Horse looking at out-of-fashion tech
Personally i like them quite a bit, the small gear steps, i am using the simultaneous shifting like front 1 up, rear 1 down a lot to find myself in the best cadence.
I know people being happy with their switch over to 1x setups, but tbh i don’t see myself doing that at all. I guess 2x, but i wonder how you would get to the small steps, like do you do something like front 1 up, rear 3(?) down, or just get used to the bigger steps?
Do you think 3x drivetrains will ever make a comeback or are they fading out for good?
Those who know, know. In order to get the same range as an 8-speed (or nine) triple, modern drivetrains have to be a Rohloff or Pinion. No other 1X/2X can get close without some ridiculous design. More than that, 1X drivetrains are expensive, fiddly, and proprietary.
Shimano and SRAM would prefer you to only be able to bike the way they think you should. But the profusion of kludges to get more gear range says to me that people actually miss their triples. So yeah, triples are mostly relegated to the realm of specialty vendors like Velo Orange, Microsoft, BOX, etc.
For my 3x8 and 3x9, I used to memorize the steps and know when to shift both derailleurs. These days, I just go by feel and only shift the front when I want a different range. If you want to get every last available step out of your 3x, the late, great Sheldon has you covered: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
I was thinking about this because i was looking at Shimano Cues. Looks like a pretty cool and wide range 2x11 setup with 40/26 (or 46/30) front and like a 11/45 cassette. That range would work for me.
I am not really looking to upgrade my drivetrain to have mor in between steps, but i would kinda dislike loosing the ones i am using right now, because i am using those all the time, although i might just not even notice, i don’t know. I have still two chains to go through before i have to replace anything else on my drivetrain anyway. I was just wondering if, when 3x is basically gone, they may start selling it as the new shit again.
This right here. Fully agreed. For me, it’s not about steps; it’s about sheer range, especially for touring and mountain roads. I have a GT Grade with 2x10 + GoatLink and 11-42 cassette; 26-38 crank up front. It gives me a gear-inch range of 16.5" to ~100". But holy hell, it is so fiddly and sensitive. I have to tweak it about every 100 miles.
Shimano CUES is interesting in that Shimano seems to recognize what a mess they’ve made. With CUES, they are hopefully going to make groups that all just work within the line, instead of the compatibility quagmire it is now. Source: partner works in the LBS.
It’s not going anywhere. Sure, the high end Shimano and SRAM groups mostly abandoned triples. But both of the Big Two still make mountain and road triple. Again, other niche manufacturers are stepping in to fill any remaining gaps. You might have to dig a little bit through QBP and very few production bikes come equipped by 3x. But it’s very much available. If you want that NOS cred, Yellow Jersey (https://www.yellowjersey.org/) is a vintage dream, but 90s website warning.
Any decent bike technician has encyclopedic compatibility knowledge in their heads and can easily spec you out a modern 3x drivetrain in any shape you want. I bring some good beer to the shop where my partner works, ask the questions, and get the info dump. “Oh, sure. For that bike and target gear range, you want Muffler Bearings, double Blinker Fluid, and then hypernize with extra Elbow Grease.” But actually meaningful info.
Yeah, i’m not too worried about finding parts yet. And a more fiddly setup is definitely a major turn off, good point!