I have just removed the final triple chainset from my bikes! After switching to compact doubles on my road bikes a few years ago, the only bike left with a triple was my mountain bike. But even that has gone now!
Taking a cue from the new Shimano SLX groupset, I've removed the outer ring and replaced it with a bash guard. The 32 ring I've swapped to a 36 ring (Deore, nice and cheap and hardwearing steel), I've screwed the stop for the derailleur in to prevent over shifting and shortened the chain.
I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. The main advantage is that you can use less chain and also use a shorter cage rear derailleur (GS as opposed to SGS). This stops the rear derailleur getting as clogged up in mud and stops chainsuck when shifting into the granny ring. You can run the front derailleur lower, also helping with the chain suck issues. There are fewer repeated gear ratios and the lack of a big 44T ring stops it getting bent when riding over logs.
The only disadvantage is that the top gear is now about 85 inches as opposed to 104. But who uses a 104" gear on a MTB, unless they're riding on the road?
