The natural evolution of technologies and the development of new designs often mean that certain products, though still valid, lose significance when compared to new solutions available on the market.
This is the case of the triple crankset.
Already some years back, with the introduction of the compact crankset, the number of users of the triple fell considerably, marking a trend that has continuously diminished year by year.
With Campagnolo's introduction of the 11-speed groupsets last season, thanks to the presence of 11 rear sprockets to choose from, the advantage given by the compact became even more accentuated.
Today, thanks to the new 12-29 sprocket set, the compact crankset has made a decisive step forward with respect to the triple.
Taking as an example a classic triple configuration (53-42-30) associated with a 13-29 sprocket set and comparing it with a compact 50-34 and the brand new 12-29 sprocket set, it is not surprising to note that the new sprocket with 29 teeth associated with the 34 of the compact allows metric developments similar to those of a triple crankset with a rear sprocket 29 (30 cm of difference).
Even for the hardest ratios, the two configurations are very close in terms of metric development: the 53-13 of the triple compared to the 50-12 of the compact has a difference of only 20 cm.
In addition to all this is the fact that the compact crankset enables huge savings in terms of element weight, which is especially crucial when confronting demanding climbs where the force of gravity plays against the rider. A reduction of the Q and U factors and less intersection and overlapping of the ratios with consequent better chain alignment are further advantages given by the use of the compact.
And that's not all. There is also the enormous advantage of not having to change the rocker arm of the 11-speed rear derailleur already purchased in order to fit the brand new 12-29 sprocket set, the real and incredible news.
Thanks, therefore, to 11-speed technology and to the new 12-29 sprocket set, the era of the triple seems to be drawing to a close. Today, all cycling enthusiasts can confront the most challenging climbs even without being in top condition.
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| Comparative table - similarities and differences in metric development between compact and triple. |
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JUL
2010 After two years, the 11-speed revolution has evolved always maintaining the same objective: achieving ever better performances.
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