There's some scary chat going on these days and it sounds none too good for cyclists like myself who've come to rely upon their triple crankset as a trusted companion for the long road. Could the end be in sight?
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| With 32k on her, she's well-worn and well loved... |
During this past January whilst snowed in, I thought I'd shop for some new bike parts to prepare my trusty steed for Spring (as ya do...). You can imagine my shock when I found the main online retailers no longer stocking my crankset. What?
Eventually, I did find one, but the difficulty with which it took left me wondering WTF? And so my research began.
Several Disturbing Articles
I cycle roughly 7k a year in all sorts of weather which means that I chew up bike components; brake blocks (every 2k-3k), chains (3k), tyres and cassettes (6k), and cranksets & bottom brakets (25k). Of course handlebar tape, brake lever hoods, jockey wheels, and cables are changed regularly, but without much schedule. The point being; I shop a lot for bike parts.I have a group of online bicycle retailers that I rely upon for replacement of these components, but hands down the leader is Chain Reaction Cycles (see below for full list). I was surprised to find that they didn't have my crankset in stock, but more even more shocked to discover - they didn't plan on restocking it! Jeezus H. Christ! What the hell is going on?!?
And so I started down my list of retailers... Evans Cycles?, nope... Wiggle?, nope. Rose Cycles?, nope. Shit!
Special order?!?! Since when?
At this point I just went to Google and searched for "Triple Cranks". Whilst looking down the results list, my jaw fell open at this horrific title; Death of the Triple Crank.
And then there were these nasty pieces: Is the Triple Crank Dead?, The Rise of the Compact Crank, and then Is the Triple Dead?
Seriously? Are we to believe the hype? Drink the kool-aid of "newer is always better"? Are you telling me the advent of sub-compact-doubles or massive rear cassettes hitched to single front cranks are bringing an end to the triple chainset? I just don't believe it.
Now I'm going to say this for the record: There is absolutely NO NEED for 10 or 11 speed cassettes, chains, derailleurs, etc. NO NEED! It's just changing technology for the sake of selling NEW gear. I don't even really need a 9 speed, but I went with it because that's what came with my ride. URGH. (But I digress...)
Fighting Constant Change
Having read through these pieces, some of which are quite old, I looked further to manufacturers of triple cranksets and much to my relief I found several deeply committed to their continued production. Yes, many models of triple-cranks are being dropped, but to claim that they are dying is a load of hog-wash.
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The caveat is that most triple cranksets still require square-taper bottom bracket axles. Not a big deal. I only went to the Hollowtech II style crankset mostly because I wanted the complete brand on my drive train; ie ALL Shimano and secondly because I thought external bottom-brackets were an improvement.
But to consider that I've got to go back to an earlier setup it makes me a little crazy. I'll do it of course. Yet, the bike industry is plagued by continual change and so-called "upgrades". Which in itself is fine, but it's the abandonment of components that makes long-term cycling difficult. Having to re-config my ride when I like it the way it is, is damn frustrating.
Retro-Grouch
Yep, that pretty much hits the nail on the head when describing my current mood. Taking my case further; it's getting very difficult to find 9-speed equipment. Brake/shifters? Nope. Front derailleurs? One model available... for the time being. Rear derailleurs? Same. |
| Could this be my last one? |
And back to the focus of this write-up; cranksets, Shimano is only making a very expensive Deore XT Triple for mountain bikes with 44,34,24 chain rings (too low for touring IMHO), and a lesser grade(?) "Alivio" triple. (Yes, I found the Shimano 105 Triple, but with 50,39,30 chainrings it's strictly for fast road bikes AND I bet it's days are limited as well.)
I feel completely let down by Shimano. I grew to love my Deore triple. It is perfect for the terrain here in Wales. I thought HollowTech was the future and most importantly, I thought I'd be able to continue using this set up going forward. Plus, I am a brand-loyal type of guy. But as it looks now, they've decided to let me go and it's a damn shame.
As Luck Would Have It...
Not only did I eventually find the crankset I wanted, but I found it for nearly 50% off. And yes, I bought the thing straight away at SJS Cycles. (She's pictured in the snow above...) But the word is out. Shimano will not be making this model crankset any longer. |
| SPA CYCLES XD-2 Touring Triple Chainset with custom TA chainrings |
Could this be back to the future? A Spa Cycles (Sugino) XD-2 Touring Triple at twice the price. Will I be dropping the external bottom-bracket technology along with the specific tools I bought to install the damn things. Urgh.
A Little History
I bought my first triple crank as part of a groupset upgrade back in the early 1980's. At the time Shimano unleashed two major technologies; indexed shifting and "Biopace" chainrings. I had a 1978 Trek 700t touring bike with Suntour components and moving to the Shimano 600 Groupset completely transformed my bike from a great riding and reliable bike to a fantastic bike with an exceptional ride. |
| Shimano Biopace Triple 50/44/28 |
I rode that bike along with that setup for 20 years - only replacing chainrings, cassettes, and derailleurs as needed. Parts were readily available from my LSB (Cycles de Oro). The triple crank (50,44,28) was the core component of the group and that baby changed everything. It mean't that I could carry some pretty heavy loads up some pretty big mountains. Which I did cycling all over the US.
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| Sugino D2 Triple 46/36/26 |
When I first came to Wales for a cycle tour in 2008 I thought I would be fine with the Biopace triple, but as I quickly discovered; the hills are mighty steep in this little country. So upon my return to the US, I immediately began searching for a replacement crankset with lower gearing for my next tour.
Installing the Sugino 46,36,26 crankset was yet another significant change. At first I thought I had made a huge mistake because the gearing felt so low, but over time I adapted and grew to love it. It's been on the Trek now since 2009. I should say too that I've been using the bog-standard 7-speed/13-28 freewheel for over thirty years. I've hardly even considered changing those cogs. They work great. But before I digress into the black hole of gear ratios, I'll end this segment with a link to an excellent read on gearing - well worth your time; Cycling About/Gear Ratios.
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| Sugino R2 Triple 48/38/28 |
Jump forward a few years and I'm now living in Wales and riding a 2011 Dawes Ultra Galaxy (read review) with a Shimano 9-speed Hollow Tech II triple crankset. The bike came with a pretty basic Sugino triple that wore out in roughly 12,000 miles.
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| Three beloved friends that have seen a lot of miles... |
It was in 2014 that I decided to make the leap forward to the external bottom bracket and the Hollow Tech II style crankset. Was it really worth it now as I look back? I dunno.
I hope to get a few years out of my lastest Deore crankset, but I have a feeling that when it comes time to purchase another, I'll be in a similar situation and I'm putting my money down that I'll be going back to the square taper BB.
What do you think? - thanks, rc
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