Originally Posted by
bmike
do a 'compact' that is set up as a 32/46 or a 30/44 (for climbing days!). even a 32/48 would work well. also consider changing out that cassette to something that makes more sense for LD riding - a 13-29 works well for me.
i enjoyed the 'standard' compact double with a 12-27 but found a crank with more flexibility for ring sizes gives me what i want...
Well, there are smaller double setups out there, aimed primarily at the mountain bike racing/cyclocross community. I just saw a review for a crank (I think it was from RaceFace) that is a 29/44 setup. Dunno how it would do with chainline on a road frame (it's an external BB model, so Q-factor isn't all that flexible), but it kinda hits what you're after in terms of chainring selection.
As far as my experiences are concerned, after riding for years with a triple (30/39/52) I switched to compact doubles (36/50 and 34/50) last year. After a lot of long-distance riding with big, long hills (though not extended distance, loaded randonneuring), I can't say I miss the triple. I actually prefer the lower maintenance and better shifting action on the doubles, given the choice. I run 11-25 and 11-26 (depends on the bike used - one is Campag, one is Shimano) cassettes, so I'm not giving up anything on the high end, and the low end is usually just fine. I have spare cassettes in 12-27 in case I want something slightly lower, but I've yet to find a case where I can't make it up a hill in the lowest available ratio.
Just my $0.02 - YMMV.