Some folks prefer compacts, others triples. I've never come across objective proof that one is "better" than the other. I have 105 and Chorus triples, with nary a problem shifting with either system, and I'm too old to have an ego problem with granny gears. Besides, I'm entitled to grannies, as my second grandchild is on the way.

So the small ring is there but you don't use it much. If you're not a weight weenie, so what? You can certainly stay with what you know, with the small ring being there if and when you might need it, as you say. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Either way, you can get pretty much the same gearing options, if you want to tinker with the various cassette/crank choices people have suggested. If you have the gears you need, it doesn't really matter how you get there.