Sub-Compact Double chainsets

[rareposter]

Triple chainrings don't work well with integrated shifters - Shimano STI, SRAM Doubletap, etc. And if you want to use triple chainrings with electronic shifting, AFAIK the only FD option is XTR M9050 Di2, which is designed for a max chainring size of 40t, so you might as well just use a modern 2x11.

I'm not sure I agree with the bit about integrated mechanical shifters and triples.

I'm not sure I agree with it either - Shimano, for many years made triple versions of their STIs, designated by an 03 code at the end. 5700 (for regular double 105 tier) with 5703 for 105 with a triple chainset for example. It all worked fine.

I've had two triples with STIs. One with twist shifters, I think from SRAM, which worked okay but the twist action wasn't too ergonomic for me. The other with Shimano Rapidfire, which worked perfectly.

Have SRAM ever made a triple? Not for road certainly. MTB? I thought they pretty much came into the game at the other end with 1x...?
And yes, Shimano Rapidfire worked fine on MTB triple.

Obviously this thread was started in 2022 but since then Shimano have pretty much overhauled everything below Deore with the introduction of CUES which offers 36/22, 40/26 and 46/30 chainring options, compatible across 9, 10 and 11sp so that pretty much takes care of all the sub-compact needs, especially with the wider CUES cassette. Unless you're properly bodging an old bike that was designed with old-skool 52/42 and a 6sp block, there shouldn't be any need for cobbling together homemade chainsets any more.

[Bmblbzzz]

I've had two triples with STIs. One with twist shifters, I think from SRAM, which worked okay but the twist action wasn't too ergonomic for me. The other with Shimano Rapidfire, which worked perfectly.

Have SRAM ever made a triple? Not for road certainly. MTB? I thought they pretty much came into the game at the other end with 1x...?
And yes, Shimano Rapidfire worked fine on MTB triple.

That bike was a hybrid with MTB or MTB-like gearing. The chainset and FD were both Shimano but the twist shifters were, to the best of my memory, from Sram. I think the RD might have been Sram as well. The bike was new in 1999 and is still being ridden, I'm pretty sure with original gearing, but not by me (I gave it to a relative). However, I think the shifter was this, or very similar: https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SRAM-3-0-Grip- ... _29783.htm

[Brucey]

....Have SRAM ever made a triple? Not for road certainly. MTB?

kind of; BITD their earliest product was gripshifters which were designed with triples in mind. Thereafter they did supply MTB front shifters for triples, but you could kind of tell their hearts weren't really in it; they were at great pains to use the exact same shift ratio as MTB FDs from shimano, come what may. This means that in most cases you could expect there to be a FD from shimano which did a good enough job for peanuts. No wonder they were so keen to be rid of it!

In any event a 2x shifter works fine with a 3x chainset provided a 'dangler' is also used.

[John biggles]

For many years I used stronglight 80/99/100 double chainsets with 86bcd set up as 28/45, 28/46 or 28/48 depending on what big ring I had, and loved them (with friction levers, and usually with the FD set very close to the top of the big ring), and with freewheels up to 32t

Then once I could afford triple 74/110bcd chainsets I moved to 24t inner rings sometimes used as compact doubles, sometimes as triples, and again with 32t or 34t freewheels.

Then it was 64/104 BCD chainsets and 22t inner rings and although triples the outer ring was rarely used, and cassettes with large sprockets of 32, 34, 36 or even 40(aging process)

Latterly my favourite chainset set up is 22/38 or 22/40 with a chain guard in the triple position. This even works on a bike with a braze on mount for the FD which means it sits way above the outer ring, yet still changes just fine.

The resulting bottom gear isn't used much, but when it is (steep hills, or late in a ride) it makes a big difference for me

Sadly it seems that the 104/64 BCD triple is an endangered species, lots of Chinese models available, but only 170 crank length and nothing shorter.

[hamster]

Have SRAM ever made a triple? Not for road certainly. MTB? I thought they pretty much came into the game at the other end with 1x...?

Yes, triple was the norm from SRAM MTB up to 10s. The shifters work well and are compatible with Shimano MTB front mechs. I'm running Shimano X0 on my MTB but with a Shimano XT on the front.

[Bmblbzzz]

Perhaps some people have only become aware of SRAM recently, by which in this case I mean this century, and don't remember that they eg bought up Sachs in the 1990s.

[Brucey]

.....Latterly my favourite chainset set up is 22/38 or 22/40 with a chain guard in the triple position. This even works on a bike with a braze on mount for the FD which means it sits way above the outer ring, yet still changes just fine.......

it will do, as long as you have a 'convex' chainring setup. Eh? Well, in a triple (or a double + chainguard) the shift from the small ring to the 'middle' position is always easier if the middle ring protrudes slightly, ie. it is slightly bigger than the average of the other two. Unfortunately if you choose ring sizes with a constant %-age increase (something which is very easy with a hybrid transmission) or you make the chainguard too big, the result is invariably a 'concave' setup, where the middle ring cannot protrude in the same way. Such arrangement can be made to work (eg. by shimano) but typically the FD needs to be just the right shape; 'convex' setups are always far easier to make work.

[AndyK]

Have SRAM ever made a triple? Not for road certainly. MTB? I thought they pretty much came into the game at the other end with 1x...?

Yes, triple was the norm from SRAM MTB up to 10s. The shifters work well and are compatible with Shimano MTB front mechs. I'm running Shimano X0 on my MTB but with a Shimano XT on the front.

SRAM's current range still has triple options in the X5 MTB groupset, plus there are triple cranksets including the S800 and several branded with the Truvativ name.

[MARK99]

For many years I used stronglight 80/99/100 double chainsets with 86bcd set up as 28/45, 28/46 or 28/48 depending on what big ring I had, and loved them (with friction levers, and usually with the FD set very close to the top of the big ring), and with freewheels up to 32t

Then once I could afford triple 74/110bcd chainsets I moved to 24t inner rings sometimes used as compact doubles, sometimes as triples, and again with 32t or 34t freewheels.

Then it was 64/104 BCD chainsets and 22t inner rings and although triples the outer ring was rarely used, and cassettes with large sprockets of 32, 34, 36 or even 40(aging process)

Latterly my favourite chainset set up is 22/38 or 22/40 with a chain guard in the triple position. This even works on a bike with a braze on mount for the FD which means it sits way above the outer ring, yet still changes just fine.

The resulting bottom gear isn't used much, but when it is (steep hills, or late in a ride) it makes a big difference for me

Sadly it seems that the 104/64 BCD triple is an endangered species, lots of Chinese models available, but only 170 crank length and nothing shorter.

28 tooth inner ring is a sweet spot at the moment for me. Do have another bike I do not use with a 24 teeth inner ring, so will be interesting at what age this bike will get used.