Hello, Newbie here so I hope this isn't a dumb question.

I purchased a road bike last fall and have been bitten by the bug. I am now riding 3-4 times (ruffly 200 miles total) a week. I live in the foot hills of Colorado and find myself climbing a lot. The salesman I bought the bike from suggested a Jamis Ventura Aluminum with a triple crank set and 12-23 9-speed cassette for a first bike. I want to improve my climbing ability and the bike weighs in at a hefty 20.7 lbs. I've been considering changing my crank set to a compact 50/34 since I almost never use my 30 ring and spend nearly all my time on the 39. This would save me over 300 grams and from the sounds of it would give me almost the same range of gears as the triple. Am I just being a noob and looking in the wrong area for improvement?

Thanks
Robert