I think a lot depends on the terrain you are riding. Most of my longer rides start with a 2500ft elevation gain in the first 15 miles. If I do this on standard gearing, I am usually heading back down at this point, instead of going down the other side of the ridge and committing to another 2500ft on the way back up. Compact cranks work well with a 9 or 10 speed cassette, but I feel a triple works better for a vintage bike.