it seems that you were climbing in the 30 granny ring before, since if you had been doing it in the 42 middle ring you would find your double's 39 acceptable right now.

I would start with a 50/34 compact and re-evaluate. I run a 11-32 on my MTB, but I wouldn't use that wide spacing on my road bike unless I regularly climbed very serious hills. My wife's bike came with a 11-32 Apex and she only uses her 32 cog when she's lingering on the 50 ring. Your 12-26 cassette should be a good balance of climbing and reasonable jumps between cogs.