses now.

Sheesh.

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.a...POINT%20MIRROR

Your friends are gay? that explains alot...

Next thing, you're going to tell us, you ride a recumbent and have nice big flag on your bike.

I can't get the reciumbent out until I grow my beard again. Therre are rules about these things, you know.

You also need to get a wine bag so that it drips down your beard.

I ride a pink bike.

But you're a cute girl, you're expected to do things like be color coordinated down to the toe nails.

I know!! I wish I'd exercised a little forethought! It turns out my most excellent pearlized pink finish actually clashes horribly with my crimson Sooners jersey. What was I thinking?!?!

I'm all over that. Honestly that looks more dangerous then not knowing what's behind you.

Di Luca did yesterday's Giro mountain stage with a 34/29 gear ratio. The last climb was 6.3 miles and averaged 11.9% grade, with the max grade being 20+%. According to MTBs link, that gear would be nearly identical to my triple 30/25.

Whats my point, you may be asking? I don't think its possible to hang on a serious climb with a comparable rider if you are on standard double and he has either a compact with a huge rear cog or has a triple.

Is there a serious flaw in my argument that I am missing?

I just find it humorous that Archaea's friends will make fun of him if he has a triple. Some cyclists are just a different breed.. I'll probably never fully immerse myself into the cycling culture.

There are actually several cultures. You're already part of one just by the natiure of the bike you have and your actualk desire to ride regularly. Some bike guys are elitist and obnoxious, but they are few, more of them are friendly and accomodating. Go ot a century ride as opposed to a race, for exanaple, and there you will find hundreds of freindly folks.

I guess I would fit into the "I ride recreationally" culture. Whenever I meet anyone riding, why is it that they always ask if I want to go get a beer? Even the construction worker guys joke about getting a beer after my ride... Is that part of the recreational riding culture? I've heard most riders are cool except for the racers. Some of my family think I'm weird because I wear stretchy pants... especially my superficial sister. Although as soon as my sister-in-law told her how expensive it is to get decent gear, my sister thought the sport was really cool.

Have you gotten rid of that hair on your legs yet. You've really entered the zone when you get there.

Ha! I've been shaving for about 6 weeks now... I tell people I shave for the extra speed! :)

As far as triples go, I've never been offered one on a road bike, so I've never considered one. And I really haven't been anywhere that required one. OTOH, I'm not much of a climber, but climb for fun and fitness.

Shaving legs is cooler that I would have thought, and the occasional compliment from a female doesn't hurt.