# Roubaix Expert, Double or Triple?



## GoSharks! (Oct 4, 2005)

Getting ready to buy a Roubaix Expert, but I am really struggling whether to buy the double or triple. I currently ride a Giant OCR 1, with the triple (105 front/Ultegra rear), I really like the gearing for the hill climbs in my area, but I can't get the 105 dialed in perfectly. On the Roubaix Expert, the double comes with a Dura-Ace rear, Ultegra front. And for the triple, full Ultegra. Since the double is a compact crankset and Dura-Ace, I am leaning in this direction. I just don't want to regret the double when I hit a tough climb. My LBS told me that they never try to talk anyone out of a triple, if the customer thinks he needs it. Any advice would be helpfull, thanks!


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## crumjack (Sep 11, 2005)

GoSharks! said:


> Getting ready to buy a Roubaix Expert, but I am really struggling whether to buy the double or triple. I currently ride a Giant OCR 1, with the triple (105 front/Ultegra rear), I really like the gearing for the hill climbs in my area, but I can't get the 105 dialed in perfectly. On the Roubaix Expert, the double comes with a Dura-Ace rear, Ultegra front. And for the triple, full Ultegra. Since the double is a compact crankset and Dura-Ace, I am leaning in this direction. I just don't want to regret the double when I hit a tough climb. My LBS told me that they never try to talk anyone out of a triple, if the customer thinks he needs it. Any advice would be helpfull, thanks!


I bought an Allez Elite Triple and wish I would have went with a double. Granted the "hill" climbs in my regular rides aren't much so I may appreciate the triple more when I get to some real climbs. I would think with a compact double and some experimenting with cassettes you could find most of the useful gears of a triple. 

Maybe you could you borrow a double from someone to try on a hill? 

You may want to cross post this in the component forum to get more feedback.


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## mwilcko2 (May 1, 2004)

*Get the double..*

Unless you mainly climb long steep hills, I would go with the double. Just about everyone I know that got a triple (including me) now wishes they had a double instead.


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## robeast (Aug 10, 2004)

*Get the double*

I started with a triple on my Roubaix and I now have a compact double. If you switch to an 12-27 cassette in the rear you will have close to the same gear range as the triple, and you won't be carrying around the extra weight of all the gears that you never use anyway.


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## bc165 (Aug 5, 2003)

GoSharks! said:


> Getting ready to buy a Roubaix Expert, but I am really struggling whether to buy the double or triple. I currently ride a Giant OCR 1, with the triple (105 front/Ultegra rear), I really like the gearing for the hill climbs in my area, but I can't get the 105 dialed in perfectly. On the Roubaix Expert, the double comes with a Dura-Ace rear, Ultegra front. And for the triple, full Ultegra. Since the double is a compact crankset and Dura-Ace, I am leaning in this direction. I just don't want to regret the double when I hit a tough climb. My LBS told me that they never try to talk anyone out of a triple, if the customer thinks he needs it. Any advice would be helpfull, thanks!


If you ride a fair amount and you're in reasonably good shape get the double. The 50/36 with the 12-27 that comes standard give you a fairly low gear. I think you can find a chart at the FSA website to compare the gear inches... sorry, I don't have the website handy.


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## NCRoadBeginner (Oct 8, 2005)

*Agree with the crowd...*

I bought the Expert triple a few months ago after making the move to the roads from my MTB. Got the triple based on advice from my LBS after I told them I was a road newbie and after seeing many posts on RBR counseling the same for beginners. I never use the small ring, even on long hills. The only time I would foresee anyone using it would be if they were very out of shape, or regularly hitting long or very steep hills at the end of a long hard ride when they were very fatigued. I'd trade it back for a double in a heartbeat if given the chance. Not a huge fan of the dark silver color, but that's just a personal thing, and the jury is still out on the stock seat. Otherwise I love the bike.


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## MDGColorado (Nov 9, 2004)

*How can we know?*

Without knowing you and your routes, how could anyone say? I have the triple and in fact, put a 28 on the back (eliminated the 12). Most rides, I don't need it, but as you said on the long climbs or at the end of a long ride it saves my life. I'm also 52 and want to go easy on my knees. It took a while to get the shifting dialed but it's good now. (My buddy's Ultegra always shifted right. I have FSA.) 

But the compact double may be low enough for you. I would have loved a 34/27 low back in my 42/24 days.


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## GoSharks! (Oct 4, 2005)

Thanks everyone for the incredible input. I am 49 years old, in reasonable shape, and I am training for my first Century at Solvang in March. I live in Saratoga, and I routinely ride up highway 9 to Skyline and Stevens Canyon. I also do a lot of riding from my home up to Alpine Road and back. I try to get in 40 to 50 miles minimum per weekend. As I stated earlier, I purchased a Giant OCR1 a year ago, which has a triple. I am looking to upgrade to the Roubaix for the comfort factor for longer rides, the Century in March, and maybe the Tahoe Century in June. I am really enjoying the road after several years on my Mt. Bike. Based on all the advice given and my experience with the Giant triple (105 front, Ultegra rear), I am planning to go with the double. Also a factor is Dura-Ace on the double rear versus the Ultegra on the triple. I know, a very small difference, but the Dura-Ace double just seems cleaner and simpler to me. Thanks again for all the great comments and advice.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Thanks also from me. I'm heading down the same path and making the same decision. I'll probably go with the double too.


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## critchie (Apr 27, 2004)

Good move going with the double guys!!


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## ornoth (Oct 9, 2005)

I pulled the trigger as soon as the 2006s came out and went with the triple and am very happy with it. 

They make it sound like the compact double has the range of the triple, but look at the gear development and you'll see that the trip not only has a lot of low end that the double lacks, but *it also has a higher high end!*

Like you, I'm also looking at the Roubaix for longer rides (200-400k brevets with hills), and I think I'll value the extra gearing much more than the tiny weight savings the double might yield.

For me it was no contest, but YMMV. Either way, I think you're getting a damned fine bike, and I hope you get many thousands of miles out of it.


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## Boardmill (Oct 15, 2005)

GOSHARKS

I am also in the Bay Area and would trade you out if you got the compact double and did not like it. This is provided you run 175mm cranks. I have a 1.5 month old 2006 Roubaix Expert triple. Components are basically new. 

I think there are arguments for going either way. 

If you run 175mm cranks I don't think you have anything to lose. Buy the double, if you don't like it we could meet up and do the switch. If we have any warranty problems, which is very unlikely, we will swap info so it can get sorted out.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

Hey GoSharks, I ride up HW9 all the time on my Robaix Comp Triple. I am also pretty fit, ride in several double and triple centurys per year. 17 years ago, I would take on HW9 with my Tommasini 52/42 double, but that involved a lot of pain, now I like spinning up to the top! Good luck at Solvang, there is going to be a heck of a lot of people out on the road. Too crazy for me.


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## GoSharks! (Oct 4, 2005)

wipeout said:


> Hey GoSharks, I ride up HW9 all the time on my Robaix Comp Triple. I am also pretty fit, ride in several double and triple centurys per year. 17 years ago, I would take on HW9 with my Tommasini 52/42 double, but that involved a lot of pain, now I like spinning up to the top! Good luck at Solvang, there is going to be a heck of a lot of people out on the road. Too crazy for me.


Thanks for your comment. Going up highway 9 on my Giant, I am spinning to the top now with a triple and I get pretty drained physically. Not because of the grade, but it just doesn't let up. So yes, with the double, I am concerned. I plan to go to Mike's Bike in PA tomorrow to talk about it and get fitted. I still like the thought of Dura-Ace rear on the double versus the Ultegra on the triple for the same price. Not a big performance factor I know. As for Solvang, I am doing this part of the Team In Training for raising funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma. My brother recently just went into remission on his second time around with Lymphoma (his test results were on 12/23, great news to start the holiday's!). This will be my first Century and I am looking forward to riding the Roubaix. I hope to feel a lot fresher at the end than if I did this ride on my Giant OCR1. This "getting old" thing is "getting old". Turning 50 this year, and the arthritis that comes with this is no picnic either. Cheers!


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