I would suggest a compact. You're rarely going to spin out of a 50x12... If you do, you can just get an 11 cog which makes the 50x11 bigger than a 53x12.

Compacts are great for all around riding. The best scenario is that you can get the same gear range with less of a gear jump. I.e. 50/36 rings to an 11-23 give a similar range to a 53/39, with closer jumps within the cassette.