changing to a smaller big ring will not make shifting a triple as smooth as a double. but like you said, not shifting a triple is smoother than shifting a double.

are you sure that 11-30 isn't too much for your RD? i've seen here that some guys have success using 12-28. just not sure about fitting a 30 without changing the RD. if i'm wrong, that'll be good news for me when i move back to the hills....