A triple gives me a good granny gear when the grades get above 15%. However keeping the front derailleur trimmed is a PITA. My next road bike will most likely have a compact double with a wide cassette like a 12-32. With a compact double's 50-34 and a wide cassette, the 34-32 combo is even a little better for hills than the 30-27 granny gear on my triple. With 10 or 11-speed cassettes, I'm not really worried about the big jumps between gears. I grew up when a 10-speed meant 5 gears on the freewheel. Those were some jumps!

I have a 30-34 granny gear on my touring bike. Anyone need a tree stump pulled?