Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Gearing ?

I am looking at doing some 200k rides and where I live in a pretty hilly part of Texas. I am considering getting another bike to replace my current "light" bike. The question that I have is about the crankset gears. I run a triple on my touring bike, and a road double on my road bike. I have never used a Compact double, and I see that it is a option for most bikes that are in my price range. Is there a advantage of the compact double over a triple or vice versa when doing longer event rides?

• CD is a little easier to use and maintain with brifters.
• CD is a little simpler to use.
• The range on a CD, with a sufficiently large cassette, is comparable to triples on a road bike (but not a touring bike).

CD's are lighter, but this is only an advantage if you're riding the event competitively or for a particularly fast time. And it isn't an advantage if you wind up having problems on the climbs.

The real advantage though, IMO, is in comparison to standard doubles -- namely that you get a little lower gearing while keeping the gaps narrower than if you went with a wide cassette.

I have a touring bike, and the gearing that I have on it right now is a 46-36-26 with a 12-26 cassette. I put the 12-26 cassette on so I can use those wheels on my road bike so I can save on have to true the wheels, low spoke count and I am a heavy rider. The road bike is a 1982 Trek 614, that I converted to a 105 group. I currently have a 53-39 crank and a 12-25 cassette. The bike is comfortable, I have done rides up to 35 miles on it. I am thinking about just keeping it for a beater bike, and replacing it with a new steel framed bike. I can always change out the crank on it and put a CD or a triple, but I am not sure if it would be worth doing on such a old frame.