Hey Mike,

Since you're new, you probably haven't caught on that the double/triple thing has way more to do with personal preference and having the right gear combinations than it does with strength. With minimal conditioning, any idiot can climb a couple thousand feet at a steep grade using a standard double and tight cassette.

What triples allow is tight gear selection over a wide range. Whether you're on the flats, going uphill, or downhill, your gears are close together. The compact crank many in this thread refer to typically have a wider cassette. Their total gear range is similar to the triple, but without the middle ring many riders will find themselves riding close to the bottom of the big ring or the top of the small ring (not the best place to be).

Many people who ride doubles change cassettes for different conditions. On any particular ride, the gears you need typically fall in only 2 of the 3 rings, so triples are also good for people who don't want to bother with swapping cassettes.

Just so you know, most newbies ride with at way too low cadence. And when they're not doing that, they're cross chaining their big ring. And even if they are young and physically strong, they often get their sorry asses dropped by women who not only don't race, but are 15 years older and just riding their own pace.