if I put a triple on this I'd probably get beat up by some racer.
Well, Roberto Heras used a triple on his way to winning the Vuelta a couple of year ago and I don't remember any reports of the other racers beating him up.
Why the reluctance to add a triple? The weight penalty is negligible and the complexity issue is absurd. If you don't need the granny, don't shift into it. It's that simple.