I'm not particularly experienced or very strong, but if you really don't have steep hills (really few) I think the standard double definitely has an edge, and it's got nothing to do with the 2-3 tooth difference in the big rings. I love my compact in the hills but you need to shift as many as 3 or 4 cogs to make the transition between rings smooth, and some really useful gears for solo riding are right in the cross-chaining range. If you really don't need to climb any steep hills a standard ought to give you a more useful range of gears and a more convenient front shift. Otherwise compacts are great.